Use What You Have by Deena McDaniel Positively Beautiful Blog
6/11/22
I can assure you that everyone here in America is wealthier
than most everyone else in the world. Times are tough now. We all feel the
crunch. But once you look around your home you quickly will be surprised. Stuff
is stuffed all around our homes. Now it might not be the stuff that we’re
desiring, but we got stuff. So much stuff that we give away stuff on a regular
basis. But where is the end?
When I was about 20 my grandmother from Canada came to visit.
Grandma D was a super sweet soul, who was ready to pitch in at any point with
anything she had to offer. During her visit, I noticed she’d grab small twine
or twist ties and ball it up. “You never know when you’re going to need a
piece of twine!” she’d smile as the ball became bigger throughout her stay.
I thought how thrifty, but then I began to understand the lifetime of want.
During the great depression, she grew up as a girl realizing the necessity of
thriftiness. Use what you have because that’s all you have.
We’re in an era where we’re in no need to wait for strawberry
or blueberry season, we’re able to purchase just about anything at any time.
Yes, the prices are skyrocketing, however, the luxury of stuff abounds. We’re a
blessed nation.
As the prices of common things jump and as the shortage of
products increases our spoiled attitude of entitlement emerges. Luxury is just
that, a point of indulgence. We can live on beans and rice. We can survive
without buying new clothes and even that weekly jaunt out for fast food (which
I never do) is over. There’s suddenly been a miscalculation. Our blessings
always outcount our lack.
Manna in the wilderness was bread from heaven, which was soon
despised. Now the rabble that was among them had a
strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and
said, “Oh that we had meat to eat! We remember the
fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks,
the onions, and the garlic. But now our strength is dried up, and there is
nothing at all but this manna to look at.”-Num. 11:4-6
Grumbling is in our nature. I’m with you on being unhappy about inflation and
crime. I was robbed at the gas station last week and when the cops arrived, I
told them it was pump number six who stole my cash! Lol. We laugh, but the
reality is we’re living in times of trial. I can’t help but wonder what God has
planned next to see our reaction.
Where is your hope these days? Are you ready to put your hope
in the government to give you what you need? I can’t help but wonder how honest
folks are about their trust in the Lord. I didn’t grow up with lots of
“extras.” We had what we needed. We all have what we “need.” It’s the wants
that get in the way. Wants are not a bad thing, it’s the anger of not getting
the wants that is infuriating. All of us have seen a toddler temper tantrum.
Are we silently shaking our fist at the Lord demanding what we want instead of
watching him take us down his path?
I'm not one to “walk on water,” but I’m absolutely not going
to take my eyes off Jesus. We’re in a time of history where we’re going to be
able to look back and say we made it!
The joy of the Lord is our strength. Be clear trails never
end. Be clear blessings abound. Be clear life is one and done. We’re in our
shoes walking our walk and no one else’s journey will be like ours. As
individual as our fingerprints, our lives develop.
Begin to feast on what matters. No, not those cookies you’ve
hidden away in the freezer, but on the abundance of God’s love. If you’ve never
read the bible, then begin reading the Bible. I suggest starting at the
beginning. Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the
heavens and the earth. That truth is where it all starts in
history and within us. A personal letter from God himself sits on your shelf
collecting dust. It’s even easier than ever because your phone has more apps
than you can count to guide you through his word. Every aspect of our lives
points back to how short our time is here on the earth. I turn 59 this year!
Where has the time gone! All my kids are grown. All my time is my own. All the
options!
Retirement might be ringing out. Nope. We never retire. Shift
gears and begin again with what you have. What we have is eternity with Jesus
as a Christian. Life after death isn’t a joke. We’re going to die. All of us.
Now is the time to examine your life. Is all the “stuff” giving you the joy you
thought it would bring? Don’t get me wrong I’m going to have to have extra
grace on the day we pack up and move. I’ll be giving away a lot of stuff, but
at that point, I’ll be happy. Use today the tools given to you. You can
call a friend, text a pal, make a meal for a neighbor, or even as my friend
Molly experienced the guy in front of her at the coffee shop took up the tab
for her and her daughter. Use your blessings to bless others.
Talk about stuffed with manna... Be filled with Jesus, he is
the bread that came down from heaven. Jesus said to them, “I
am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever
believes in me shall never thirst.-John 6"35
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