Comfort vs. Hardship: Looking for Balance
- At March 28, 2014
- By admin
- In Ministry
2
I told myself to shoot for 1 post a week. So far, so good : )
My excitement about our upcoming move really took a backseat this week as some personal problems in my family left me feeling really depressed and even guilty.
See, one of my major flaws is my battle with grey. I love categories: thinking and living in terms of black and white; one or the other. I absolutely hate grey. So in situations like this, I feel guilty about being happy after thinking about the suffering that other people have to go through — How can I be happy when there’s so much pain in the world, so many hurting people?
I’ve been trying to seek God’s truth on that. Maybe Romans 12:15? I’m still studying so I don’t have an answer yet. (If you’ve wrestled with this and have some insight to share I would REALLY appreciate it. Write me personally (morgan@morganlovestoreid.com), or share in the comments if you like 🙂
But for now, I’m focusing on what I know to be true: God is a good Father who gives good gifts to His children – for them to enjoy and worship Him with thanks.
But it doesn’t stop there. God’s the Great Leveler. He calls us to be levelers too:
[Photo Credit: James Tissot]
Leviticus 19:9 “When you reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest . . . Leave them for the poor and the alien.”
You might recall this practice from the book of Ruth. (If you don’t, check it out! 4 short chapters of an awesome love story!) I find it cool that not only did God provide an opportunity for those with “more” to be generous, but also for those with “less” to still work for their needs. (Work isn’t bad. Work is Pre-Fall. And I think it helps give a sense of pride and accomplishment over being given handouts.) It’s also neat to think about how, by allowing people into the fields, God gives “charity” a face – instead of throwing a $20 in the collection plate, or setting up an automatic deposit for Food for the Hungry each month (*guilty*) – there’s an opportunity for faces to meet: You see the individual-ness of the other person. Seeing their eyes helps you feel their humanness.
Are there ways we can practice this today, even without a field? See how Ann and Lois, authors of ‘Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus,’ shed insight on how we can live Old Testament wisdom in the 21st century:
“What might the ancient gleaning laws teach us? Think about the last time you dined out. How generous was that tip you left behind? Louis [one of the authors] still remembers the paltry wage she made at her first job as an A&W carhop — $1.75 an houw when minimum wage was $3.35. To her, tips weren’t just about the money, much as she needed it. They were about experiencing people’s car as they left behind some of their “harvest” out of consideration for a “gleaner” like her.”
–How cool is that?!After I read that I was blown away. How many other ways could I impliment this? Sprinkling Worship for God and love for my neighbor ALL. THROUGHOUT. THE DAY. 😀 I’m going to try and think of more ways to do this and if you discover some, please come back and share them with me! : )
So there it is. No extremems. No play-by-play. Just living in close community with God and neighbors asking Him to keep my eyes open and my heart generous. & trusting that He will.
How comforting to know that He assigned me to my parents, and North East Ohio (Acts 17). The way He set things up allowed us to get together. He assigned me to Autumn, and her to me. That waitress at our dinner? Assigned. That person in front of me at check out? Assigned. At least that’s how I like to look at it. I don’t think that’s outside of His relm. And what He assigns to us, places on our Path – THAT is the work He wants us to do. He provides the “what” and becomes the “how” – sourcing me, enabling me to live in the way that’s pleasing to Him.
So that’s where I’m at as of today. Looking to Him for each step, not just the destination.
Father, Lead me.
Morgan (loves to) Reid
