Rusty Beans

And those parts that we think aren’t worth very much are the ones which we treat with greater care. 1 Corinthians 12:23a (GNT)

So much rain fell this year! While welcome, it always seemed to come when the beans needed picking. (A tip to novice gardeners: do not pick beans when they are wet! Doing so makes the plant rust.) A few times I picked them when damp—better an unattractive harvest than no harvest at all—but mostly when dry, albeit oversized. 

So yesterday I washed my millionth extra-large string bean, running it through a French cutter in preparation for canning. Rust-spotted veggies were set aside to be composted (canning books prophesy dire consequences when using sub-par vegetables). Eyeing the brown pile made me wonder about just cooking them up. 

Composting forgotten, I sautéed the offending beans in sesame oil. Ideas began to flow, and garlic, ginger, sesame seeds, and soy sauce soon joined the party. Mmmmm! The smell! The taste! And no one would ever know they were rusty. After that, I looked for the faintest excuse to sauté more. 

In God’s economy, the last shall be first, and the first shall be last (Mark 10:31). He calls leaders to be servants. Jesus Himself washed His disciples’ feet. He had concern for widows and orphans. He healed the afflicted. In Luke 5, religious leaders asked Jesus why He ate with sinners. His response? The sick need help, not the healthy. 

The weak, unlovely, or defective often are snubbed by a world that holds its own idea of perfection in an unforgiving clasp. But if we look through God’s eyes, we will find treasure in the most unlikely places. Look past that rust! 

Father, teach us to see others the way you do, and to treat one another with honor. 

© 2013 Katherine A. Fuller