Funny Sayings
Funny Thing #8
I Corinthians 10:31 ESV
Philippians 4:7 ESV
I have to wonder what it was like when travelers from Europe first landed in America. Since the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland) is about the size of the state of Wyoming (http://www.lostinthepond.com/2014/02/11-us-states-that-are-larger-than-uk.html#:~:text=With a total area of,Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) they possibly didn’t have any clue about the size of the new world.
Of course when the first ships landed they had no way of knowing what they faced.
They did not know there was an abundance of land rich with soil so they could produce lots of food. Knowing all of that took time.
I’ve lived in the Midwest all my life and even in comparison to the 1950’s the mass of farmland far outweighs the mass of suburban/urban living. I’ve traveled from coast to coast east and west and north and south several times and I’m always surprised that there is so much farmland.
Even my great grandparents (who were farmers) did not wonder if they would have enough food except when there was drought. It’s almost something we tend to take for granted.
I Corinthians 10:31 tells us, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
The Apostle Paul was reminding his readers not to take provision for granted because God provides.
I’ve known people who believe they provide for themselves and a higher power has nothing to do with it. They rely on their own two hands.
I have to admit that in my lifetime I’ve not experienced a nationwide drought.
There may have been lean years, but we always bounced back.
We know abundance.
Today’s quote, while funny reminded me of that.
It goes like this: “My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far I’ve finished two bags of M&Ms and a chocolate cake. I feel better already.”—Dave Barry
I thought that was very picturesque and pretty funny. However, eating two bags of M&M’s and a chocolate cake would only make me feel better for a short while. That’s because the quick consumption of that much sugar and that many carbs would make me really really sick after about twenty minutes.
I was raised by two parents who lived through the Great Depression. I was taught moderation in all things.
My dad’s folks owned a corner grocery store in Kansas City during the depression.
I remember one time I went into the back room of Grandpa’s store and I noticed there were lots of shoe boxes on the shelves.
I asked my Grandpa what was in all of those shoe boxes. He looked at me for a minute and then he told me a story. He said during the depression many people were out of work and they often didn’t have enough money to buy food to feed their children.
With that, he had my attention. I’d never missed a meal because we didn’t have food. So, I asked my Grandpa what they did.
He explained that they ran a “tab” and they paid for it when they found work.
I didn’t ask my Grandpa but after a while I wondered if everybody was able to get a job. Later, I asked my dad what happened to the people who went a long time without working. I asked how they bought food then.
My dad said that in his neighborhood, his Dad made sure everybody had food even if they couldn’t pay for it for a long time or ever.
I asked him if Grandpa and Grandma wondered if they would pay?
My Dad smiled and he said, “No they didn’t. Mom and Dad knew God would take care of everything. Even if the bill went unpaid they didn’t worry about it. They knew that God would make it come out okay.”
I was old enough to know a little about money and I knew when I bought something I had to save up and pay for it. When I was young we didn’t have credit cards (at least not at my house). I did ask my Dad more than once what it was like during the Great Depression and he said for some people it was really hard. He told me my other Grandpa (my Mom’s Dad) had a steady job working as a mechanic for the railroad and through the depression they had different family members living with them because they couldn’t find work. He said they didn’t expect to be paid and they were glad to help. They knew God provided and would provide.
So back to the M&M’s and chocolate cake…
Because of our history of relying on God and helping others, that became part of my family story. In ministry, we didn’t ask questions. If there was a need, we sought to fill it.
I came to understand it’s just what you do.
You rely on God and God provides. With God’s provision you can help others.
It’s just the way it was…
Even when we had M&M’s and Chocolate Cake we were only allowed to eat 10 or 15 M&M’s and a small slice of cake. I still do that today.
I was taught the peace part came from God. Philippians 4:7:tells us, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
In his final ten years on earth, my Dad talked about God’s peace a lot. I was twenty something and I didn’t think about peace being a great thing to treasure.
Many many decades later, I do. I know now there’s nothing (NOTHING) that compares to God’s peace.
It is precious and priceless.
It does surpass understanding and it does guard hearts and minds in Jesus.
Quite frankly, peace is out of this world!
Spiritual Practice: Peace
Ask God for peace. Sit with God with your hands open and receive peace.
In God, Deborah
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