I Found God In A Bucket of White Rice...

We ordered Chinese food the other night for dinner. My 7-year-old son only wanted "the biggest thing of white rice they have, Mommy!" Feeling relieved that he, at least, was being agreeable to the dinner selection (it's not his favorite), I order a large steamed rice - and of course, it comes in the standard 5-inch paper container. Jack was totally annoyed with me... sure that I must've ordered a small because this container just can't be big ENOUGH to be a LARGE...!

We scoop a humungous portion on his plate which he eats.

He then eats a second enormous blob of rice.

He works on a third mound of steamed rice, and then looks inside the container only to see that it is still OVER HALF FULL of white rice. He then proclaims:

"Momma! It's like the loaves and the fishes!!

God just keeps filling up this bucket of rice!"

Now THAT was an excellent response!! My son honored God first. As much as I might have liked to have heard "Wow, Mom - you were right, this was more than enough rice to order!" (Yeah... right... I wasn't holding my breath!), Jack's first thought was that God had provided more than enough for him. (I think he still believed that I had ordered a small... and God was refilling it as fast as he could eat it!)

In surfing around the Internet for some other commentaries on the story of the loaves and the fish, I stumbled upon an excellent post by the Troy Schmidt - Indy Writer Guy. In it, he explains a simple Truth about God:

God will provide practically, but not necessarily extravagantly. The key for us is to appreciate what we receive and recognize it came from God. My family knows Matthew 6 very well. We quote it. We believe it. We hang on to it for our dear lives. In all my years, God has not broken this promise. To live with this verse at the core of my being, I had to understand these statements:

1. It may not be what I want, but it is what I need.
2. It may not arrive when I want, but it arrives in time.
3. It may not come to me how I want, but it comes nonetheless.

We must set aside our expectations and expect only God's promise.
This promise comes with an expectation on our part, though. We must seek Him first. God doesn't provide for everyone, all the time. Only those that follow him.

Recently, my husband, David, spoke with a friend about the stresses of being the sole breadwinner to our family - and how being the "only one" to provide (monetarily) can be mind-numbing. His friend stopped him and replied, "But you aren't the 'only one.' GOD is the One providing for your family... he's just working through you to do it. He will provide for your family no matter what job of yours he uses to do it..."

What a shift in perspective!!

I've noticed a change in my husband's mood since that talk. When he feels stresses at work, he reminds himself that God will provide for our family and will place him in the right spot to carry out His plans. The burden does not rest soley on David's shoulders - God has made a promise to help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes (Matthew 6:34 - The Message). And like Mr. Schmidt says in his own article, "God does not break His promises!"


My son was thankful to God for providing him with enough rice to stuff himself silly. More importantly, he offered praise to the One who provided this treat. Now God provides for our simple and complex needs every day... Have you taken a moment to say thanks? My son was thrilled with the abundance of plain, steamed, white rice... Haven't you received at least a few bigger provisions for which God should get at least a simple thank you? :)

--> To read the full article by Troy Schmidt, visit this link: http://www.indywriterguy.com/indy_ramen.htm. It's a great read!!