Jogged memories

Mary McCombe Orr

We humans are a forgetful lot, and mighty dull.

When Jesus warned His disciples of the leaven of the Pharisees, they misunderstood, thinking He was referring to material food. They began to worry over the fact that they had forgotten their lunches. Actually, they had forgotten something much more important than bread. They had forgotten the power that provided total satisfaction of their hunger, and the liberality that resulted in 19 baskets full of leftovers.

How the Saviour grieved over their slowness of heart!

My husband and I, as missionaries, once found ourselves without money during a brief holiday God had provided at a seaside resort. Sitting on the beach, I went over the facts: There were enough "fragments" in the cupboard for a substantial soup for supper, but no bread nor anything else for breakfast. Concern was turning into worry, for I, too, have a short memory. Suddenly our three-year-old drew his chubby hand from the sandy hole he was digging and cried, "Mommy! Daddy! Money!" In his fingers was an aluminum coin--the exact price of a loaf of bread. That evening, at a rather odd hour, the mailman brought our delayed quarterly cheque. My husband would cash it the next day, but our Heavenly Father, in His loving forethought, had provided for two little children that would awaken hungry hours before the bank would open.

Recently my heart has been prodded again with Jesus' questions: "Haven't you seen? Haven't you heard? Don't you remember?"

Yes, I remember. I remember another lean day when we were down to a meal's worth of dry corn meal. A fellow missionary from the nearest city arrived unexpectedly, bringing a surprise supplement to the previous, unusually low allowance.

But it was suppertime. Our friend would be staying over--and the stores were already closed.

"Lord," I cried, "do I serve plain corn meal to company?"

Reluctantly I prepared to cook the mush and serve it with neither milk nor savoury gravy. Just then the gate rattled. There was one of the believers on her big, grey horse. With a broad smile, she handed down a huge sack of fresh corn on the cob, a chipa guassu (made from tender corn, grated and deliciously seasoned) still fresh from her brick oven and, to top it off, a large glass jar of honey on the comb--dessert. We feasted! Moreover, "fragments" from this gift of love would last for days, and there was money in our pocket for the needs of weeks to come. God had given enough and much more.

Now, in retirement, I thank God and our government for the Old Age Pension that meets our basic needs. But sometimes the shadow of an "extra" need appears around the corner, and I am tempted to worry. Then it is time to listen again to my Lord's review questions: "Haven't you seen? Don't you remember?"

"Yes, Lord," I answer. "I remember that You never failed. Many times Your supply came at the very last moment. Sometimes it was exact, proving Your perfect knowledge of our circumstances. More often it was `pressed down, shaken together and running over' (Luke 6:38). Forgive my lapses, Lord!"

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