Our Daily Bread

These last few months...ok, the past YEAR, I've really wondered what in the world God is doing with me.  I moved to this REALLY small town, I have no job, and no prospects for a job, I have barely any money in my account, and bills keep coming in.  It is hard for me to be in this kind of position because before I moved here, I had a decent job, decent money, paid all my bills on time, was never in debt, never had to really worry whether I'd have enough to make my payments, I went on vacations every year, and now it is total opposite!  It's frustrating to me - VERY frustrating!  It's not for lack of trying to get a job that I don't have a job!  I've applied places, but it seems that I can't even get a call back on any resumes or applications I send out!  Eventually it really gets to you.

This past week was one of those "I hate my life, I need a job, and money" kind of weeks.  I was discouraged, felt defeated, and was like "when in the world is this going to end!"  It's overwhelming when I sit and dwell on all the things that I can't do, or can't have, for lack of funds, like just paying my cell phone bill is a chore!  We live in such a "I want!" kind of society.  We want things, but do we really need them?  Probably not, but yet we spend the money anyway, and then a few months later realize what a waste it was.  As I was going through my devotions the other day, I was reading about how sometimes God gives us a time of "forced leisure" - a time to slow down, to rest, and regrouping, time to focus on Him, rest in Him, and His perfect plan!  Zephaniah 3:17 (NLT) says "For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness.  With His love, He will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”   I thought about it, and I was like..."Hmmm, maybe there is meaning to this year of nothing!  Maybe this is God forcing me to take a look, to calm down, and rest for a bit, and focus on whats really important."   How easy it is, in the busyness of life, that we get so caught up with work, and money, and finances, and just worldly things, that we don't take time to spend with God, and be grateful that He has ultimately provided for us, and for our needs.  We lose sight of the fact that God was the one who is always to be praised for all things in our lives, good, and even bad.  There are lessons to be learned through every circumstance in life.  But we also need to trust Him for what we need, not depend on our own abilities.  Any day we could lose our jobs, we could lose our homes, forced to move elsewhere, to start with nothing.  Why do we wait til we have nothing to trust God sometimes, or be grateful for what God has entrusted to us?  I realized that though I used to have a good job, and money coming in, I wasn't responsible with what God had entrusted to me.  I wasn't as grateful as I should have been for that job that God had provided for me, when I really needed it.

So what about now?  My view on things has changed.  Now, instead of having a secure job, and decent pay checks coming in, I babysit a few days a week for a family.  It's not huge money at all, but it is enough!  It covers my bills, and that is it.  God never told us that He would give us great wealth.   He told us that He would supply our needs, give us our daily bread, that's it.  I have a roof over my head, food on my table, bills are paid, and that is something to be grateful for, and I am grateful with the little that I have! 

Proverbs 30:8,9 (NIV) "Give me neither poverty nor riches, but only my daily bread.  Otherwise I may disown you and say 'Who is the Lord?'  Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God."

What's your view? How do you see your life?  Is it pleasing to God?  Do you take what you have for granted?  Have you thanked the One who blessed you with your job, home, food, car, etc?  What would you do if tomorrow you lost everything? Would you still be thankful or would you be the one saying "God why did you do this to me?"