God's been revealing the attitudes I have that reek like a two-month old dingy-alley-dumpster. One of the big ones is my love for financial security and creature comforts, and how it translates to secret worries about stability in this department of life and not so admirable thoughts about giving my time freely (both willingly and without reward) to certain areas of ministry or service unto the Lord.
A big warning he recently gave was that though worry has been in my heritage - a very common Asian trait where parents desire for their children to be academically strong and land a good (subjective) job so they can be at ease regarding our future - it is nevertheless a trait that needs to be gotten rid of.
Worry is a stronghold that goes against faith and without faith, it is impossible to please God. Reason being, when we worry, our mind is consumed by matters we should trust God with. This constant dwelling effectively implies an undermining of God's sovereignty (ability to do all things) and goodness (desire to give us the best at the best time).
When we worry, we place our concerns and wants above what is most important: our relationship with God. Worry sends us swirling, at a million miles per second, in a tornado of water like a micro-organism being sucked down a toilet bowl drainpipe, never to escape the darkness and dread that lies within the horrid sewage.
I hope you're getting my analogies today. Bottom line is - worry is BAD. Faith is supercalifragalisticexpialadocious!
Everything I have has come from God. I came into earth with nothing and I shall leave it with nothing material. Why worry when He has taken care of my every yesterday. When He took care of today and will, without a shadow of a doubt, take care of my tomorrows. He has been faithful to my family for all generations past and will be faithful for all generations to come. He is a faithful God. He is my Jehovah Jireh, my shepherd, and so I shall not want.
There is no reason to fret over not having a big pay check or even knowledge of where a steady income will emerge from after my sponsorship ends in May. He's got the whole world in His hands and still He chooses to live in every person's heart and hold dear every moment of everyday with us. He will provide as He has always done and it shall be more than sufficient.
...
Wednesday 23 March
I did something today. In Aldi (the German supermarket). While in the line for the cashier, it became apparent that the young couple who just had their items scanned were in a bit of a pickle. Their shopping cart was full but the girl's card got declined. "I don't have my card on me", said her partner. "There was $300 in yours just last week." He asked the lady at the counter to remove the most expensive item, which turned out to be a bag of bananas. The card cleared and the couple moved to a side bench to load their groceries into reusable bags. The customer before me didn't look impressed and quickly paid for her three chocolate bars.
As I watched the couple in their little predicament, which took longer than described above, my heart began racing and I prayed that God would help them finance the bill (I think it came to just under $150). But even when the situation had been resolved, the pounding in my heart didn't subside and I felt a strong prompting.
I looked the cashier in the eye and said, "I'd like to pay for that bag of bananas." "Are you sure?" came the reply, "They're $14." "For bananas?" I said. "Prices have gone up recently due to the cyclone that hit North Queensland but somehow we've been affected the most...so it's up to you. It's a nice gesture but I'd only offer to do it if it was a few dollars", she said. "Yep, I'll pay for them." I said. "That's really good of you. It's like Christmas again!" the cashier beamed. I grabbed the bananas and handed them to the girl packing her groceries, muttered a word of thanks to the cashier and walked off clumsily with my load. It's like I had lost my voice. The couple didn't say anything.
"Who buys a $14 bag of bananas?" I said while driving home. "God, I've never had to know what it's like to live from pay check to pay check. I've never experienced lack. You've blessed me to be a blessing. It's not my place to judge."
They looked a little rough around the edges (the guy had face piercings and a long fringe and the orange-haired girl wore very tight ripped denim shorts and a low black tank top; both had stern expressions). They could be inconsiderate people who smoke, drink, party and yell at others or act out aggressively. They could be really wasteful and not plan their budget properly. They could be anything but that wasn't the point. I knew the tugging in my heart was from God and I had to respond. I felt a little stupid later, wondering if I should have said something Godly, but decided to just pray for them instead.
I may never know what impact, if any, buying that small bag of exorbitantly priced bananas had on the couple or the cashier or the man waiting in line behind me, but I pray God used the incident for His glory. Maybe, just maybe, the story will be told to family and friends over a piece of banana bread, and each hearer will decide that it doesn't take much to think beyond ourselves for just a minute and be kind to someone whether they're a stranger or a familiar face. More than that, I hope God will somehow speak into their hearts so they know He is real and loves them deeply.
...
Wednesday 23 March
As I watched the couple in their little predicament, which took longer than described above, my heart began racing and I prayed that God would help them finance the bill (I think it came to just under $150). But even when the situation had been resolved, the pounding in my heart didn't subside and I felt a strong prompting.
I looked the cashier in the eye and said, "I'd like to pay for that bag of bananas." "Are you sure?" came the reply, "They're $14." "For bananas?" I said. "Prices have gone up recently due to the cyclone that hit North Queensland but somehow we've been affected the most...so it's up to you. It's a nice gesture but I'd only offer to do it if it was a few dollars", she said. "Yep, I'll pay for them." I said. "That's really good of you. It's like Christmas again!" the cashier beamed. I grabbed the bananas and handed them to the girl packing her groceries, muttered a word of thanks to the cashier and walked off clumsily with my load. It's like I had lost my voice. The couple didn't say anything.
"Who buys a $14 bag of bananas?" I said while driving home. "God, I've never had to know what it's like to live from pay check to pay check. I've never experienced lack. You've blessed me to be a blessing. It's not my place to judge."
They looked a little rough around the edges (the guy had face piercings and a long fringe and the orange-haired girl wore very tight ripped denim shorts and a low black tank top; both had stern expressions). They could be inconsiderate people who smoke, drink, party and yell at others or act out aggressively. They could be really wasteful and not plan their budget properly. They could be anything but that wasn't the point. I knew the tugging in my heart was from God and I had to respond. I felt a little stupid later, wondering if I should have said something Godly, but decided to just pray for them instead.
I may never know what impact, if any, buying that small bag of exorbitantly priced bananas had on the couple or the cashier or the man waiting in line behind me, but I pray God used the incident for His glory. Maybe, just maybe, the story will be told to family and friends over a piece of banana bread, and each hearer will decide that it doesn't take much to think beyond ourselves for just a minute and be kind to someone whether they're a stranger or a familiar face. More than that, I hope God will somehow speak into their hearts so they know He is real and loves them deeply.
1 comment:
:') ... you're being Jesus to the couple.
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