"Nothing at all beside this manna"- that was the deep source of their discontentment. At first they had enjoyed the manna immensely. It tasted like wafers made with honey and was quite a novelty, but they soon got tired of it. Their minds strayed back to the good old diet, and the more they savored it in imagination the more insipid the manna became. They were no longer satisfied with what God provided. For us, this means Jesus, and He is all God ever promised us. He may add or take away a great many other mercies, but all we actually need to be content is in Jesus; and if He doesn't content us, nothing else ever will." -Patricia St. John, Missing the WayShe goes on to say, we can mope around and complain about all we don't have (that never would have satisfied us anyway)...
"or we can sit down and examine our assets. "Nothing... besides this manna"- then back to the manna! Can it satisfy us, or can it not?"
6260. joy in putting my computer down and doing what he wants
6261. him curled up in my arm with a good book
6263. Caleb and Kaleb :)
6264. this house- big enough for many
6265. time to just be
6266. puppy prep day
6267. little men learning from their daddy. just like he learned from his.
6268. a doggy mansion for this tiny pup
6270. pile of books. rainbow of crayons. mountain of sand.
6271. joys of boys. bouncy boys!
6272. and even if I had none of these lovely gifts, I'd still have You.
6273. Jesus, precious Jesus.
giving a shout-out to my lovely WGM Uganda Ladies! We're reading "Missing the Way" together, a happy gift from our retreat speaker, Beth Coppedge. You need this book in your life- buy it here for $3.50! Read along with us! We'd love to have you.
joining up with the gift-listers, and manna-gatherers, at Ann's:
These words from Elisabeth Elliott came to mind when I read your post:
ReplyDelete“It is always possible to be thankful for what is given rather than resentful over what is withheld.
One or the other becomes a way of life."
it was a starry summer night, in my backyard, during a particularly troubling time, too much lost… Too much lost. I talked to our Lord about it, because I just kind of talk to him about everything. And you know how he sometimes talks back, not always with words, sometimes just an impression, sometimes a Bible verse, sometimes the words of a friend, sometimes a message inside a fortune cookie, but this time for me, in words, as clear is a bell. "If I have nothing, Jesus has to be enough. If I have everything, Jesus has to be more." After reading your post, as inspiring as it was, I had to share that with you. And of your thank you list, my favorite was "bouncy boys". Because I was a bouncy boy – and bouncy boys always get misunderstood. And I'm really glad that your mama heart appreciates "bouncy boys". God bless and keep you and each and every one of yours Kelly.
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