Manna from Heaven, by Dorothy Richards

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Manna from Heaven

By Dorothy Richards

It was Christmas Eve and I thought that all the shopping was done but I still had this nagging feeling we needed more satsumas.  I was concerned that we would run out before the shops opened again, which was ridiculous because the shops would re-open in 2 days' time – if not sooner!  And anyway, I had other fruit in the house which could be eaten instead.  However, the little voice inside me persisted and so I set out for Booths, expecting to find an empty store and even emptier shelves.  What a surprise I had; not only were people leaving the store in droves pushing overladen trolleys but the shelves were fit to bursting.  The only thing which couldn't be supplied on the fruit and veg were raspberries.  (I know because I overheard the conversation.)  I bought my satsumas and, as an afterthought, bought some more apples as well – just in case!  Later that evening our daughter, Joanne, rang and during our conversation she said that the only thing she hadn't got for the boys' Christmas stockings were satsumas but would use bananas instead.   I knew then that I'd been right to heed that voice – bananas aren't quite the same!  Over the next couple of days we ate one or two but do you know how many apples were eaten? - none!  In fact, I took some with us when we went to my sister's for a few days – and brought them home again!

Just how much stuff do we buy and waste, not only food but other things as well, like clothes?  How many clothes do we have hanging in the wardrobe, never wearing them because we've become bored with them or forgotten we have them.

A few weeks before Christmas, I was listening to Bette Midler being interviewed on the radio.  She said that in her family they only gave token presents and, as for herself, she preferred not to receive any at all.  Not that she wasn't grateful but that, like many of us, she had got to that age where there was nothing she actually needed or wanted.  She encouraged us to 'shop our wardrobes'; to 'dig' out forgotten clothes or work our way through the shower-gels, etc. we'd received over the years; to use things we already owned instead of going out and buying new. 

Over the Christmas period it was reported that, as a country, households waste 8 million tons of food a year; households and commercial businesses total 20 million tons a year.  How can we justify that?

God has promised that He will watch over us and provide for us.  In Exodus 16, God makes provision for the Israelites.  He promised to rain down bread from heaven.  Every day, they were to collect enough for that day but on the 6^th day they were to collect enough for two days in order that they could rest on the 7^th day.  If they collected too much (just in case they ran out), it would turn mouldy.  My apples weren't mouldy but they certainly weren't as nice as if they were fresh from the shop!  When Jesus sent out The Twelve, He said, “Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep”.  They weren't to worry, God would provide for them.  We too have a God, that same God, who will supply our every need.

There is enough food in the world which, if shared fairly, would mean that no-one need go hungry, and God is so great that He could, at a stroke, make sure that all are provided for.  However, He is a God of free will and so He leaves us to make our own decisions - resulting in too much for some and not enough for others.

We are now in the season of Lent, and on Shrove Tuesday it is the custom to eat pancakes, remembering that, in times past, meals on that day were made from what was in the cupboard.  So that no food was wasted, families would have a feast on Shrove Tuesday and eat up all the foods that wouldn't last through Lent without going off.  Maybe we could treat each day as Shrove Tuesday.

One morning, as I was thinking about this piece, I read this from 'God Calling': 

'Do not be afraid of poverty.  Let money flow freely.

I will let it flow in but you must let it flow out.  I never

send money to stagnate – only to those who pass it on.

Keep nothing for yourself.  Hoard nothing.  Only have

what you need and use.'

We shouldn't give out just so that we receive in return, but out of love for Him Who gave us so much in the first place.

And what about those clothes hanging in the wardrobe, just in case you might wear them, or unwanted gifts you might just use? Why not take them to the local charity-shops and bless others with your unwanted goods?

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