Smells Like Money!
- Richard Selke
- 14 hours ago
- 5 min read
LISTEN TO AUDIO
Every other month or so, Buster would arrive to pump out the grease trap at the Montana Mining Company steak house in NorthPark Center. Because of the horrendous stench, this had to be done in the early morning hours long before the Center opened for business. All ventilation systems had to be shut down to ensure that the foul air was not sucked into the interior of the building. If precautions weren’t taken, it would be “bad.”
Buster would arrive in his grease-encrusted pump truck which glistened with a greenish-brown luster that matched his overalls. I would watch out the back window as he removed the manhole cover and stood over the grease trap holding the hose while the pump sucked the grease into his truck.
The process would take about thirty minutes after which he would shut off the pump, remove the hose and knock on the back door. I would open the door, trying not to gasp for air as he entered the building and followed me into the office. He would stand there waiting while I got his money out of the cash register. He was unshaven with bits of something crusty lodged in his unkempt hair. The putrid aroma of the grease trap lingered about him.
On his first visit, Buster saw my apparent disgust, grinned and asked, “What does that smell like to you?”
“It smells like $#*%!,” I replied.
He laughed and said, “It smells like money to me!”
Buster was filling a need, doing a job that most people would not embrace. It was honest work which, hopefully, fed him and his family and paid his bills. There’s dignity, honor and respect in that.
I knew nothing about Buster’s background. I never heard his story. And I don’t know whatever happened to him. My entire experience with Buster was encompassed by those bimonthly early morning visits to empty the grease trap.
I’ve thought about Buster and his job. I’ve thought about me and the jobs and careers I’ve held throughout my life. And I’ve thought about Buster’s education and my education and the education of all the other “Busters” and “Richards” out there.
And I’ve thought about how different the world is now, about how much the world has changed, since we began our educations. Did our educations prepare us for the world we’ve grown into?
Sir Ken Robinson was a British author, speaker and international advisor on education. He said, “It’s education that’s meant to take us into this future that we can’t grasp. Nobody has a clue … what the world will look like … And yet we’re meant to be educating our children for it … All kids have tremendous talents, and we squander them, pretty ruthlessly… we are educating people out of their creative capacities … Our education system has mined our minds in the way that we strip-mine the earth for a particular commodity. For the future, it won’t serve us. We have to rethink the fundamental principles on which we’re educating our children … We have to be careful now that we use the gift of the human imagination wisely … and the only way we’ll do it is by seeing our creative capacities for the richness they are, and seeing our children for the hope that they are. And our task is to educate their whole being, so they can face this future ... we may not see the future, but they will. And our job is to help them make something of it.” Sir Ken Robinson, “Do Schools Kill Creativity.” *
Will our children’s and grandchildren’s educations prepare them for the future? Will their individual gifts, talents, passions and dreams be recognized, valued and nourished, or will they be ignored, devalued and squandered?
What parental advice are we giving our children and grandchildren about their educations and careers based on their gifts, talents, passions and dreams?
Some fortunate folks from a very early age know exactly what they want to do with their lives. Most take a while to get there, if ever. In the meantime, whatever job or career they are pursuing in the moment, so long as it is honest and legal, carries dignity, honor and respect.
Tim Keller, in Every Good Endeavor, wrote, “Your daily work is ultimately an act of worship to the God who called and equipped you to do it – no matter what it is.”
The Bible says, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:17
REMEMBER & BELIEVE
Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.
In the meantime, our daily work is an act of worship to God,
Who called and equips us to do it!
QUESTIONS
Should education be focused on recognizing the innate talents of the individual at an early age and tailoring their education to their potential for the benefit of the world to come? How do we do that? What would the world look like if we did?
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the diverse paths and vocations You have given each of us. Help us to see the value and dignity in every honest labor, knowing that each job is an opportunity to serve You and others. Open our hearts and minds to recognize the unique gifts and talents You have bestowed upon us, our children and grandchildren. Guide us as we support and nurture these gifts, so they may be used for Your glory and the betterment of the world. Grant us wisdom to provide encouraging and godly counsel to the younger generations, so they may pursue their passions and callings with confidence and faith. May they always seek to honor You in their work, whatever it may be, and find fulfillment and joy in the journey.
Our Father Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil and the evil one. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.
Amen
*Click below to watch “Do Schools Kill Creativity,” Sir Ken Robinson
“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24
God bless you!
Richard
Christ Worshipper | Disciple Maker | Hope Giver
Welcome to In the Meantime. I’m glad you’re here! We live in the time between Christ’s ascension into heaven and His promised return. In the Meantime is an anthology of stories about encountering God and His ongoing presence, boundless love, abundant mercy and unfailing grace in everyday life. In the meantime, Jesus is Lord!
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