The "what is it"

I remember Christmas gifts in my house growing up. All Christmas morning I was so excited to open gifts because I couldn't wait to see what I got. Once I opened my presents all I wanted to do was play with my new toys. I remember one year specifically when I got this awesome Barbie house I wanted and all I wanted to do was play Barbies and make up stories and murder mysteries in my Barbie town. I'm not sure when exactly that house became so boring to me, but over time I just lost interest in that house. After awhile, I wanted a newer, bigger Barbie house to add to my Barbie town. I wanted newer cars for them to drive and new dolls to play with. That huge Barbie house just didn't feel like enough anymore..

If I think about it, the way I felt about that Barbie house is really similar to how I can feel about a lot of gifts. I'm a person who gets excited about things pretty easily. New places. Awesome. New ideas. Great. New food I just brought in from the grocery store. Super. But at some point, even if the things I have aren't rotten, things just get old. I get stuck in this place of discontent.

That's really similar to what the Israelites were facing many years ago. They were traveling and they were tired, frustrated, and hungry. God did something awesome though. He loved these people, so he made food fall out of the sky for these people. The Israelites woke up one morning, unsure of what was on the ground. They called it manna, which literally means "what is it". They ate it and it filled them up. God gave them manna everyday for them to eat. They praised God and were so thankful for this wonderful gift. At some point though, these hot and tired travelers began to complain. They weren't hungry, but they were tired of eating manna. The same manna they thanked God for was the same manna they groaned and complained about. 

How did something that was such a blessing turn into something that was so mundane? Was God mean to make it "rain" the same bread everyday rather than giving these people a huge variety of food whenever they wanted? If he loved these people why wasn't he making all kinds of food "rain" from the sky like in "Cloudy with a chance of meatballs"? 

Here's the thing about God. He is the giver and provider. He gives us exactly what we need. The Israelites weren't complaining because they were hungry. They were complaining because they wanted more. When I got bored of my Barbie house as a kid, I wasn't complaining because I didn't have toys. I was complaining because I wanted more.

Just the other day I heard a friend mine say she wanted just this "little tiny" thing from God and would never want anything again after that. Funny thing, she got it and then once she got it she had another "little tiny" thing she wanted so bad. She thought she would be so happy with one thing but rather than thanking God for it, she allowed herself to feel the discontent. And I don't think how that friend acted is much different from the Israelites and their manna or us as we view our things. 

So what do we do with this? How is it possible to be truly content? Is it wrong to ask for things? What God sees is our hearts. He is the giver. He wants us to ask Him for things, so when He does give us things He desires our praise. When we don't get what we want, He still desires our praise because in humility we recognize that He knows what is best for us. When we praise Him when we don't understand why we haven't received certain things is when He blesses us with faith. He honors us because we submit to Him that He is the giver of all gifts. When we submit that to Him, we can find contentment in Him. That contentment lasts way longer than the feeling we get when we receive gifts.

I struggle with complaining. I feel like I have a right to be heard and a right to get what I want, but that is not the truth of Christ. Sometimes I struggle with entitlement. I live in a world that tells me to fight for what I want and I will get it, but God tells me to ask Him and seek Him with all that I am and He will give me the desires of my heart. 

Today I challenge all of us to acknowledge what the manna is in our lives. Thank God for the little slivers of hope. Thank Him for the huge milestones. Thank Him for the food you have when it is bland. Thank Him when you have nothing because when you are living a life in thankfulness to The Lord, the nothing you have is wiped out by the everything God is. When you don't understand something and you just can't wrap your mind around it, simply thank God for who He is. It is in that God sees our trust in Him and stores it as treasure. 

Don't forget the power in the simple words of "thank you". My mom always made sure there was food in my belly and that I had clean clothes to wear. She spent a lot of time making sure I had the things I needed and that things were in order for me. She was providing for me. I got used to it. She was my mom. That was her role. I remember though, the days I would say thank you for dinner. I could tell she felt honored and appreciated that her hard work was recognized. I didn't have to tell her thank you but because I did she was blessed. She was recognized for the service she gave and the role she played. 

Don't forget to slow down enough to be grateful. You never know what it can mean to a person or the joy it brings to the all great giver and provider, God. 

My friend Joy had a really convicting status on Facebook the other day. She said "what if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday"