Needs


 

“I am the vine and you are the branches. If a man remain in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing.” John 15:5

A few weeks ago I was at dinner with my husband, daughter and three granddaughters. It was a special dinner, so of course we had our phones out to take pictures. After leaving the restaurant we began to walk along, stopping to watch a street performer. As we did I reached for my phone to take a picture of my granddaughters and it wasn't where I usually put it. I mentioned that I thought I might have left it in the restaurant. I delivered that information with no fear or panic in my voice. Would it be a an inconvenience to walk back through the crowded, tourist filled area to the restaurant? A little. Was I in utter panic because I'd left my phone? No.

That last piece of information was too much for my daughter. “Mom! Why aren't you freaking out? It's your phone!” She said to me in a tone that suggested we'd left one of the girls behind. “What if you can't get it back?”

While my poor girl was freaking out for me, I looked through the rest of my bag and lo and behold, there was the phone. I laughed at my daughter's obvious relief. What was the worst that could happen if I didn't get the phone back? I was with my husband and daughter, both of whom have phones which meant I could easily contact my son if necessary. I would have been sad over lost pictures but beyond that a phone is replaceable.

Since then, I've thought of that event so many times. How many people would react as my daughter did? Most, I dare to think. We've all become super attached to our phones and tablets and pads. If I hadn't been with my husband my own reaction would have been stronger, not the total panic my daughter deemed necessary, but stronger.

That led me to think about what is truly important. If my life is stripped down to what I really need, what I really need is Jesus. In His infinite love and mercy He has provided a wonderful husband along with many other dear people, things I truly need, food, clothes, shelter, things I think I need, and things I simply want. Still, at the end of the day, all of those people and things are blessings only if I recognize the Giver of the Gifts. I am merely a branch on the beautiful Vine and apart from that Vine I have nothing and I am nothing.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Applause, Applause and Protection

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, Hebrews 12:1 Reading some Scripture this morning I was reminded of a message that I watched from Louie Giglio. In it Louie described a child of God leaving her home for the day. He goes on about how the heavenly beings see it. With great excitement, he tells of the joy and applause going on in heaven as the woman gets in the elevator, gets to the parking lot and gets in her car. It’s hilarious and over the top, (remember I did say it was Louie Giglio!) but there’s a great lesson in it. My husband and I were watching a TV show about a fictional former president. At one point the poor man is just over the Secret Service detail. He’s tired of them following him around so he fires them. It takes less than five minutes for him to start to see all that they’ve been doing for...
Read more

My Father Saw That

She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me, “for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” Genesis 16:13 There’s a movie from several years ago that I absolutely love! It’s called “The American President.” The premise is that the president, who is a widower, has begun to date. He’s dating a lovely woman while running for reelection. His opponent is awful. He knows he doesn’t have much of a chance against the popular incumbent so he tries to make a mountain out of the molehill of the standing president’s romance. At one point there is a news clip that shows the woman in a protest during her college days. After the clip plays the opponent refers to the president’s lady friend as “the president’s whore.” She groans and says to the president “My father saw that!” She is devastated, not because what is being said is true but because her father, who she loves and respects, saw the clip and heard those words spoken about her. I thought of ...
Read more

Not Really god, where are you?

Then they called on the name of Baal from morning to noon.”Baal answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made. At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said, “Surely he is a god! Perhaps his is deep in thought, or busy or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” 1 Kings 18:26b-27 Those who know me would be quick to tell you that I am a bit sarcastic. It’s a quality that I have passed on to my children and even some of my grandchildren. Some days I feel a little guilty. Is that really a quality that God wants to see in me? Certainly that cannot be my go to attitude but there are times that it comes in quite nicely. This morning, reading a totally unrelated verse, I was reminded of this account in the first book of Kings. (It begins at verse 16 and continues to the end of the chapter. I highly recommend reading it if you haven’t and it if you have reread it. It’s great!) In this p...
Read more