Find the treasure hidden in all of us

"See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up: do you not perceive it?"

- Isaiah 43:19 (NIV)

I smiled to myself as I looked out the kitchen window. No one would ever believe the new, white table sitting on my patio was an old rusted leftover.

Some time ago, my husband hauled this relic home in the back of the van. When I saw it I asked, "What are you going to do with that?"

He expected me to greet this "treasure" he found with the same enthusiasm he had for it. However, my husband has taught me that he has a knack for turning trash into treasures. He took that old rusty table and sanded down the metal, smoothed out the chipped edges and covered it with a nice white finish. It looks just like new. I am delighted as I look at my bright patio table.

Sometimes we feel cracked, chipped and broken by the circumstances of our lives. Our job skills become outdated or unmarketable and we face giving up a job we loved. To learn something new or start over seems near impossible.

We carry old remnants from our past relationships that we'll never get over. We start to view ourselves the same way as that old patio table - fragmented, leftover and useless. But we can't give into self-pity. There's no power to move forward with that mindset.

Many people in the Bible felt the same way. The prophet Elijah suffered from depression after a great victory. He probably though his career was over after this. God restored each of these people as they were willing to change their ways and turn to God for strength to move forward.

God doesn't throw us away because we feel broken by disappointment. He wants us to bring new things into our lives. He is waiting to show us hidden treasure that is still within us.

Let us open our mind to God and let him show us the potential we possess.

• Annettee Budzban is a Christian author, speaker, life coach, and nurse. She is available to speak for your group or event. She can be contacted at Annetteebudzban@aol.com.