Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 106; Numbers 11:16-25; Matthew 16:1-12; Acts 2:14-21
As someone who was raised by a father who lived through the Great Depression, I’ve always taken a very cautious approach toward life. This is particularly true of my personal finances. I grew up hearing phrases like “Pay using cash and not credit”, “Don’t quit one job until you have another”, and “savings, savings, savings”. Needless to say, the word “risk” wasn’t a part of my vocabulary growing up. That’s probably why I can relate to the folks in today’s passage from Numbers. Because of my upbringing, I too can often find myself focusing on what I perceive of as the deficit(s) before me instead of the possibilities that might lie around the corner. And those times when I do take risks (like the Israelites when they left Egypt), I can easily find myself wondering the equivalent of, “Why did I ever leave Egypt?” That’s why I need to hear those words of provision contained in Number 11:18-20. Those words reminded me that so often, God does provide for us in ways that far surpass any of the hopes I might have. Had I been in the desert with the Israelites, for instance, I might have asked for meat just once a month. Instead, they got meat every day for a month! That experience challenges me to look at the other areas of my life. Are there areas where – given my control issues –I have very specific ideas about what I need from life? Areas where – if I let go of my ideas and my requests– I might receive so much more than I would ever think of asking? Today, I invite you to ask those questions of yourself, and see what happens when you begin to let go. Til next time…
As someone who was raised by a father who lived through the Great Depression, I’ve always taken a very cautious approach toward life. This is particularly true of my personal finances. I grew up hearing phrases like “Pay using cash and not credit”, “Don’t quit one job until you have another”, and “savings, savings, savings”. Needless to say, the word “risk” wasn’t a part of my vocabulary growing up. That’s probably why I can relate to the folks in today’s passage from Numbers. Because of my upbringing, I too can often find myself focusing on what I perceive of as the deficit(s) before me instead of the possibilities that might lie around the corner. And those times when I do take risks (like the Israelites when they left Egypt), I can easily find myself wondering the equivalent of, “Why did I ever leave Egypt?” That’s why I need to hear those words of provision contained in Number 11:18-20. Those words reminded me that so often, God does provide for us in ways that far surpass any of the hopes I might have. Had I been in the desert with the Israelites, for instance, I might have asked for meat just once a month. Instead, they got meat every day for a month! That experience challenges me to look at the other areas of my life. Are there areas where – given my control issues –I have very specific ideas about what I need from life? Areas where – if I let go of my ideas and my requests– I might receive so much more than I would ever think of asking? Today, I invite you to ask those questions of yourself, and see what happens when you begin to let go. Til next time…
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