Expiration Date

I recently cleaned out the cabinets in my kitchen. I have limited cabinet space and wanted to organize my food. It came to my attention that some of the food in the cabinets had expired. That’s understandable right? You pack new groceries and some of the older ones get pushed to the back.

The funny part was the “actual” expiration date on some of the cans. There was a can that expired in 1997. That was not a typo. I meant to write 1997. This means I moved that can from West Virginia to Washington State to Texas and to New York. Fourteen years seems to be enough time to be carrying something around that could kill you. What was I thinking? I really don’t know. It was something that slipped through the cracks. I’m just glad I never fed it to my family.

Before you judge me, it’s easy to forget about or overlook things in your closet that you don’t use often. It’s quite possible to push things aside and let them fall through the cracks. Granted I did pack it up several times and took it with me, but I did have help with that. I wasn’t always the one packing up the kitchen. I had friends who helped.

Okay, so I’m blame shifting a bit. Isn’t that the easiest thing to do? – blame someone else. It’s better than taking responsibility for it.

The way my mind works, it made me wonder what else was hidden in my closet that had expired? What am I carrying around with me that could possibly kill me? Am I carrying around old hurts and wounds? What judgments or resentments? What were the things of life I needed to take responsibility for?

This experience gave me an opportunity to check in with God and ask Him to clean out my closets of those things that I don’t need to carry around anymore. The things that could harm me or hinder my walk with Him. It doesn’t matter how it got buried. What matters is that it causes no further harm.

Price of a can of beans - $.79.
Price of a can of beans that is 14 years old - $.29.
Price of not eating a 14 year old can of beans – PRICELESS.

© Nadine Zawacki 2011