And All Ate and Were Filled - October 14
Today’s Readings - Psalm 119:1-24; PM Psalm 12, 13, 14 Jonah 1:17-2:10; Acts 27:9-26; Luke 9:1-17
There has always been a side of me that worries there won’t be enough. Most of my younger childhood was spent in a middle-class family with a single mom. There was always food on the table and a roof over our heads. My mom was born very soon after the Great Depression and had grown up with parents who raised a family of five children during the the aftermath of the Depression. Her parents’ experience of financial insecurity had been passed on to her. She was always worried about whether she’d be able to pay the bills. Those worries sneaked out in almost everything we did. Anything from going to the movies to buying a new dress for Easter had to be carefully considered. Even after she remarried and she was no longer the sole bread winner, she remained insecure about financial issues. So, I guess I come by it “legal” as we say in our family.
Not trusting that there will be enough feels a lot like not knowing whether you’ll have a safety net if you fall. It’s an insecurity that can impact almost every area of your life. It impacts relationships, our sense of well-being and even our faith life.
In the Hebrew scriptures the Israelites, may have sworn an oath to be faithful to Yahweh but they also had a few household gods in the back bedroom - just in case. After wandering in the wilderness for forty years with no real understanding of the devotion Yahweh had for them, they had a hard time shaking the insecurity of not knowing where their next meal might come from. As bad as it was at least slavery in Egypt provided a sure and certain meal.
Our faith and trust in God can be a delicate balancing act between trusting God wholeheartedly or having a few backup plans just in case. It can be walking the fence or deciding to make a commitment and jump off into the only true source of life we have – that which God offers. Jesus wanted his disciples to have faith in his presence, to trust in his ability to heal and sustain them in all ways necessary but especially spiritually; just as he wants us to believe that our only real source of security comes from Him. Not financial security as much as security that informs our inner being, telling us we will never be alone, we will never wander without God’s watchful eye, that no matter how far we fall God will be there to catch us. Two tunics aren’t necessary, as long as our faith prevails.
Faithfully,
Sally Herring+
Questions for Reflection and Challenge - What are some of your household gods that you keep around for “just in case?” Where do your insecurities lie? What might be your first step be in addressing your insecurities?