May 23 2010

May 23 God Moved My Cheese

God had “moved my cheese.” He provides manna instead.

Deut. 8:3

He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

During this time of illness, the Lord has indeed provided His manna each day. It appears in different forms, at different times and in different places. Sometimes a Bible verse, a call from a long-lost friend, an unexpected email from a colleague at the right time, an old hymn that drifts back to memory, kind gestures from family and friends, a magazine article on a relevant topic, a thought provoking movie, sunlight through the clouds, etc. They are certainly blessings to be thankful for.

However I have some mild ambivalence too. First I am accustomed to relying on myself and finding cheese on my predictable path. I live on feelings of accomplishment; therefore my day is usually packed with activities to ensure I can achieve something. Next I schedule in pleasures and rewarding interactions with people. But now I am deprived of the familiar sources of satisfactions. Instead of cheese, I need to live on something different. There is a small part of me that wonders whether there would be sufficient manna to meet my daily needs throughout the treatment process. [But if I believe it to be manna, then it should be daily and throughout the journey to the promised land.] Another concern is whether my taste would change after this ordeal. Would I be having manna or still craving for cheese? I hope that I can have a renewed understanding of accomplishments. For now, let me allow myself to be a passive recipient of others’ love and care, cherishing them as God’s instruments of blessings. Since loving God with all our heart, soul & mind and loving our neighbor as ourselves are the most important in life, perhaps it is the right track for me to start.

Let me share my manna today with you:

Ps 138:8 The Lord will accomplish what concerns me; Your lovingkindness, O lord, is everlasting; Do not forsake the works of Your hands. NASU

Let me trust that “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). He will ACCOMPLISH!