When I was growing up I was not allowed to get into the refrigerator between meals for two reasons. First is that it would ruin my appetite for the upcoming meal; second was that there were plans for those leftovers. They were going to be our next meal.
If five children were allowed to raid the leftovers, there would be nothing for the next meal. When my mom went to the grocery store, she bought enough to cook all of our meals for a week. My parents lived on a budget and the amount of money spent on those groceries had to stay within that budget. However, I never remember a time when we went hungry. I also never remember a time that mom and dad ran out of money for the necessities of life for our family of seven.
For a nighttime snack we had popcorn and shared a 16 ounce Pepsi between the five of us. We learned to ration the three ounces we each received until the popcorn was gone. It did not damage me for life that I was not allowed to have my own 16 ounce Pepsi, it just made me grateful for what I had. To some this may sound like I was raised on a different planet; I was not. I was raised in a wonderful time when we learned that for many things in life there is indeed a limited supply.
If I have a half a tank of gas and I start on a journey that takes a full tank of gas to complete, I run out of gas when the trip is half over and I am stranded on the road. If I am strong enough to carry 70 pounds, I will be injured trying to carry 200 pounds. Everyone knows this and it seems elementary for me to say it, however, it is a lesson that many people today have never learned. In our physical existence the barrel will eventually be empty if we continue to take from it without putting anything in.
Our spiritual life is a mirror image of our physical life and is truly the reality of life itself. Could it be possible that even though in our physical life there is a limited supply, there is a limitless supply of what we need in our spiritual life? If we were to get an endless supply of what we need in our spiritual life, would it help us to see what we need to do to make our physical life more abundant?
These and other life questions will be addressed Sunday morning as “The Gathering Place Family” meets in the Washington Junior High School Library for Bible Study at 9:30 and in the gymnasium at 10 a.m. for our Pre-Service Connection where we enjoy coffee, juice and donuts. Our Worship Service and Children’s Church then begins at 10:30. Come at 7 p.m. and be part of our Wednesday night Bible Study and Children’s Ministry on the third floor above Trends at 120 West Court St. in Washington Court House.
