Our Daily Bread

By Chuck (Sharing Compassion)

I can remember going to Colorado for a National Conference for Compassion. Our hotel was right there nestled in the mountains. It was so awesome just to see the snow capped peaks and to gaze at the majesty of the Rockies. The leaves were changing and everything just spoke of God's creation. I stood on the balcony in awe and just praised Him. Amazingly enough that evening I happened to mention the sight to one of the hotel workers and was kind of surprised my her apathetic response. How could those glorious sights become so familiar that the beauty did not excite her anymore.

Reminds me of the Israelites in the wilderness. Shortly after their exile they ran out of food and cried out to God. In a wonderful fashion he provided them with their daily bread-their manna. I can only imagine the wonder they had each morning as it appeared and fed them. Yet after awhile they grew tired of the same food and began to gripe and complain. God had provided and yet it became familiar and boring to them.

Each day God provides for us. He gives us shelter, food, friends and family, employment-everything we need. Not everything we want but everything we need. I can not imagine anyone reading this in need of anything more than they already have. God gives us blessings each and every day for which we should be thankful for. Take a moment and think whether you are taking them for granted. Have they become so familiar that we are no longer grateful for their provision? I am not just speaking about the material things He gives us but what about our health, strength and life. Each day should be counted as a blessing and we should be thankful.

Having seen poverty up close and personal I know we have more than we need. I know that we are truly blessed. However the one thing I have really seen is that the more we have the more we want and feel we deserve. In Honduras I saw a family of eight that shared a bed. In fact besides a table and a chair that was all the furniture there was. They had no floor coverings and cooked on a open fire when lucky. Water was gotten from a dirty stream in a half broken jug. The amazing thing was they still woke up praising God for a new day. They took time for devotions and at night all prayed together. Despite how little they had it seemed their hearts were filled with abundance and blessings.

My prayer is that you take some time and reflect on all that God has given you in your life. Let it not become ordinary and familiar but rather look at it as a special blessing from the God that truly loves you more than you can ever fathom. I say a saying once that simply said "To multiply your joy, count your blessings!"  I pray that you make it so.

Chuck is a Christian husband and father who has served in part-time ministry for 17 years, and is a deacon at his church. He has been a Compassion International Advocate/Area Coordinator for several years, finding families to sponsor Compassion children throughout the world. His passion is letting others know how important it is to release children from poverty. Be sure to check out his blog, Sharing Compassion.