Leftovers From the Leftovers!

Leftovers. Some people love them. Some people won't touch them! I'm of the former frame of mind. My thinking is, if it's already cooked, and it hasn't been in the fridge over three days, then I don't have to start from scratch for dinner! :)

Today as I started thinking about what to fix for lunch I took a look in the fridge to see what we already had. Several covered dishes let me know that today would be a good day to finish off the leftovers. Hmmm. Leftovers from a fish supper last night. Hushpuppies. French fries. The wheels started turning in my head. I had found a bag of cooked yellow squash in the freezer a few days ago labeled, "2-cups squash. For squash dressing" and had been thinking about fixing that soon. A light came on in my mind. What if I used the leftover hushpuppies and used them instead of cornbread in the Squash Dressing recipe? Sounded good to me so I got the squash out and defrosted it in the microwave while the oven was pre-heating.

As I was putting the ingredients together for the dressing I noticed the handful of french fries (large, home-cut slices) from last night. Hmmm. How would it be to chop them up really small and include them in the casserole? Looking good! I got it all mixed together and in the oven and the smell....oh, the smell that started filling the kitchen! Ummmmm!

Wondering what we could have to go with the squash dish I looked in the fridge again. Creamed potatoes, deer steak and gravy from day before yesterday. Oh yeah! I put the potatoes in a shallow dish and poured the steak and gravy over the top of them. Then put it in the oven with the dressing so it could get nice and hot.

One more look in the fridge should finish my dinner plans.....and the leftovers! Yes! Enough nice crisp lettuce already cut up for a salad for me and hubby. Just needed to peel a couple of tomatoes and chop them. Add the rest of left over English peas. Toss. Everything looking good! Smellin' good, too!

Dinner turned out great. But you know.....now I have leftovers from the leftovers!! ha ha We could not eat all the squash dressing but I bet we'll finish it off for supper.

Talking about leftovers reminded me of the story of Jesus taking the little boy's fish and bread and feeding the five thousand in John 6: 9-13. The people had been listening to Jesus teaching and preaching and were hungry. The disciples wanted to send them back into the villages for food. But Jesus said, "No, give them something to eat." The disciples looked around, saw a little boy with a sack lunch...which conceivably might have been left over from an earlier meal...and said to Jesus, "There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?" Indeed....what WERE they among thousands of hungry men, women and children? Not much but the disciples were leaving out one very important factor in the equation. Jesus was there! He took the little boys lunch, blessed it, broke it and had the disciples pass it out. Then when the people were FILLED (v.12) Jesus said, "Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost." What he was saying was, "Boys, go gather up the leftovers! We don't want to waste food!"

Verse 13 shows what can happen when Jesus is in the picture. They gathered up twelve baskets full of leftovers. Should I repeat that? Twelve BASKETS FULL of leftovers! What a miracle. There were most likely many people saved that day after seeing that miracle.

Have you ever felt like you were like leftovers? That you had somehow lost some of your usefulness? That maybe you were going to be rejected or unwanted? I have. But with Jesus in the picture in our lives, we don't have to feel that way! He can take our little feeble talents, treasures, temperaments, thoughts, or testimonies and transform them into something huge! He can make our "leftovers" very much desirable and usable for His glory.

Bring your five loaves and two fishes to Him today and let Him do miraculous things in your life!

Leftovers! Ummmmm. Yummy!

Marilyn