Years ago, my friends fostered two little girls, two and four. They lavished them with love, clothes, plenty of food, books and toys galore. The girls had everything they could possibly need or want. Yet, they continually stashed food in their pockets, backpacks, under their beds, and in their closets. Their mother had been a drug addict, the father absent. The four-year-old had been “taking care” of her sister by scavenging food from the dumpster outside their apartment.
My friends explained to the girls over and over, “You don’t have to do that anymore. You have a home now with a mommy and a daddy. We’ll take care of you and provide for all your needs.” The girls couldn’t bring themselves to trust. The hunger in them was not just physical; it had gone soul deep.
When those who should care for us don’t or can’t; when our emotional needs are not met; it’s hard to trust God can and will take care of us. We experience an ever-growing hunger for love that we try to fill with relationships, substances, work, food, or other things. But nothing and no one else will satisfy.
But instead of turning to God, we choose to go dumpster diving, hoarding scraps of rotting food, when a feast is available to us. It’s right in front of us. There is hope for a better life.
Are you afraid to let go of the habits you’ve developed, to protect and provide for yourself? The Father invites you to His bountiful table. If you do, you’ll discover you can let go of your secret stash, and breathe easier. Your Father longs to supply for all your needs.
“For you have been my hope, Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth. From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you… As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more” (Ps. 71:5-6, 14).
We can rest in these reassuring words about God in Ryan Ellis’s song, “Gonna Be Alright.”