Gathering Leftovers

We give to our church and to others, but sometimes we find ourselves wondering if the promises of God regarding giving and receiving are indeed true. Not that we expect it when we give (though I have heard some people do, but that’s a topic for another day.) But when times get tight, sometimes we find ourselves questioning God.

I think that’s because we are expecting that God is going to give us something in one lump sum. And you know, sometimes He does that. But oftentimes, God gives us things a little at a time. And if we don’t stop to notice, then we miss it.

Take the miracles of the loaves and fishes. Both times, the disciples were told to gather the leftovers. And I believe that applies to us. While we might sometimes get a special, unexpected, large sum of money, I think the real blessing is in the leftovers.

When we live frugally—garden to save on produce, use a coupon to save .50 cents, or even cut our child’s hair to save $10—the money we save by doing these things are the “leftovers” that we can gather; and they can add up! But, if we don’t notice these little extra bits, we will just disregard them, or even add them back to our spending account and freely spend them.

Instead, I would like to challenge you, as I challenge myself, to take notice of the leftovers. Gather them and, if possible, put them in a special place–a piggy bank, envelope, etc–and at the end of a given time period of your choice, go count and see how much there is, and thank God for leftovers.