Thursday, October 29, 2009

In a recession but not of it

Have you heard the below quote before when a distinction is being made between eternal individuality at-one with God and the everyday experience of humans?



“We may be in the world, but we are not of it.”


I can’t put my mental finger on where it originated, but I think the same idea is applicable to the economic recession. We may be surrounded by beliefs of an economic decline, but we are not of it.


Elijah, in the Old Testament, foresaw a severe drought coming to his region. The Lord told Elijah to go to Zarephath and there he’d find a widow woman who would take care of him during the drought.

When Elijah arrived, the woman was destitute, with no money, and only a handful of meal left. She was preparing a last meal for herself and son to eat, and then figured the two would die from starvation. Elijah told her to prepare a meal, and that she would not run out of meal or oil to feed her family.


As it turned out, he was right.


God’s promise that the widow woman would care for Elijah was fulfilled. The home had plenty of food throughout the entire drought.


After I studied this story last week, I remembered the above quote and realized that Elijah and the widow's family were in a drought time, but not of it. They didn’t let their thinking fall to the level of want and fear. Elijah knew supply came from God, and he demonstrated it.


We can do the same. God loves us just as much as the widow woman.


Economic reports may forecast doom and gloom all around us, but we do not have to be of it, participate in it, or be adversely impacted by it. Our supply comes from God, just like the meal and oil came from divine Love for the widow woman’s household.


It seems miraculous to material sense how Spirit can supply human needs, but it does. Spirit is the fountain and source of all sustenance for God’s family of man.

“Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need.” Mary Baker Eddy


3 comments:

Susan said...

Thanks Evan. There was a much touted episode of "Frontline" on this week. It seemed to chronicle the trials of the rich as they cut back or are damaged by the recession. There seems to be a certain snarkiness and class warfare going on, which definitely needs healing. To think that God sent the recession as some kind of punishment is just as wrong as thinking that God sent disease. To get a grim satisfaction out of another's trials is wrong as well. Thanks for the uplifting thoughts- there is a way out of this!

Anonymous said...

I think it goes back to Jesus' saying:

John 17: 11-16

11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world,....because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

Evan said...

Yep, yep, those are the verses! Thanks for giving them to us.

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