Composting
The other week my husband resurrected the compost heap. We had had a compost pile many years ago. In fact a friend gave us her black plastic compost bin. For a time we dutifully added grass clippings and leaves. Though it was never a well tended compost heap. Whenever I thought about it, I would stab a pitch fork into the middle and wiggle the pitch fork around but never really worked on it enough to make the yard debris into gardening black gold.
So, I was curious as to what prompted my husband to do so.
“Greta said I should do it.”
At first I thought, “Who the heck is Greta?” And then I remembered that he had read an article about Greta Thunberg.
Which is why we now have a stainless steel container on our kitchen counter containing coffee grounds, vegetable peels, old cut flowers. Each day, he will dump the contents into the black bin and stir.
I have been thinking about composting. One. I love the idea of recycling and “using it up”. What better way to use up our food waste than by turning it into something useful. According to the EPA, food scraps and yard waste together comprise of 28% of what we throw away. What a waste (pun intended). Especially when that waste can be used for something good.
Environmentally it makes sense to compost. There is a removal of items in the landfills. Not only is space freed up, but I also think of the gas needed for transporting that waste to a dump or landfill whether by a paid trash collector or yourself.
Composting has made me aware of other waste products our house hold produces. Compared to my unscientific study of our neighborhood (looking at the trash bins lining the sidewalk on trash day), we do not throw out that much. Not even half a can for the two of us each week . But I am no way near the people who are trying to produce zero trash. You may have heard of the minimalist folks who, if not completely without trash- meaning not recyclable in any way, can contain their year’s worth in a mason jar.
Our reduction in waste results from trying to avoid purchasing anything with too much packaging in the first place. Nothing new to our lifestyle. We were practicing that when our children were small. We started out that way because it was more budget friendly to do so. At that time, I never gave it much thought to our purchasing preferences until one day in the grocery store our one son was heard saying in a loud voice that only five-year-olds can produce, “Look at all the packaging that lady has in her cart” as he pointed to the evidence. I did a quick 180 with the cart and darted down the next aisle.
Composting is also a tangible and wonderful life metaphor about how God is at work in our lives. What I especially love about this metaphor is how, that which is inedible can be turned into something which supports growth of edible products. Even at the end stages of an organic item, it can be broken down and reused as soil to enrich the next crop of items. With just warmth, moisture, oxygen and nutrients you can have an ideal environment for microorganisms which will break down any organic debris.
How many times do we think we have broken and unusable waste in our lives? Faults, situations, problems or relationships that seem to have no purpose other than toss into a trash heap. We wonder how can anything good come out of this mess? Yet with God, it always does. He is the ultimate recycler, re-user, restorer. He is in the business to change things from worthless to worthy.
I have seen time and time again, either in my own life or in the lives of those around me, that there is potential for growth and goodness even with the most challenging and seemingly hopeless situation. There might not be direct goodness (or seemingly so) to the individual but there is always a definite goodness in the longview of relationship building and/or societal growth. For God is sovereign and His purposes are not ours.
When you think about it, even if there is no good for you, your situation might be a reminder, warning or good for someone else? “You meant evil against me but God meant it for good.” Joseph reminds his brothers (and us) in the review of Joseph’s long, troubling and ultimately triumphant life.
What about you? What trash do you have in your life? Are you holding onto it? Or getting rid of it? Can you trust God to take that which is ugly and allow Him to turn it into something useful and good? Can your trash be a treasure for something else?
I can think of nothing better than to learn that a difficulty of mine has been turned into something good for someone else or that it has built a relationship. The by-product that gives meaning to the hardship. I think of my recent wrist injury. While it has been a difficult three months (and I still have some surgeries and healing ahead of me) I do see this trash of an experience turning into the groundwork for a lovely friendship. An acquaintance of mine helped me navigate the orthopedic process for my broken wrist. It was unexpected and a God-send and I have been able to help her with some of her personal issues. More than a tit-for-tat but rather the groundwork of friendship and caring. She would have remained an acquaintance had I not had my injury. For that I am grateful. Who knows what this good thing will turn into?
What does your composting pile look like? What trash in your life is turning into an earthly or heavenly treasure?