Our Daily Bread

Today I received very good news.  News that has taken one of my worries (yes I know I'm supposed to turn the over to the Lord but it's my weakness) off of my shoulders and allowed me to take a deep, anxiety free breath - if only for a moment.

Unfortunately many other people received bad news today.  These are people that I know, that I work with and have come to know as a second family.  So while I celebrate, I am also sad and yes, feeling a bit of guilt at my good fortune.

Funny how my life parallels the Sunday sermon at my church.  I joke with the Priest all the time about it - does he think about what craziness is going on in my life when he decides on a sermon topic?  It really isn't a joke though because his words always bring comfort and sometimes a bit of shame at my own failings.  This past Sunday's sermon was titled "Be Encouraged" - (see what I mean?).  It expanded on Luke 11:1-13 where Jesus taught the disciples the words of The Lords Prayer.  I couldn't have asked for a better sermon to speak to my heart.

I've always thought of "our daily bread" as our sustenance - our food.  At the most, I thought it was our life itself.  Father Hubbard described it as a "bread of a different sort" - it is a daily need. It is "an empty, hungry place in each of us that is begging for its own kind of bread".  He went on to describe the effect of going without this different sort of bread - "we may not starve to death, but we are weakened, lost, forlorn, fearful, despairing - emaciated in our character and well-being, or just plain irritable".

In my case, my "daily bread" may change from day to day or even every hour. I need to remember that no matter what shape or form my "daily bread" takes, the key is to ask and then to KNOW that God will provide it for me.  It may not be in the shape that I want it, but God does know best and He always provides.  The keys are to Ask and Trust - those are the two main ingredients of your daily bread.

I'm going to close with the last lines from the sermon that I think we all should remember, especially in these trying times...

"Let us remember, then, to pray for our daily bread, whatever that is, and be encouraged that God will provide.  That is Jesus' message of encouragement and hope to us today and everyday - God will provide because, being the best of fathers, He loves us."

Please remember my co-workers in your prayers.  Times are tough and really don't look like they are going to be getting better any time soon for those of us working in the healthcare field. 

May God Bless You.