Provision
Some things are just not worth worrying about.
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? - Matthew 6:25-26
I try not to worry about anything, but while I try, I still feel the need to be responsible for my own needs.
I shop for food, do the laundry, make sure I have something to eat and something to wear. I can't imagine facing the day without having these basic needs met.
And yet, every day I talk with people who have nothing more than what they can carry with them. For them, we are the mechanism by which God provides.
It is hard to envision the world the way Jesus saw it, for his vision is of God's Kingdom on earth, where all needs are met and all care about each other as they would care about themselves.
When I go shopping, I don't just shop for me, but for my family. I take responsibility for all the members of my family, not just for me.
If one of my children needs something, even if they are no longer a part of my household, I do what I can to help.
So, if I can see the person in need as a member of my family, there is no problem, is there?
My concern about today's reading is that we will see it as a solution that has nothing to do with us. God will provide. Case closed.
But I believe it is all about us. Just as the Father feeds the birds of the air, we should feed each other.
When we choose to give from what we have, and we trust in God, the Father will find a way to help us restock our shelves, but we have to act first.
It isn't a game, but a loving commitment. What we do for others will be done for us, tenfold, or more.
So, give. Not because we will receive, but because it is what we need to do to help the rest of our family that is in need.
And don't worry. God will provide.
More to come...