peacefulones: hunger

Showing posts with label hunger. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Recognizing undeserved gifts

Sometimes we act as though all the good gifts of God were earned. Deserved. Coming our way because we did something to achieve them.

I read about a pastor on a mission trip. He saw a starving Indian man pushing a wheelbarrow. As the wheelbarrow passed him, he saw inside it another man, almost dead, pleading with his eyes for food and care. The pastor almost fainted from "transferred hunger" but did not help. He wrote that the gift of compassion he felt was his greatest gift from his India trip.

I've been thinking about that story for a few days. My first question, because the pastor had food, was, "Why didn't the pastor help? Why not share, giving the little he had to those who had none?" Was he overwhelmed by needs everywhere so he did not see the point? Is learning compassion enough? Was sharing his resources thwarted by caste (could the men accept his food)? Did religion prevent the sharing of one person's bounty with another's dearth?

I began considering were the underserved favors that come our way by God's hand. Why was the pastor (and I) well-fed, while the two men lived at death's door? Why was one educated and working in a rich land while the others subsisted in poverty? I have no answers.

My list of undeserved benefits is long. For example:

We attend a church where freedom of worship is encouraged and the pastor examines scripture with us
We recently spent a relaxing weekend with friends, boating the islands, talking about God and his ways
Our children serve the Lord
I find ministry in unexpected places, that fits the gifts God's given
Networking is a joy and God often surprises me with connections that I or others need
We have so much food that we could throw out some if we wanted
Our house is warm, my office nice, and we have useful work
We enjoy "bonuses" like finding the exact futon model for our guest room - free on www.FreeCycle.org

There are too many other abundances to count.

So, how do we gratefully accept the undeserved gifts?

Recognize that life itself is a gift. Not a day can be added or taken away by sickness, health, or other circumstances. God knows how long we'll live.
God has put us where we are. If we live in the West, we live among abundance, regardless of our bank balance. Wherever we reside, we may be surrounded by a big family or a loving community. We may have work that uses our gifts and talents. None of these can be taken for granted.
God has given us everything we have, whether or not we've "worked for it." The psalmist says the cattle on 1000 hills are his. Many others work harder, longer, and have crushing stressors beyond what I could bear ... yet I may have more than they do.
God alone protects us, the ones we love, and our stuff. When God removes his covering shelter, lives and wealth are swept away in an instant. All the burglar alarms and police in the world cannot protect us if God does not.
God gives abundance that may not be obvious at first glance. We may not have a lot of money, but do we have friends? I may have lost your job, but do I still eat? I have wish for things you can't afford, but do are my true needs met?

Let's be grateful. On this weekend when we've celebrated the freedoms won and preserved by our countries' soldiers, we acknowledge that the world is both dangerous AND wonderful. Freedom of spirit and body cannot be taken for granted. It is hard-won, whether by spiritual giants or military engagement.

And no good thing in life is deserved or can be taken for granted. It is the gift of God, whose everything is and to whom everything belongs.

Read more:
*Your laws are perfect and completely trustworthy. … Your promises have been thoroughly tested; that is why I love them so much. … As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in your commands." Psalm 119:138, 140, 143 NLT

*Mortals look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7

*As he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct. 1 Peter 1:15
*Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your
requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:4-9 NIV

Moravian Prayer: Lord, you find that little spark inside of us that grows into a burning flame for you. We want to work for you, the one who knows us inside and out. We know you have given us everything we need to complete the tasks you call us to. Amen.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Just in time, ... this time.

"I hope I can find twigs to build a fire. I'm so weak. This is it for us." The widow drags herself along the city wall, frail and starving. She has enough food for one last meal for her son and herself.

There is no more after that.

She's sold what she could, scrounged off everyone she knows, and the bit of grain left in the bottom of the pottery is their last food. Elijah the prophet had called on God to prevent rain. Crops had failed. All her neighbors were in the same bind.

A man suddenly approaches her. The Bible tells the story: He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.”

He has nerve, this older fellow. Asking for water in a dry land. For food in a place where everyone is starving. “As surely as the LORD your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die. She's not happy with God, Elijah's God. What has he ever done for her? And Elijah, well, isn't hes the cause of all their troubles in the first place? He has nerve, asking her for help when she has nothing left.

Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain on the land.’"

She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah.

Elijah got hungry, along with everyone else. When his own food and water ran out, God sent him to ask for help. His request became a miraculous source for himself and others.

Both he and the widow found provision through their obedience. Yet, their story is not smooth from here on out. The son dies (dies! dies?), yet God... (well, read the rest for yourself in 1 Kings 17).

When God miraculously supplies our needs, we expect to sail into a fantasy future of peace, joy, and abundance. We forget that this world contains many other people. God gave each of us the privilege and responsibility of determining our life course, and that affects everyone around us.

The daughter who gets pregnant out of wedlock touches her mother, father, lover, and that newborn forever. The addict hurts those watching the downward spiral with pain and scarcity. The philanderer tears the heart, breaking the security and trust of the spouse and family. The careless investor or splurging shopper plunges the family into financial ruiin. So none of us are "safe." What is safety, anyway?

The gospel says that in good times or bad, we have utter security. God, who gave humanity the freedom to choose right or wrong, is sovereign... when we gather a few sticks for our last breakfast. When we cry at the deathbed of a loved one. When our coffers are empty and the cupboards are bare. God can send an Elijah. Or he can walk, sits, and sleep alongside us in our suffering, knowing the decisions we have to make.

Scriptures have no easy answers to life's big questions. It shows only that the pattern of obedience to God, whether times are easy or hard, allows us to access God's provisions.

As Christmas approaches, I hope yours is merry and bright. I wish you GREAT joy and peace in 2012. And in times of trouble, my prayer is that God gives you a heart quick to turn to him, so that you recognize Elijah when he approaches you to ask for help.

Read more: (thanks, Tillie!)

*The Lord looks down from heaven on humankind to see if there are any who are wise, who seek after God. Psalm 14:2

*Jesus asked the disciples, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Messiah." Mark 8:29

*I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness. John 12:46 NASB

Hymn by Philip Bliss:

The whole world was lost

In the darkness of sin,