In 1 Kings 17, we read of the prophet Elijah visiting a widow in Zarephath during a great famine. Elijah asks the widow for a morsel of bread. She flatly tells him she plans on using her last handful of flour and oil to make one last pitiful meal for her and her son before they die. Elijah promises that if she will instead give up everything she has to a servant of the Lord, the Lord, in turn, will give her enough flour and oil for her and her son and Elijah to eat for many days. The widow thought that the last vestiges at the bottom of the barrel were the only things that were keeping her and her son from dying, but in reality, those last little dribbles of oil and flour were holding her back from truly living. There is no room for faith or hope or charity when we are in starvation mode. When we can't meet even our most basic needs, then how can we look outwards to the welfare of others or forwards to a future of growth and progression? When the Lord asked the widow through Elijah to give up her last measly morsel, He was really asking her to give up the feeling of scarcity that had gripped her. She told Elijah she had one bite left and then she was ready to die. She didn't have hope that stretched into tomorrow. As miraculous as a never emptying barrel of flour and jar of oil might be, the true miracle was in this woman embracing a God of Abundance and accepting that there was much more to life than merely preparing for her imminent death. If we are having a hard time making a sacrifice to the Lord, is it because we love that thing so much, or is it because we are afraid without it we might just die? I know a lot of us often feel like we're drowning and fighting with everything we've got to keep our head above water. But when the Lord asks us to give something up to Him, we really have to examine whether or not it is a life preserver keeping us afloat, or a lead weight tied around our ankles dragging us down. And even if it is a life preserver, is it worth it to cling to our life saver in the water when right in front of us with His hand stretched out is our Savior waiting to haul us aboard His big ship to clean us up and dry us off and give us warm clothes and food to eat and a place to rest. Let us sacrifice our little crusts and our attachments to scarcity so that our hands are free to receive the gifts of Abundance that our Father has prepared for us.
