A Different slant to Monday Money today…

I want to call to attention the contrast between not having enough, and having more than needed.

I have been blessed to never have an empty kitchen.

Growing up in a middle class family in the midwest, our kitchen cupboards were never empty.

As a single teen moving out on my own, I don’t recall the contents of my kitchen cupboard, but there was always something.

Now my wife and I are looking around our home and slowly but surely, we are using up, giving away, selling, or getting rid of stuff.

Creative cooking has resulted in some tasty dinners using every thing from old boxes of pasta to canned soups, fresh veggies that aren’t nearly as fresh and a few spices.

My wife also has a habit of sharing leftovers.  Some may think, “Who wants second-hand food?” But the recipients usually see it as a quick and easy microwave ready meal!

We really don’t have a food shortage in this country, we have a food distribution problem.  We have an abundance of food, and yet there is scarcity of food in our midst.

Much food is wasted, I’ve seen recent stories that say up to 50% of the food in this country is thrown away due to waste, including restaurants that put too much food on a plate, to food that never gets into the hands and mouths of people who are unable to afford it.

Panera Breads has been featured a couple of times with a concept they have launched in Boston and other cities, that helps remove some of the barriers.

Here in Fort Wayne we have several churches, and other ministries that are feeding those who need food.

Food is just one item, look around and you’ll see many more that fits into this abundance/scarcity concept in our lives.

My challenge to each of us is to not turn a blind eye to the abundance in our lives and the scarcity in others lives, but to be open to see what we have been blessed with in a new light, perhaps some of what we have can be used as a blessing for others.