I’ve always gotten excited about a great thrift store…the one-of-a-kind finds and crazy deals that are hiding there, potentially finding the best Christmas gag gift ever for my brother (like a vintage talking Pee Wee Herman doll). The treasure hunt itself is just FUN!

I started working at my church’s ministry resale store as a side-job 4 years ago, because they needed help, I had some hours to fill, and as I said, I have an appreciation for thrift stores. What I didn’t expect was for God to have so much more to show me than the boxes and bags of often questionable items passed on. As He has kindly used the store to tap into my skills and personality traits, He has also used it to tap into a heart that needed to be challenged…that’s not the kind of treasure I was expecting.

As I sift through thoughts of interactions during my time at our quaint little shop, there’s a surfacing of valuable nuggets like finding diamond earrings in the pocket of a thrift handbag.

1. All sorts of people from all walks of life, from college professors to the homeless, come into our store – people with plenty of resources seeking unique finds, people with low resources seeking needs and affordable wants, people with no resources seeking help and people seeking to steal. With this variety also comes a mix of culture, ethnicity, and religious/spiritual views. There are days I’m bothered by customers who are rude because they’re struggling, speaking a different language, or verbally bashing some of my staunchly held views.

My lesson from God: “Kelly, I created EACH of these people, I love EACH of these people, and I want them to know me. I want YOU to somehow share my love with them.” When I’m obedient and walking closer to the Lord, I feel more at peace to deal with the “baggage” that might find it’s way to the register, and I can move from a place of feeling annoyed to feeling on mission; but we should always try to be ready both “in season and out of season,” according to 2 Timothy 4:2.

As Oswald Chambers explained, “We should be ready whether we feel like it or not. If we do only what we feel inclined to do, some of us would never do anything…The proof that our relationship is right with God is that we do our best whether we feel inspired or not.” It’s not about feelings.

What if I am the only hint of Jesus that person is gonna get? And what about my own baggage that I may need others to be patient with? (which leads to my next nugget)

2. People drop stuff off at our store because they want to get rid of it or they need to get it out of their way. Often we wonder if they meant to take it to the dump! It can be challenging to sort through. Patience is needed to sort through their junk, and a look in the mirror is needed at my own.

I’m reminded of my emotional and relational baggage, injuries from the past held onto, sometimes pressed down and sometimes erupting over the surface. Am I sorting through it with God so I can pass good on to others? Am I working with God and others to get rid of the unhealthy stuff in my “box” so that when passed on, my box blesses others? Am I able to patiently support others as they sort through theirs?

My lesson from God: “Kelly, as you sort through this person’s junk, remember your own mess and that of others. It’s a sea of junk that needs Jesus. If handled patiently and wisely, treasure will surface (or maybe just good useful stuff!). Be reminded as you sort through this stuff looking for good that you need me to be patient with you as you faithfully bring your mess to me so the light of Jesus can be seen in your life.”

We are told in Psalm 55: 22 to “Cast your cares on the Lord, and He will sustain you,” and in 1 John 1:9 that “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” So if we shed our baggage at the feet of Jesus, we can gain comfort and restoration. Just thinking about doing that gives me relief!

3. We have SO MUCH and way more than we need.

I am reminded of this as I see those with greater resources bringing in boxes and bags of useful, sometimes expensive or sought after items, and also when I see even those with low resources having something unused to drop in our donation bin. Each has something to be repurposed with the hopes of it mattering to someone else (and how much are the lives of these donors needing renewal with hopes of mattering, just like their stuff?).

For those of us who feel like we’re living in excess, what if each of us did a budget crunch and found enough waste each month (only $38 needed) to sponsor a child in need through organizations like Compassion International or World Vision? If each of us did this, there would be no child anywhere without clean water, food, or a school to attend. (And what a perfect gift to your family this Christmas – showing them your new sponsor child and getting them involved in the hope being shared!) Talk about renewal.

My lesson from God: “Kelly, what stuff do you really need?” As it says in 1 Timothy 6: 6-8, “But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” Great gain sounds great to me.

4. There is so much hurt in this dark world. I am reminded of this as I hear customers sharing about their health struggles, family turmoil, financial hardships, or loneliness since the loss of a spouse. No matter what I have going on, there is ALWAYS someone I run into in a worse situation than me.

Now this doesn’t mean that when I’m having family tensions, marital struggles, or other stressful life circumstances that my pain should be shoved under the dusty second-hand rug. It means that I need to cling even more to a verse that’s been one of my favorites since my daughter recited it in her 1st Grade Easter play a decade ago: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) If we could figure out how to really take comfort in that, life would seem so much better, wouldn’t it?

My lesson from God: “Kelly, I need you to filter your problems through ME and try to see them the way I do. See all the things I’m working together for good. This way, you can be an example to others around you who are struggling and are seeing things the way the world does.” If I’m not showing others that Jesus gives hope and peace, I’m not making Him look appealing to anyone!

Just as a thrift store allows new life to come to all sorts of things, from the tired and simple to the unique and rare, Jesus came to do that for each of us. Here at Christmas, let’s cling to that like a gorgeous $10 antique oil painting.

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:17