I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work You gave me to do. –John 17:4
Lord, I want a better job! Lord, I want to be married and have children! Lord, I want to be more financially stable! Lord, I want more! Lord, make it go away! Lord, I wish my life was different! Lord, I wish my life were easier! Have you ever prayed any of these prayers or for something similar?
I took a break yesterday and sat on a bench beneath a tree outside of my office building to do some thinking for a few minutes. As I sat and stared into the glaring brightness of the sun, I thought about all the desires of my heart that seemed to have gone unanswered. My eyelids literally fought to hold back the tears as the thoughts filled my mind. I became resentful, and in my thoughts, I called God to judgment. I began to recount all the things I had done in His name and all the sacrifices I made; I questioned why they had not been met with a reward. After finishing with my closing arguments, I sat still and just stared at the leaves of the trees rustling about to the tune of the wind, and for some reason, a question popped into my head. I wondered, “If these trees could speak right now, what would they say?” Would they complain about the scorching heat of the sun? Would they complain about the dogs that peed on them? Would they complain about the speed of the wind? Would they say they were hungry? Or would they say that they were glad that they could provide me with shelter from the sun just as God intended for them to do?
As I continued to think, my thoughts drifted back to a text message I received from my cousin earlier that morning. In the text message, she asked me to mail something to her, and then she closed with the words of John 4:34. I had ACL surgery done on my knee a couple of years ago, and my cousin came to be with me and nurse me back to health. Since I was bedridden for a week, I had to depend on her to care for me. Every morning, she came up to my room and asked me the question, “What do you want to eat today?” And jokingly, I always responded saying, “My food is to do the will of my Father in heaven.” (i.e John 4:34) So now, every time I see her or speak with her, she always asks, “Have you eaten?” In other words, ‘have you done the will of your Father in heaven?’
I let out a quiet chuckle as the memories of my experiences with my cousin flooded my thoughts, but they brought me back to my “court room scene” with God. However, this time, I was no longer in the seat of the judge; I was now seated as the defendant. The question, “Have you eaten today?” resounded in my heart, but this time, it did not bring a smile to my face; instead, it stung! What if the will of my Father was for me to be exactly where I was? What if the will of my Father was for me to have to job that I have? What if His will for me was not to be married or to have children right now? What if His will for me was to bring Him glory on earth by completing the work He gave me to do? To carry the yoke He gave me daily? If my food was to do His will, had I eaten what had been set on the table for me? Or was I too busy looking over to see what everyone else was eating?
I was completely humbled and dumbfounded on that park bench beneath the tree. The resentment was now gone, and the only thought I could muster up was, “I wish I could be more like this tree as it does exactly what God created it to do; bring the Father glory by providing me with the shelter I need at this moment.”
I leave you with one simple question; have you eaten today?
Grace and peace be with you.
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HAVE YOU EATEN TODAY?