My parents grew up near the end of the Second World War when Taiwan under Japanese rule fought against the U.S. and its allies.  They went through many hardships in the times of the war such as food shortage and taking shelter in the basement or bomb shelters, so they have learned to be not wasteful and be resourceful. They would recycle and use almost everything available and not throw away things such as food, clothing, water and all the home equipment. Dad would keep hands washing water until the end of the day and Mom would always eat  leftover meals and keep the kitchenwares till they are broken into half or pieces. I would often ask my mother to throw out the defective and broken bowls, but she always said defensively, “They are still usable; we should treasure what we have.”

Being a Christian, I know that ” we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works” (Ephesians 2:10). But how are we Christians fully at God’s disposal and fulfill His will in us? Jesus, Son of God, has modeled himself for all of us as to what a servant of God is. Jesus said during the Last Supper with disciples, “This is my body, which is broken for you” Luke 22:19). Jesus’ broken body represents his surrender to God’s will and the redemption for all sinners. We have to be broken by God and for God. Our personal agendas — fame, riches, pleasures, power and position — must be laid at the feet of Jesus. Until we surrender, we won’t be available completely for God.