There are times when I am on the road for work. I have told Diane that if I got paid by the u-turn I would be rich. One day I was once again making a u-turn. I thought I was in the right place but quickly realized I was not. The road took me to an area where I saw a young mother and her daughter riding bikes. I stopped to ask her if she knew the road I was looking for. She went to ask someone because she was not sure. While I waited for her I saw a home that looked like it had seen better days. With my judgmental thinking, “How could people live there?” and “What a dump!” running through my head I saw a small sign in the window that read “God’s Provision”. I was cut to the heart. The folks living here were grateful. These folks were content to know that God had provided for their needs. I was just judgmental and full of pride.
What if it isn’t about where you live but who you live with? Do we look at our husbands and think about all the improvements that need to be made rather than the good that God is providing through them? How about the kids? We might be quick to think, “They really haven’t lived up to my expectations”. Yet, these are the children that God gave us as gifts. Do we just push the gift aside because we have become judgmental and our pride is hurt? At the least, the people in our lives have been provided to sandpaper our rough edges. They are God’s provision for the work He wants to accomplish in each of us.
Maybe it is another challenge of life that keeps you from recognizing God’s provision. A loss, a health concern or a deep hurt. You may be wondering where God is or when He might deliver. In the midst of it, you may have to look beyond the obvious for God’s provision. If we are honest, we often have expectations of what God’s gifts look like. We prefer nicer accommodations, not the rundown home.
