Wow! It’s amazing to realize that I have been blogging for four years now! Shout out to those who have stuck with me from day one. Thank you for reading my posts and encouraging me privately. Hope that God has spoken to you through what He’s teaching me.
Now, on to the Bible…
After a while, the stream dried up because there had been no rain in the land. The Lord’s message came to him, “Get up, go to Zarephath in Sidonian territory, and live there. I have already told a widow who lives there to provide for you.” So he got up and went to Zarephath. When he went through the city gate, there was a widow gathering wood. He called out to her, “Please give me a little water in a cup, so I can take a drink.” As she went to get it, he called out to her, “Please bring me a piece of bread.” She said, “As certainly as the Lord your God lives, I have no food, except for a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. Right now I am gathering a couple of sticks for a fire. Then I’m going home to make one final meal for my son and myself. After we have eaten that, we will die of starvation.” Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go and do as you planned. But first make me a small cake and bring it to me; then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord God of Israel has said: ‘The jar of flour will not be empty and the jug of oil will not run out until the day the Lord makes it rain on the surface of the ground.’” She went and did as Elijah told her; there was always enough food for Elijah and for her and her family. The jar of flour was never empty and the jug of oil never ran out, in keeping with the Lord’s message that he had spoken through Elijah. 1 Kings 17:7-16
New English Translation
We all need things. Food. Water. Family. Comfort. Peace. Strength. Rest. So many more things could be listed here! The widow in this portion of scripture also needed something: food.
A lot of times, people think that they can be their own provider…even that they are their own provider. Crazy thing is, we are never our true provider. Sure, you can work a job, make some money, and get yourself some stuff or plan really well and have time for family and sleep, but who truly blessed you with those things?
I really hope you said God.
See, no matter if we seem to “chip in” and make things happen, we’re not the true source of those things. In the end, you always have to point to God. The widow in particular had it easy, it couldn’t even be mistaken as her providing for herself since God supernaturally gave her more than enough food for herself and her son. However, for us, sometimes it’s a little more challenging.
That’s why you have to keep a grateful heart.
If you’re not constantly referring yourself and others to the real source of things, it’s easy to get caught up in thinking you’re all that and a bag of chips. Pride is not a great place to be. Thankfully, gratitude does wonders at preventing pride. It keeps you focused on God instead of yourself.
Gratitude breeds humility.
Being humble before God is a wonderful sign of respect. After all, He is a king. You wouldn’t dare to boast about yourself in front of royalty, right? That would be embarrassing. Rather, you realize that they are in a higher position than yourself and focus on them. Do the same with God! Think about it, He’s the only true royalty!
So, do you practice humble gratitude? If not, there is no time like the present to start. An easy thing to do is grab your phone, download a notes app, and start listing all the things you are grateful God has given you. Keep up this practice and soon you’ll have a habit of thankfulness. What a great attitude to take into every day!
Note from Quill: Another thing to consider is that if you’re busy being grateful, then you have no time to complain! Nothing worse than hanging around someone who whines and complains all the time. Being humbly grateful will improve your outlook on life and your attitude. People will notice and appreciate the lack of complaints!