Don't Waste Your Bananas or Your Blessings

A sweet and sincere grandmother offered this prayer. "This morning, the bananas in my fruit bowl are just ripe-right for making bread. So I will take the time to sift and stir, and soon, a special fragrance will fill the air. Shortly I'll take from the oven loaves that are high and light and crusty brown. I will add salt, butter, and a cold glass of milk so my grandchildren can enjoy it! The bananas would have been thrown in the garbage if I had waited until tomorrow. My opportunity would have been gone to turn something fleeting into more lasting good. Oh Lord, I know a few wasted bananas wouldn't matter much. But wasted opportunities to serve You matter a lot. And I waste so many. Forgive me. Let me recognize and fulfill every opportunity this day, before it's too late, for the love of Him who died for us all. Amen."

Scripture clearly states that you want to avoid waste, especially with the blessings or bananas God gives you. In John Chapter 5, Jesus encounters a man who was crippled for 38 years. He was lying near the Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem, which is considered a local healing location because of superstition and religious folklore. Jesus meets the man and heals him instantly! Sometime later, the Lord sees him again, but He offers a strong rebuke this time because he apparently found him using his newfound health for selfish and sinful purposes. John 5:14 says, "Later, Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, 'See, you are well again. Stop sinning, or something worse may happen to you.'"
Other than eternal separation from God, what could be worse than being an invalid for nearly 40 years? Perhaps leprosy. Either way, this man was guilty of wasting his bananas.

Furthermore, being in the temple suggests he was engaging in the high priest's underhanded practices, which typically sought to defraud temple-goers. Regardless of whether it was that or some other sinful lifestyle choice, Jesus sternly warned him not to be incompetent and ignorant with his new blessing of health.

Similarly, let us reflect on all God has done for us and commit to using our blessings wisely for His plans and purposes. Remember, we are blessed to be a blessing.