Unusable? Never!

Within minutes of winning the Super Bowl this past Sunday, the victorious Steelers were sporting caps that heralded their Super Bowl Championship. Obviously these were pre-printed and were all set to be distributed at the game's conclusion. But what if the Cardinals had won? Just as there was a supply of Steeler Super Bowl attire on the Steeler sidelines ... there was a similar supply on the Cardinal sidelines that would proclaim the Cardinal's Super Bowl championship. But since that never happened, the caps were never distributed. So did you ever wonder what happens to all those caps (and the shirts and other attire that was waiting to be shipped to a number of retail outlets across the country)? And of course, throw in the same scenario for both the AFC and NFC championships -- and you have a lot of attire that can't be sold. So what happens to all of this?

I wondered ... so I got online to find out. Here is what I discovered: World Vision, a Christian relief organization, will collect the losers' items and redirect them to impoverished families. This year, the losing Cardinal Super Bowl attire will be distributed in remote areas of Central America. World Vision will also be handing out Baltimore Ravens AFC Championship attire and Philadelphia Eagles NFC Championship attire as well - most likely in Africa. World Vision has been collecting and distributing unusable and unsalable NFL and Major League Baseball attire since 1992. The retailers and manufacturers write off the apparel as a donation.

I am grateful to God that he never "manufactures" anyone who is unusable. All of us are unique creations of God. He wires and shapes each of us in a specific way. And He does so in order that we are who we need to be to accomplish what HE wants us to accomplish. The Apostle Paul refers to this when he writes, "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10). SO - are YOU using your God-given shape to do HIS work?

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj