There are three disciples
of Christ, all married, all from consecutive generations. The first disciple is
the oldest, and has been walking in a surrendered life to Christ perhaps the
longest, or at least most intensely longer than the other two disciples to whom
he mentors and befriends.
This first disciple is
wholly dependent upon God for his provision. He in essence purposefully wanders
the streets daily jumping into whatever mire has befallen the individuals he
meets, hoping to illuminate the love of Christ, and the truth of the Father.
The God of Just Enough, the God that supplies needs usually speaks to enough hearts
throughout the course of time that the disciple’s family is well cared for
without any traditional job or continuous source of income. He is married and
his wife has come to a place closer to unity in his faith, and mature in
experience that she has become expecting for God to come through when the
occasional lack presents itself, like a busted a/c unit, unexpected medical
bills, or even taxes.
The second disciple, like
the first us wholly dependent upon God for his provision as well. His ministry is
more traditional as a pastor, though his church rarely if ever through
offerings if able to give him and his family a meager existence. Over time he
has been forced to become reliant on faith and the reoccurring financial
miracle of God. This uncertainty still to this day produces the occasional
anxiety in the disciple. His wife and barometer of faith can and does sense
when he is spiritually nervous about their financial future. This tension is
much higher in times of financial need than with the first disciple and his
wife. Or at least that is the appearance on the surface. But they have come to
accept that they must press on to God, even while the wife recognizes the fear.
The third disciple, like
the other two is wholly dependent upon God for his provision too. Though his
profession looks starkly different than the two “ministers” he is compensated
on a commission basis therefore dependent upon God to provide the proverbial
game to feed his family. His wife, much more responsible with money handles the
household finances, and when times of lack appear the disciple more than hears
of it. Or perhaps like the second disciple, perhaps the wife recognizes the
lack of faith, perhaps the anxiety of the third disciple permeates the
relationship, and a fix is not only in order, but demanded.
And so for September 2013
all three disciples find themselves thousands of dollars short of meeting their
current obligations. In full awareness of this the first disciple obeys God and
cries out to Him with a very public prayer. Not repeatedly mind you, but one
time makes his request to God. A few days later he takes a Friday afternoon off
to go to a movie with a friend. As they watch the movie the disciple tells the
friend, “wouldn’t it be nice to know that what we are doing this very moment is
of God?” Literally minutes later the phone rings. It is the disciple’s wife
calling to say that a $5000 check just arrived in the mail. And once again God
has met his needs. Excited he texts the second disciple the news.
The second disciple, who
was also obeying God by simply trusting to receive… no commands to cry out, or
beg, or even ask receives the text with wonder, wonder if God was going to come
through for him as well. All the while knowing fully that his bills would be late
if not paid by Monday. Later that day the couple found in their mailbox an
envelope containing an anonymous typed note, and a cashier’s check for $5000.
Also was included three $100 bills earmarked specifically for his wife.
The third disciple went to a
family member and asked to borrow the money. Dejected, feeling like a spiritual
failure, feeling his faith failed him the third disciple shared as he heard the
stories above.
And with clarity the first
disciple explained the living parable. Our wives are in our lives in part to be
that faith barometer. They, more than anyone else in our life, know when to
call bullshit. They know when we are living it, and when we are pretending.
They, more than anyone else, sense our anxiety or lack of faith. God uses these
situations to affect us all, to bring us all into conformity with Christ. For
the third disciple there is a lesson of lack of faith that manifested as
irritability that needs to be replaced with joy and peace. For the wife, there
too are lessons of faith that are to be independent of the husband. For the
parents who loaned the money, God has a whole other issue to be worked on in
anything less than their obedience.
For everyone, the givers,
the receivers, the other participates… it all is God at work to prefect unity
of faith, to increase everyone’s maturity in Christ. In all three cases that
stature of Christ has been measured, and for one found a little more than the
other, to which was found a little more than the third. But in every case God
provided. What is done with the lesson is up to those who lived it.
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