Lunchbox


My kids go to a half-day preschool twice a week, and my main responsibility in the matter is to get them there on time and make them a lunch. At first it was a huge stress -- getting kids anywhere on time is difficult -- but we've worked it out. Every week my girls go through their lunchbox on the way to school to check out what I made them, to see if they approve or not. It is pretty annoying to be honest, but today something occurred to me. "Don't you trust that I made you a good lunch?" I said with disdain, and a bible verse immediately popped in my head:
“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:11-13)
My kids asking to preview their lunch boxes has got to be akin to us doubting God's provision, striving to make our own way because we don't trust that he does what he says he will do. Why is it this way? Apparently it is nothing new to humanity if my children do it at such a young age. But I suppose that tension is a huge portion of the Christian walk: fighting against our sin-nature.

It's kind of a funny concept, isn't it? We are born with this ingrained set of inclinations and we are called to rebel against most of them. Why is it such a struggle? We chose to sin, and still do, you could say, and you would be right. But does it have to be so hard?
 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30) 
Both of these verses come from Jesus, and the idea is the same: trust God. Learn from him. Take the burden he gives us, not the one we are born with or the ones we make up for ourselves. Maybe it is difficult because we try hard to change nature in our own volition. Maybe, when we fail, we are supposed to give ourselves more grace than we do. Maybe "faith like a child" is a little less difficult than we make it.

This post was supposed to be about trusting God to provide practically, and it turned into a statement on the struggle of humanity. Like a mountain river, sometimes words take their own way...but the destination is the same I think: ask God and he will respond. This requires faith, hope, love. Trust. Some say learning to trust God is the whole point of this life, and maybe they are right.

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