Gratitude (Bread of Life)

Sunday is the day I share a little of my soul. Enjoy.

Sitting across the table from my youngest son this weekend, eating a cinnamon roll bigger than his head, he looked at me with a sober face. "Mom, are we poor?" I didn't really know how to answer that question, as I wasn't sure what his definition of "poor" actually was. I think the best thing I ever did, was ask him what he thought that word meant. He looked at me and said, "Well...do we have a ton of money?" Wealth my friends, is relative. I'm going to say it now. I have dear friends who read this blog from many different corners of the world. I doubt that we could look at any single living condition and define it as poor. Some live rich lives full of love and tender companionship. Some live with dirt floors and a a thatch roof and have very little to eat. Yet, they know the truth of God. They know who they are and that they are deeply loved by God. They are not poor, that know God.

As we finished our cinnamon rolls, I asked my son to walk with me out to our garden and help me pick a few vegetables for dinner. His little hands worked quickly as he joyfully acknowledged the new growth on our green bean plants and began plucking them to put in his bowl.

In that bowl, he also added some of the squash and peppers that were growing. Dinner was there in the bowl.

Said Sarah Ban Breathnach: “Both abundance and lack [of abundance] exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend … when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present—love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring us [happiness]—the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience heaven on earth.”

You can have all the wealth on earth, and still live a poor life if you choose to focus on what you lack. I was reminded about what James said in his great epistle: “Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?” (James 2:5).

My dear friends, it is possible to be content without being complacent. Ever grateful for whatever the Lord feels fit to bless you, willing to share, and ever looking forward to great things. Don't miss out on heaven on earth right in front of you. Choose to see the reality and abundance that is present. Only then will you live a rich life, no matter where you are.