Reason #143
I had 3 options for dinner tonight. I suppose I had 4 but I ruled out fast food so I was back to 3 options. Eggos, cereal or a frozen dinner. I ate Eggos last night and didn't feel up for a repeat so frozen dinner was the winner (and not a very good one at that). I couldn't have even pulled together a make-shift meal from what I had in my pantry. It was pretty pathetic. And so, rain storm and all, I decided my situation was desperate enough that I would make a trip to the grocery store. I normally don't look forward to going to the store for a couple of reasons. A.) Everything in there looks delicious and tempting and B.) it is busy every time I go. Well, after fighting to hold on to my umbrella as my feet and back got soaked with rainwater, I realized that the best time to grocery shop is during a storm at 9:00 at night. No lines, no crowds, no baskets in the way. I had free reign!
I used to go to the grocery store every Sunday night. I would make out my list, plan my meals for the week and stock up at the store. Rarely did I not have something I couldn't throw together for a quick bite. I've gotten out of the habit of going to the store, which was very obvious to the stocker-boy who yelled down the aisle "Ma'am? What are you looking for?" But eventually, I found everything I needed and then some. I really haven't been grocery shopping in a few weeks. I'm so spoiled to be fed breakfast and lunch at work so I can get by on very little at home. I had, however, come to the point where I was running out of pretty much everything. And to be truthful, the reason I absolutely had to go to the store was because I used up the last of my hairspray this morning. That's right, hairspray. And if there is one thing I must always have in my house, it's hairspray. I may not be able to make a peanut butter sandwich, but you better believe my hair is going to be in place by gosh. So, my pathetic dinner combined with the absence of hairspray forced me to finally give in and make a trip to the store. Of course, for the amount of money I spent there, you would have thought that I had little gold shavings in my one grocery bag. Nope, no gold. Just enough things to throw together a quick meal, have a snack, and most importantly, fix my hair.
So I came home, unpacked my bag, and the milk in my refrigerator didn't look so lonely. I wondered why I didn't just go to the store this weekend when I realized that I was running low on everything. I knew I wouldn't be able to make it through the week with what little I had. I wondered why I put this chore off until the most inconvenient time possible. Why did I wait until I was out of options? Out of almost everything? It would make sense that I go each week. It would be wise of me to keep my pantry somewhat stocked and to have an extra bottle of hairspray on deck rather than waiting until I am in total desperation, until I've used up everything I have.
And I thought about how easily I do the same thing in my relationship with God. I'm stocked full, brimming to the top but things start to get used, spent. Gifts, talents, faith, each used along the way. And I look at my inventory and it seems okay. I think I can last a little longer on what I have before I need to go to Him and be filled up. The next thing I know, I am totally spent. I have squeezed out every last possible drop and I'm in desperate need. And I wonder why I wait. Why do I let myself start to run low? Wouldn't it make better sense to seek Him each day and have exactly what I need rather than hoping I can somehow pull it together from the few things I have? Wouldn't it be wise to allow Him to fill me every morning when I wake so that I can continue to give and use and never run out? Wouldn't it be nice if I didn't have to just settle for mediorce but could have His best all the time? I wonder how my life would be different if I didn't wait, if I didn't put Him off until the last desperate minute. Because usually, when we wait, and have finally used up the last little bit, we end up being forced to take desperate measures. Maybe it's in the middle of the storm, maybe late at night. We realize we can't go on like this any longer and we find ourselves wandering around, cold and covered in rainwater. But He's always there, ready to fill. Ready to restock. Ready to pour His goodness back in those empty spots and replenish what's gone. And even if we knew that we should have gone earlier, and desperate times are calling for desperate measures, He's still there. Arms open. A safe haven. And He is a giver of good things each and every time.
#143 - Because He refills the empty, replenishes the spent, and replaces the used.
"But may all who search for you be filled with joy and gladness in you." - Psalm 70:4
I used to go to the grocery store every Sunday night. I would make out my list, plan my meals for the week and stock up at the store. Rarely did I not have something I couldn't throw together for a quick bite. I've gotten out of the habit of going to the store, which was very obvious to the stocker-boy who yelled down the aisle "Ma'am? What are you looking for?" But eventually, I found everything I needed and then some. I really haven't been grocery shopping in a few weeks. I'm so spoiled to be fed breakfast and lunch at work so I can get by on very little at home. I had, however, come to the point where I was running out of pretty much everything. And to be truthful, the reason I absolutely had to go to the store was because I used up the last of my hairspray this morning. That's right, hairspray. And if there is one thing I must always have in my house, it's hairspray. I may not be able to make a peanut butter sandwich, but you better believe my hair is going to be in place by gosh. So, my pathetic dinner combined with the absence of hairspray forced me to finally give in and make a trip to the store. Of course, for the amount of money I spent there, you would have thought that I had little gold shavings in my one grocery bag. Nope, no gold. Just enough things to throw together a quick meal, have a snack, and most importantly, fix my hair.
So I came home, unpacked my bag, and the milk in my refrigerator didn't look so lonely. I wondered why I didn't just go to the store this weekend when I realized that I was running low on everything. I knew I wouldn't be able to make it through the week with what little I had. I wondered why I put this chore off until the most inconvenient time possible. Why did I wait until I was out of options? Out of almost everything? It would make sense that I go each week. It would be wise of me to keep my pantry somewhat stocked and to have an extra bottle of hairspray on deck rather than waiting until I am in total desperation, until I've used up everything I have.
And I thought about how easily I do the same thing in my relationship with God. I'm stocked full, brimming to the top but things start to get used, spent. Gifts, talents, faith, each used along the way. And I look at my inventory and it seems okay. I think I can last a little longer on what I have before I need to go to Him and be filled up. The next thing I know, I am totally spent. I have squeezed out every last possible drop and I'm in desperate need. And I wonder why I wait. Why do I let myself start to run low? Wouldn't it make better sense to seek Him each day and have exactly what I need rather than hoping I can somehow pull it together from the few things I have? Wouldn't it be wise to allow Him to fill me every morning when I wake so that I can continue to give and use and never run out? Wouldn't it be nice if I didn't have to just settle for mediorce but could have His best all the time? I wonder how my life would be different if I didn't wait, if I didn't put Him off until the last desperate minute. Because usually, when we wait, and have finally used up the last little bit, we end up being forced to take desperate measures. Maybe it's in the middle of the storm, maybe late at night. We realize we can't go on like this any longer and we find ourselves wandering around, cold and covered in rainwater. But He's always there, ready to fill. Ready to restock. Ready to pour His goodness back in those empty spots and replenish what's gone. And even if we knew that we should have gone earlier, and desperate times are calling for desperate measures, He's still there. Arms open. A safe haven. And He is a giver of good things each and every time.
#143 - Because He refills the empty, replenishes the spent, and replaces the used.
"But may all who search for you be filled with joy and gladness in you." - Psalm 70:4
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