Not Enough to go Around

 

M

y first lessons in math did not come in a classroom or at the hands of any of my teachers.  My first math lesson was learned at the table and it was a crash course in addition, subtraction, and multiplication.  Whenever we had cubed steak and pinto beans, I was the first one at the table.  Mom usually had made homemade biscuits to round out the meal.  I was so excited, just waiting to “dig” in and eat my fill. 

 

I always went through the same routine. I would count the pieces of steak (addition), and then count the number of people at the table and figure out how many pieces each of us could have (division).  So if there were eight pieces and four of us, that meant I would be guaranteed two pieces of cubed steak. 

 

So, satisfied with my mathematical prowess, I selected my piece of steak, and put pinto beans on my plate and grabbed a biscuit.  Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I also figured out how many biscuits we each could have!!!   Anyway, we began the meal.  No sooner had I gotten underway when my dad speared another piece of steak with his fork.   

 

That’s when all the trouble began.  Soon after my mom took another piece of steak and put it on her plate.  The pressure was on now.  At this rate, all the steak would be gone before I finished my first pieces.  I couldn’t enjoy my meal for worrying about all the steak disappearing.  And to make matters worse, the biscuits were disappearing at a phenomenal rate!!!!   

 

Every time I looked at the steak platter or the breadbasket, there were fewer pieces and I saw any and all chances of my getting my fair share going straight out the window.  I grew so frustrated and worried that I stopped eating.  Worry had squelched any hope I had of having seconds. 

 

Now my mom and dad had no intention of starving me to death.  Mom knew I wanted two pieces and she made sure I got them.  Over and over again she would reassure me that no one was going to take my portion and that I needed to eat and enjoy the meal and not to worry.  She was right!  I always got my second piece and a second biscuit.  All my worrying only frustrated me and robbed me from any joy I had at the dinner table with my family. 

 

In Matthew 6:31, Jesus addressed this very idea.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells his followers not to worry, “31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 

 

Wherever you are in your walk with the Lord today, take this message to heart.  God knows what you need.  He has promised to provide everything for you and there will always be enough to go around.