Good morning, my friends, and welcome to this fresh gift of a fresh week….
Thank you so much for all the love and support last week in response to my post about the Boston Marathon. I remain overcome with so much gratitude and awe I received that healing gift from God, and have continued to reflect on it in the days since. My mother-in-law has a phrase she often says when feeling overwhelmed with gratitude, and that is, “my cup is so full I’m drinking from my saucer” — a nod to Psalm 23 and God making our cups “runneth over.” Know that your love and energy filled my cup so much!
And as always, my deepest prayer in this Monday Manna space is for God to fill your cup, nourishing you with some “manna” you need for today as you are blessing and nourishing the world around you. You are a conduit of such grace, friends! Never, never forget it!
Speaking of manna, a friend was asking me last week about the meaning of “manna,” and why I chose this name for my weekly reflections. With some new folks here in light of last weekend’s women’s retreat (welcome!!), I thought it was a perfect time to share once again this story. “Manna” harkens to the Biblical story in Exodus 16 of the Israelites wandering in the wilderness. They are hungry and crabby and fearful — desperate and delirious to the point of wishing they could return to slavery in Egypt where at least they had food to eat.
In response to the assumption God had abandoned them, God meets their worry with the promise to rain down quail and bread from heaven. Each morning, the ground is covered with a dew-like substance. When the Israelites see it, they ask, “manna?” which from Hebrew translates, “what is it?”
The catch with the manna is God tells them it’s only good for one day. The Israelites aren’t ready to trust God on that, so they hoard it, only to discover it is rotten and fly-infested the next day. They have to believe God will do tomorrow and the next day and the next day what God did today.
That when today’s bread is gone, more nourishment will cover the ground like grace tomorrow.
I think it’s why Jesus says in the Lord’s prayer, “give us this day our daily bread…”
It challenges every ounce of our self-sufficient mindset. The Spirit invites us each day into this paradoxical freedom which comes with complete dependence and deep-hearted trust.
Like the Israelites, I think what I want is control. But closed, clutching hands leave no space to receive the miracle of manna.
I got to hear one of my favorite writers, Anne Lamott, last week as she toured about her latest book, Somehow: Thoughts on Love. True to form, she had countless gems of wisdom and hilarious sayings (one of my favorites was her terminology that life can be so “life-y” in its challenges and headaches). But among the many takeaways was her reminder that we need to practice on a daily basis the things which lead to a most meaningful life. “We focus on practicing a sport or an instrument with kids,” she said, “but even more importantly, we need to practice love. We need to practice vulnerability.”
And we need to practice trust and dependence — rather than “making” the good in our lives, we can be receivers and noticers of what’s dropped in our laps. We then take on what actually is our responsibility, and that is to make sure the manna is shared — that from God’s abundance, everyone around us has their daily bread too. Like the line from one of Cole Arthur Riley’s prayers in her book, Black Liturgies…
As we journey through this day, may we look up and be reminded that we have a responsibility to each face we encounter.
I pray you’ll feel nourished today, friends, from the God who loves you and promises to provide tomorrow, too.
And I know you’ll be a channel of that manna today to all you encounter.
A Prayer
A prayer all about God’s promised provision….from my book, Ash and Starlight: Prayers for the Chaos and Grace of Daily Life, Second Edition…
When I claim belief beyond what I see
Sweet Provider,
You course as the ongoing Source,
the life-giving Current,
the Stream flowing beneath me at all times.
You move under every step I take,
nourishing my path (and me) with
what is most valuable and could
never be measured.
I hear your water’s gurgling song,
a melody of continual abundance
from the self-replenishing spring.
You freely give what is always generating.
There is more here than meets my eyes,
and just because I don’t see it now
doesn’t mean it isn’t there.
You never lead me to a place
without what I need.
What can I do but keep walking forward,
humble and reflective,
remembering what you’ve done before?
With joy, I will draw and drink,
readying myself for the
miracles ahead.
Amen.
* Isaiah 12:3-4 * John 7:37-38 * Hebrews 11:1
“Out of the believer’s heart shall
flow rivers of living water.” – John 7:38
Something that nourished me recently…
*Being in the presence of beautiful women….I had the privilege of leading a women’s retreat over the weekend for Northminster Presbyterian Church with the theme of “The Adventure of Life: Rekindling the Gift that Guides Us Through It All.” I talked about how we listen for and live by our Inner Voice, and how to name the desire, that “thing at the bottom of our hearts.” I plan to share more about this in the weeks to come.
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*Flowering trees!!! The crab apples, eastern red buds, magnolias, dogwoods, lilac bushes, honeysuckles, I could go on and on….Caught this pic on a walk by the Ba’hai temple near us…
*Mrs. Potts was in the house! Our third-grader in a lovely rendition of Beauty and the Beast at her elementary school. I found myself so inspired and amazed watching the bravery and confidence of these kids, standing in front of so many people and singing their hearts out.
*And again, of course, Anne Lamott… More to share later from that experience too.
Ash and Starlight, plus other good things…
*SECOND EDITION OF ASH AND STARLIGHT ~ Find the updated edition of my book here at Chalice or at the Amazon link!
*MONDAY MANNA ARCHIVES ~ You can view previous Monday Manna reflections here, or for the really old stuff, go to my website.
Notice the manna in your life today. Know more will come tomorrow. And look around to make sure everyone gets to share in the feast. All my love to you, friends!
Love and Light,
Arianne
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