Devotional 9-20-13

My Father’s World

God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food.  And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.”  And it was so.  God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.  Genesis 1: 29-31

On a beautiful spring day in 1997, my husband looked up from his dinner plate and said, “I really don’t like my job.”  This really was not a newsflash because I had suspected for some time that he did not like it.  In the twenty-two years that we had been married, he had worked for other contractors, had done his own contracting work, remodeled rooms, and built decks.  He had been poisoned by the treated lumber of the ‘70s and was still suffering as a result.  I knew he was tired of tearing out and rebuilding.

It was that year that he and I began our treks up and down the alleys of Huntington, WV, in order to find wooden treasures that others had discarded. He then turned them into beautiful objects that were sold at our little store on Norway Avenue.  I was so proud that he had thought of recycling to make his furniture.  Not only did we make money without the overhead, but we also did our part to cut down the amount of recyclable trash being dumped into the landfill.  Faderay  Furniture was born.

Now flash forward sixteen years. We still get in the truck three evenings a week and look for treasures.  They come fewer and farther between because the economy is worse and there are more of us in the alleys looking for items. But finding a bedstead, table, or unusual chair still gives me a thrill.

Since 1997 we have also added more recycling in our home.  We recycle all paper packaging, newspapers, and junk mail; plastic bottles and cartons; aluminum cans; and plastic bags.  Where do we take them?  The Cabell County Solid Waste Authority, in conjunction with the City of Huntington and Cabell County Commission, has distributed bins all over the city.  We take our paper and plastic items to Kroger, our aluminum cans to Rt. 2 Metal Recycling, and the plastic bags to Wal-Mart’s service desk. Most weeks we have less than one bag to put out on trash day.
Recently my Sunday school class has been marveling at how God puts us in places to help others and to get help.  I think He wants Don and me to encourage you to recycle.  You don’t have to do it all.  Choose one type of recycling that you think would help and enlist the help of family and friends if you do not have a car or truck to transport the items. We must work together to preserve our Father’s world.

Please sing this hymn of praise for the world God has given us.

This is my Father’s world,
and to my listening ears
all nature sings, and round me rings
the music of the spheres.
This is my Father’s world:
I rest me in the thought
of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
His hand the wonders wrought.
Amen

Becky Warren