Useless

Like I shared in my column last Sunday, I am bracing for my ultimate transfer of residence from Cebu City to Mactan in less than two months. I have been busy planning for the disposal of most of my household possessions now. I came to a decision that I will acquire new stuff for my new house in a new territory. Anyway, I told myself, most of what I have been keeping all these years has become useless. Last night, that word got stuck in my mind before I went to sleep. Am I sure that these things are really useless?

Ordinarily, when we tag something as useless, it will never have any benefit to us anymore, right? Today, it’s no good and tomorrow it will remain a liability. So why be grateful for it?

Ah, that struck a cord.

Something may seem nothing today but it did contribute some good thing to make you what you are now. That’s why we should still give thanks to these useless things.

Case 1. My bamboo rain stick. I bought this 6-7 years ago. At first, I would go “gaga” over the various “rain” sounds it produces when I shake it. It was therapeutic for me. Today, it is still with me but just propped up in the corner of my room. It’s been some time since I touched it. It does seem useless now. But I’ve decided to still keep it in my new residence. Even if I will not shake it, its presence can remind me to breathe and relax during stressful moments.

Case 2. I have this elliptical trainer machine and for about a year, I would step on it and do my afternoon exercise to burn calories and fat. It was also a great cardio workout. But after my complete hysterectomy last year and my cervical spine deformation, I have refrained from using it. I am having second thoughts in bringing it with me to Mactan or just sell it off. It does look useless to me because I will not have enough space for it in the new house. I know it will do good for anyone who buys it but definitely it will always be a reminder for me to keep fit.

There are also decisions that other people may think as useless for us to have done.

When I resigned from a company almost 7 years ago, I was hurt honestly. It was a separation that snapped a long drawn emotion in me. I felt all those 8 long years of looking after the workers’ rights and exerting effort to be their channels of improvement were all useless.

I labeled my job in HR as “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” work. At the end of the road, you are looked at as the bane in the workers’ plight? What  happened to all my efforts to help them?  Useless.

After the traumatic experience, I refrained from working in a company again but the Lord led me to my present company, still partly doing some HR work. Yet, my previous experience enabled me to be the resilient person I am now. It also vindicated me because I am happier and more blessed today than those times that I seemed to be 10 years older than my real age. Indeed, God uses even the most useless event for a greater purpose. Had I not gone through my “useless” efforts to help the workers, I would not be the person I am today: forgiving, humble and discerning.

I like how PresentationMinistries.com wrote a reflection about what we think are useless events in our life.

“The Lord is calling you to do something that seems useless. If you do the Lord’s will, you will seem to be only delaying the inevitable. Nevertheless, you are being called to walk by faith, not by sight (2 Cor 5:7). You will feel that you have “toiled in vain, and for nothing, uselessly, spent” your strength (Is 49:4). However, the Lord is calling you to obey Him not because you understand His command, but because you have accepted Jesus as Lord and have become His disciple. In the end, doing seemingly useless things in God’s will is usually the most useful of all. Even when they aren’t, we should still do them because of love for God.”

If there are things that we feel are useless to us now, think twice. They may be instruments for future favors for you. If you regard some people around you as useless, think hard. They may just be used by God to bring out the better Christian attitude from you. And if you are in a situation that seems helpless and useless now, ask for divine wisdom to turn this around to something fruitful in the long run.

In Proverbs 3:5, God reminds us not to lean on our own understanding but to trust in God who always makes use of anything , useful or useless, for our own good.