If you have lemons make lemonade. If you have corn make...

This past weekend I was having family over for a barbecue. I was pressed for time, so I ordered my groceries online from Instacart. I noticed while checking out that the price was a bit higher than I had expected, but I knew I had a substantial order—burgers, cheese, rolls, tomatoes, corn on the cob, etc., so I didn’t check over the list closely. I quickly pressed “Submit Order.”

Two hours later, the groceries arrived. I was so proud of my efficiency! As my visiting sister-in-law and I were opening the bags she commented on the amount of corn I had ordered. “Sixteen ears,” I replied. “I think there is more than that,” she responded. “How can that be,” I thought. But sure enough, I had inadvertently ordered 16 packages of corn, for a grand total of 80 ears! I had totally missed the description, “5 ct.”

So what do you do with 80 ears of corn? After two days of family events, we were down to 50. Now what? Corn salad, cornbread, corn chowder, creamed corn. I have discovered an endless number of corn recipes. And of course I can give some away and freeze some. I am determined to not waste a kernel. If I allowed the corn to rot without being enjoyed, what a sad waste of money that would be!

Shouldn’t this be the same attitude we have with everything we possess? God has given us an abundance of blessings. Is there anything we are wasting? God has given us gifts to be used for His Glory:

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” 1 Peter 4:10

“Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads,with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.” Romans 12: 6-18

I know this may sound “corny,” but just like I want my corn to nourish others , even more so, don’t I want the spiritual gifts God has given me to encourage others and contribute to their overall well-being?