Past our expiration date

Quick question. When cleaning out your freezer, what is the oldest thing you have ever found? I am sorry to say, but I think I know someone who could top it. My mom recently helped an older friend clean out their chest freezer and found a set of frozen blackberries dated 26 years agp. Needless to say we were both shocked. When this friend was asked if they wanted get rid of it, her friend said, "No they are still good and I hope to use them sometime."

While I know there are many things we could say about this from several different points, the direction my thoughts take me tonight is that maybe sometimes things are not as disposable as we might think. Don’t get me wrong, I think the blackberries should be thrown away and possibly even handled as toxic waste. However, I am afraid we carry the same attitude toward people. Especially when they grow a little older and sometimes their comments seem a little sour, we are ready to be done with them. I wonder if we forget that somewhere within, good still exist.

People are the most amazing thing God created that I can tell. They have the ability to heal and reverse the spoiling process like nothing else in all of God’s creation. I wonder if we give up on people a little early sometimes instead of walking with them to help, encourage, and hope that the good can make a come back and become stronger than the spoiling.

I say this to all who care to hear, but I mainly speak to myself. It has been a while since I have called my grandpa and it is time I called him. We all need a little loving. The good thing about people both young and old is that we are never fully past our expiration date. Thanks for listening.