Monday Meditation: How caregivers can satisfy their special hunger
We know there are hungry people out there.
We’ve read about them. Maybe we even went to a food pantry or homeless shelter and fed a few of them. We’ve spent a couple extra dollars to donate canned goods at a ball game or contribute to the mound of groceries our church collected for “the needy” before the holidays. We’ve seen news reports about financially strapped people lining up for food in church parking lots.
We know there are hungry people out there.
Photo by aerogondo at istockphoto.com
Filled with what we have
But most reading this have seldom or ever been really hungry. Maybe we remember a time we worked through lunch and were “absolutely starved” by suppertime. Maybe we were traveling on Christmas Day, and no place was open to keep us fed till we got to the family celebration. Grandma’s scalloped potatoes never tasted better.
But before we started the trip, we knew her table would be full. Before we begin any day, we know our refrigerators and pantries can keep us full, too.
We know we have what we need to stay full.
And after that, there are restaurants filling city centers and creating a checkerboard of choices on the main drag of every suburb. “You Americans!” a friend from Kenya once said to me. “Your refrigerators are packed, and then you ask, ‘Where shall we go out for dinner?’”
We know there are hungry people out there, but the crowds scarfing down burgers and fries and pizzas and cappuccinos at every interstate exit don’t seem to have missed many meals.
Getting what we deserve
We may repeat a prayer of thanks for our food before we eat. But what would we be saying to God if we were ever, finally, actually hungry? I think we’d be not only concerned but even angry. “We’re not supposed to be hungry! We don’t deserve to be hungry! What’s wrong with our leaders? What’s wrong with you, God? How can you let us be hungry?!”
‘What’s wrong with you, God? How can you let us be hungry?’
That seems to be the tone of the Israelites when their stomachs were growling and their voices were grumbling about the food desert in the wilderness around them. And maybe we can understand.
If you and I were ever really hungry, we’d certainly remember when we weren’t. And we’d think about the hearty meals others not far from us were enjoying every day. “We could be well fed, too, God, if you hadn’t taken us out of their circumstances and led us into the sorry situation where we’re living today. All we can think about is what we do NOT have.”
Living with what we’ve lost
And to be sure, we caregivers are acutely aware of what we do NOT have. People all around us plan vacations, enjoy evenings out with friends, and pursue hobbies in free time we can’t find. We stay home or pay for caregivers to take our place so we can grab an occasional lunch with a friend. It’s as if we’ve been plucked out of the life we knew and plopped into the middle of a survival story we don’t like.
The ancient Israelites became obsessed with what they had lost, and they were worried about where their next meal would come from. Likewise, we can get consumed thinking about all we’ve lost, and we are prone to worry about the strength or wisdom or patience or money to handle what we fear is next.
Realizing what we need
We know there are hungry people out there, but they have no idea about the hunger growling within our spirits. We want the soul-filling satisfaction of knowing everything’s gonna be alright. Some of the ancient Israelites couldn’t be satisfied with each day’s provision. And some days, the help and hope we’ve received so far just don’t seem like enough, either.
But “This is the day the Lord has made.” And today we realize, with God’s help, we’ve survived to see another Monday. We can think about those clouds of quail and the daily dew of manna God provided for his people so long ago. And maybe we can trust he’ll provide for us, too, as we seek his sustenance for just one more day.
Read: Exodus 16:1-31
Pray: Lord, in spite of our sadness and frustration, we realize we’re living in an embarrassment of riches, each blessing a gift from your hand. Help us see you at work in our lives today. Fill the hunger inside us that will overwhelm us unless we hand it to you.
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