Treasure In The Trash

[Dullhook]

The other day at work I needed a container to put some mechanical parts in so I went out back to check the dumpsters. I'm not usually into dumpster diving :smile: but often times we throw good plastic buckets away that contained products for the food processing industry. I pulled out a couple of boards from a broken pallet and underneath I saw three very old books that someone had discarded. There were two ancient looking dictionaries and another book that appeared to be an old bible. I picked it up and began to thumb through it. The old embossed cover read "The Manual of The Holy Catholic Church."

The copyright was 1906 and the pages were thick and sturdy, the binding tight, and the illustrations beautiful. They were mostly paintings from the Catholic Art Studio, Chicago, Illinois. There was no way this was going back in the trash...I couldn't wait to take it home and browse though it (I'm a Christian but not a Catholic). I imagine it may have been left to someone and it collected dust in a box for years before they decided to throw it away. It was kind of tattered outside but the pages inside gave the indication that it may not have been used for many years. I feel as though the Lord wanted me to rescue it.

Some of the contents are specific to the Catholic faith and doctrine, most apply to Christians in general, and there's a lot of great teachings and wisdom that are relevant to everybody. Here's a great example from a section on child rearing:

Win The Respect Of Your Children

"You must have control over yourselves; you must keep your minds well-balanced, if you want to win the respect of your children. We see some parents who can never manage their children either by threats or by tenderness; while others have only to give a sign, a word, a look, and they are obeyed.
The reason of this difference is that the latter class of parents are always even-tempered, never punishing today what they laughed at yesterday; they are always gentle, yet always firm; they do not command their children by fits and starts; they govern them in a steady regular fashion. The former class of parents have not learned how to govern themselves; how can they expect to govern their children?"

Pretty good advice from a 100 year old book! Some things never change, even in a world where relativism and subjectivism seem to dominate many people's actions.

Here's some beautiful spiritual writing that all Christians can appreciate. It's from a section called "Calvary". I wish I could share the whole thing, but it's very long so here is just a part of it:

" The lightest pain suffered by Him who was God as well as man, the least shedding of His most Precious Blood, was enough to redeem a thousand worlds. But He would pour it out to the last drop, that I might know how bad, how terrible a thing is sin.

Because I must be clothed with the best of everything-He must hang naked on the cross!

Because I am proud and desire to be better than I am-He is treated as a sinner and a fool!

For my greediness, His tongue is tormented with vinegar and gall, His throat is parched with thirst!

Because I like to be comfortable in everything and hate the least little pain or inconvenience-His shoulders are furrowed with stripes, His hands and feet are bored with nails!

Because I can suffer nothing at all for satisfaction for my sins-He must be tortured from head to foot!

Because I have deserved to be abandoned by God-He is forsaken by His Father in His hour of need!

All this for me! Oh, if I had seen Him on Calvary, and known His pain was all for my sake, could I have found it in my heart to go away and sin against Him? Could I be as careless as I am? Was it worth His while to show me so much love, for the little bit of love that I have given Him in return? He need not have suffered all this. He was not obliged to bear all this for me. He might have left me to perish. But His heart would not let Him. From the height of the cross He saw all ages to come, all the men, women, and children that were to look to Him to save them from sin and hell. He saw me. He knew me just as I am."

[i]AMEN!!!

[wishin]

Thank you Dullhook.