Who Provides You With Your Stuff?

I've been unemployed for nine months now.  During this time I have often asked God (sometimes out of frustration and anger) why he seems to not want me to provide for my family.  More times than I can count, I have told people "I don't want to be wealthy.  I just want to have enough to pay the bills!  Why can't God appreciate that?"  It hasn't been until the last couple of months that I've begun to understand the answer to that question.  

As men we are given this notion that we need to provide for our families.  Even in families where both husband and wife work outside the home to make ends meet, often it's the man who has the larger of the two incomes.  Without that job, the family would be hard pressed to continue in the lifestyle to which they have grown accustomed.  It's this mentality that has led to the cultural impression that a man's identity is largely wrapped around his career.  Without a job or a career, what is a man?   Take away his ability to work and you largely take away his masculinity.  Another thing that I've told a lot of people through this experience is that men are not made to be home during the day.  

Going back a few posts ago, I mentioned that my family's past is largely wrapped around farming - mostly dairy farming.  My uncle Al had a saying - "Everything we have comes from udders."  That saying made a lot of people chuckle.  The point here is that Al had it right when he implies that things (i.e. success, houses, cars, TV's, stereos, vacations, etc.) don't come from our own efforts.  I see your eyebrows quirking here.  I know that you put in a lot of overtime to buy that truck.  I know that the government took money out of your hard earned paycheck and gave it back to you (interest free) in the form of a tax return that you used to buy that 52 inch plasma TV.  It's your money, right?  You worked hard for that!

Here's what I've learned - and it might upset you.  It's not your money.  It's not your truck.  It's not your plasma TV.  It's not your stereo.  It's not your Blackberry.  It's not yours, it's not mine, it doesn't belong to the bank or the credit card company either.

Let's take a look:

Job 1:10, 11

Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land.

Job has become the biblical cliche for the man who lost everything he had.  Still, ask yourself how he got everything he had.  These verses clearly state that even satan knew that everything Job had came from God's provision.

Luke 12:21-34

22Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 

Here, Jesus tells all who follow him - "Look.  I'll take care of you.  Don't depend on your own provision - depend on mine."

I Kings 17: 2-4

Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: 3 "Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. 4 You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there."

God provided Elijah with food and water even when He scorched the rest of the surrounding land.  

John 6: 10-13

10Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. 11Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

 12When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." 13So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

Jesus provided food for all these people who had nothing.  What's more, he did it in a way that was obvious to his followers so they could see how His love provides.  

Guys, I've learned a hard lesson from being unemployed.  For a long time I've been leaning on my own abilities to provide for myself and my family. You can argue that the reason why I lost my job was because my focus was in the wrong direction - I'm not sure I know that for certain.  Yet, I can tell you that I have been humbled before God.  Even now, I wait on God daily for His provision for my family.  As I write this I know that I have enough to get my family through the day.  But tomorrow is still in question.

Am I content?  Contentment is difficult when you can only see the next step in front of you.  Am I where I want to be at this point when I'm in my 40's?  Not even close!  But I think the real question is am I where God wants me to be?   That is the quest that I am on.  

I encourage you to re-evaluate your attitude toward who provides you with your stuff.  In addition, if you have a lot of stuff - stuff God has provided you with - how are you using it?  If you really believe that it all belongs to God (the house, the car, the boat, the 4-wheeler) are you using it for own enjoyment or could you be using the stuff to help other people see  God in your life?

Thanks for stopping by.

Finders Keepers

On Wednesday I was out killing time at the grocery store with my kids while we waited to pick up my wife.  We had pretty much picked off the list and were wandering around looking at different things when I looked down and saw some cash on the floor.  I considered diving on it like a linebacker trying to recover a fumble.  However, keeping my composure, I picked it up and looked around.  There was only one person standing anywhere close by - a  young kid no more that twenty years old.  I asked him if it was his and he answered no.  

Thirty five bucks.  That's gas money for almost a week - nearly a full tank of gas at $1.50-something a gallon.  Hmmmm.  What to do?  As I was shoving the money in my pocket my ten year old son looked at me and said "Dad, aren't you going to turn that in?"  I'm not sure if it was guilt or a bit of frustration at being caught by my son shoving someone else's money into my pocket.   "Lets find a store worker."  I said.  

In the nearby Ladies Department there were three employees having a water cooler chat of some kind.  I approached them, told them how I found the cash on the floor, and asked them what I should do with it.  They explained the store policy of putting my name and phone number on the wad of cash and that they would keep it for thirty days.  If the money was not claimed, after thirty days it was mine.  I thanked them for their assistance and we went on our way.  

Over in the produce section I stopped the cart and had a discussion with my two kids - one ten, the other fourteen.  My daughter acknowledged that we needed the money, but also, truthfully, stated that it simply was not our money.  My son maintained that we needed to turn it in.  While listening to both of them I was growing more and more angry over the hard time I was having over a lousy thirty five bucks.  We finally made the decision to turn the money in.  We checked out with our groceries and then made our way to the customer service desk as directed by the employees in the Ladies Department.  

We were there for no more than five minutes - all the while I had to resist the urge to put the cash back in my pocket and run out the door with it.  After all - finders keepers - right?  Still, it wasn't my money.  As she took my name and number and put the cash in an envelope I knew I'd  never see that money again.  

Did I do the right thing?  Maybe.  Did I teach my children a lesson against greed and in favor of responsibility?  Maybe.  In this case, responsibility didn't make my gas gauge move in a positive direction.  

The truth of the matter is that it wasn't MY money.  In reality, none of it is.  Even MY money isn't my money.  As a man - a leader of my family - I need to keep my eye on the ball.  Everything I have comes from God.  My house, my car, my kids, my groceries, the computer I use to write this blog - it all comes from God's provision.  What' s more, if everything I have comes from God, then everything I have should be used for God.  My house, car, kids, groceries, and my computer - I should be willing to put it all up for the work of God.  If a friend needs a place to stay he can use the house God gave me.  If someone needs a ride, I can give them a lift with the car God gave me.  If an elderly person needs some help, the kids God gave me can assist them.  Poor as I am, I have been blessed with a lot of food.  If I know someone needs it - I can make them a meal with the groceries God gave me.  You get the point.  

So, if the cash belongs to God, did I do the right thing?  Leave and comment and let me know what you think.  

Do you really want to know?

I know this guy who struggles as a self-employed painter.  He has a wonderful wife, eight children (3 girls / 5 boys), and a small petting zoo.  Like a lot of people, he lives paycheck to paycheck and takes jobs where he can get them.  If you've ever heard the  phrase "Find a job you like and you'll never work a day in your life." - that's Donny.  He loves to paint and he can't imagine doing anything else to make a living.  

I've been helping Donny paint a condo this week.  We've had a lot of time to get to know each other better than we have before.  Last night he picked me up to head out to the condo and I asked him "How's it going"?  His reply was "Do you really want to know"?  Then he told me that he's been working for a temp agency that markets itself to construction companies and builders.  They've been keeping him pretty busy during the days and he's been able to line up some side work for the evenings.  With this, he's felt like he's been able to get out from behind the eight-ball a bit financially.  Yesterday, they told him that they don't have any  more work for him.  They'd call when they need him.  

So, Donny has been laid off.  He's angry, scared, and discouraged.  But there's something very cool about what happened during that ride to the condo.  It's not that I had a chance to encourage him.  It's not that I urged him to keep his eyes on God and that He will provide for his family.  It's not that I had the chance to pray with him (which I didn't do but maybe should have).  The really cool part of the whole thing is that he asked me "Do you really want to know"?

Men tend to be isolationists.  Popular culture tells us that we don't cry, we suck it up and deal with it, and we need to be strong enough to handle things on our own.  While I'm thankful that Donny didn't cry, he made the choice to share and receive the encouragement that can come from another male who's been through some of the same experiences.  He didn't feel like he could suck it up and deal with it by himself.  He needed something more.

We all need something more than ourselves.  We need to support each other, encourage each other.  That's how it's supposed to work.