Daily Bread

I used to worry about money alot.

Not that I don’t ever worry about money anymore, but not nearly as much as I used to.  In the past, my obsession (or worry) about my finances was a legitimate problem.  The weird thing was that it had absolutely no correlation to the “amount” of money I had, or didn’t have…  If I didn’t have enough money, I worried about how I was going to make ends meet.  But even if I did have enough money, I worried about the fact that I wasn’t able to put more in my savings account / emergency fund / 401K.  Regardless of the situation, I was always worried about money.

Finally, one day, I took my financial worries to God…

In my mind, I imagine a line of people in a hallway waiting to speak with God about their needs.  Above the door to God’s office, there is a welcoming sign with the phrase “What are your needs for today?”  After a very short wait in line, it is my turn to speak with the Almighty.

(fyi – God speaks to me the same way I speak to other people.)

Me:  Hey God.
God:  Hey Son!  Great to have you stop by!  So, what is it that you need for today?
Me:  Today?  Oh, nothing for today.  I have everything I need for today.  What I want to talk to you about is the that in a few months, I’m going to be needing … “to get a new job”/ “to move” / “to pay for my kids college” / “to buy a new car” / “to get this operation” /  [fill in the blank] … and I don’t see how I’m going to pay for it.
God:  Son, did you say you have everything you need for today?
Me:  Yes sir.  But that’s not my…
God:  Son, did you see the sign above my door?
Me:  Yes sir…?
God:  And you know how to read, correct?
Me.  Yes sir.
God:  Then you understand that I am here to see my children about the needs that they have today.  And that all the people who are waiting in line behind you are here because they have needs that they have to be addressed today.  Correct?

Before I could even answer, one by one, God started calling in the next people in line.

God: What are your needs for today?
Man#1:  I don’t have anywhere to sleep tonight.
Man#2:  I’m sick and I need to be healed.
Woman#1:  I’m tired and lonely.
Woman#2:  I’m angry and without hope.
Man#3:  My family needs help.
Man#4:  I am scared in war.
Man#4:  I’m hungry and have no food. 

God then turned back to me.

God: Son, do you see what I mean about today’s needs?  Wait, I have a better question:  You’ve been praying “My Prayer” since you were a little kid, correct?  Have you ever actually listened to the words?
Me:  Of course.
God:  And what does it say about “daily bread”?
Me:  “Give us this day, our daily bread.”
God:  And what do you think that means?
Me:  That we are asking for you to feed us today…?
God:  Exactly.  Keyword being “today”.  Christ taught you that prayer and in that prayer you ask for “daily bread” or daily provision.  In “My Prayer”, you are asking me to provide for you “today”.  Correct?
Me:  Yes sir.
God:  But you don’t believe that Jesus was right when He taught you to pray like this?
Me:  No, I believe Jesus was right…
God:  Son, if you truly believe Jesus was right, then why are you in here asking me for more than your “daily bread”?  When you first came in, you told me you had everything you needed for today.  And then you proceeded to ask me for you “3-month bread supply”…  That’s not who I AM.  I AM the God of “daily bread”, not of “weekly bread” or “monthly bread” and definitely not of “6-month Emergency Fund Bread” or “401k Retirement Bread”.  I want you to come to me and depend on me to provide for you every single day.  But you come here asking me for your allowance upfront, because you think you can manage it better than I can.  Son, I love you, and I want you to live the most blessed and fulfilled life, but in order for that to happen, you need to trust me.  Not once a year, or once a week, but everyday.

And with that, God dismissed me from His office so he could attend to His children with more pressing issues.

Since then, whenever I start to worry about problems (financial or otherwise) that “might” arise in the future, I think about all of the people in the “todays needs” line who have real problems and how it doesn’t make any sense for me to go holding up the line with my “in 3-months needs”.  Instead, I do my best to appreciate that God has already taken care of all my needs for today (before I even asked) and I rest assured that he is going to do the same tomorrow.

After all, there is no reason to think that God is going to fail me in the future when He has never ever failed me in the past.

From the air I breathe and the food I eat, to the family that I love so dearly, #GodAlwaysProvides.