Silverware, or flatware?

I don’t have a home and hearth “lifestyle” site like my bloggin’ buddy, Lindsey.  Case in point: I grew up calling all eating utensils “silverware, yet I somehow doubt that we ate off of silver.  I have since learned the differentiations between silverware, stainless, and simply flatware.  Now, Lindsey might be able to tell you more precisely what those are are (and how to use them correctly!)  One thing I have learned, however, (Lindsey, dear, please correct me if I’m wrong), is that the more you use silver, the less you have to keep it polished.  Otherwise, just stuffing it away for special occasions means you had better budget a fair amount of time in the preparation of the event for the wearisome task of polishing, cleaning, and wiping. 

For someone who rarely gets around to dusting my furniture, no thanks.

Not that I would allow my granddaughter to dig in the dirt with the silver serving spoon I got as a wedding gift lo, these many years ago, but why stuff that little treasure away just for dipping out the mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving?

So I wonder how much I fall prey to that attitude in other areas of my life; that is, putting something away for “safe keeping”, afraid it might get broken, stolen, or at the very least misused or disregarded, instead of using it for the need of the moment.  It seems that James agrees with the premise that hoarding tarnishes whereas proper use refines. 

“This corroded treasure you have hoarded will testify against you…”

Of course, the big word that floats to the top of all this corrosion is the word “mine”. 

My money, my time, my skills, my dreams and hopes, my experiences (both harsh and sweet), my turf (ouch!).  That’s especially true when I’ve been misused and abused, when my sacrifices have been undervalued, and my input has been misunderstood.  So, so much easier to pack those pieces of myself away, safe from harm, safe from exploitation…

…but not safe from the emotional corrosion of offense, fear, and selfish expectations.  And more importantly, not safe from the question I will be asked on that day, “what did you do with what I gave you?”

One of the hallmarks of a Christian is generosity, and that’s not just talking about money.  Generosity, in a very real sense, takes courage.  And courage is the polishing cloth of all the silver we’ve got in the back of the cabinets.

Why would I use stainless when the King deserves silver?

James 5:3  Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.