Manna and Quail

The question was, 'when has God sent you quail and manna?'

Certainly there are times when we are aware of undeserved grace.  There are times when we recognize the unmerited kindness of a stranger.  There are times when all our financial acumen has failed us and yet we survived.  There are times when our foolishness did not end in disaster, but 'by the grace of God'  we awoke to the promise of a new day and a new opportunity.

Yet, if we dig down just a bit further, isn't the message, that all of life is a gift?  Isn't the message that each and every day is measured by grace?  Did I really 'earn my keep today?'  As scripture repeats over and over again, 'where were we when God laid the foundations of the earth?'  All of us stand on the shoulders of those who went before us, and they stand firmly upon the Terra Firma that God created.

As our federal government is locked-down in a death spiral arguing over who gets the bigger piece of the pie, we are reminded today that God is the one who baked it.  Everything is God's and out of this generosity he shares it's blessings with you and me.  Rather than being concerned as to whether I get my fair share (of the government's largess?) should we not be more concerned about sharing what has already been given us?  Does not the accumulation of 'stuff' get in the way of being a neighbor?  If you read the story (Exodus 16) we learn that when we try to hoard and keep the excess to ourselves it just goes to rot and leaves a big stink.

Yes there are people out there who tell us we should be afraid and that we best be making sure we have all we need to survive the next disaster.  I don't disagree with making rational plans for the future, but Social Darwinism, survival of the fittest is not a part of my plan.  As Luther was quoted as saying, 'I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess.

Every day God provides whether I am aware or not, and every day I am given an opportunity to share the gift with others.  That sounds to me like a future worth living.