it's too late and I'm too tired to be anything but straight-forward. Tomorrow is 'black friday' and yesterday I was reading about the Israelites. And today I was thinking about them.
They were out in the wilderness, following God around- quite literally- they'd stay where he was as long as he was there, and move when he moved, stop when he stopped. They didn't go hungry or starve or anything because he gave them 'manna' to eat every day......
and, well, here's a piece :
" Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, “Oh that we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”
"And say to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat, for you have wept in the hearing of the Lord, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? For it was better for us in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat. You shall not eat just one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, but a whole month, until it comes out at your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before him, saying, “Why did we come out of Egypt?”’” But Moses said, “The people among whom I am number six hundred thousand on foot, and you have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat a whole month!’ Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, and be enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, and be enough for them?” And the Lord said to Moses, “Is the Lord's hand shortened? Now you shall see whether my word will come true for you or not.”
(it's all there in Numbers 11, you should read it)
Basically, they complained a lot, and honestly, it isn't all that surprising when I take a quick look around at others or myself.
Does anyone else find it ironic that the day after a holiday we term 'thanksgiving' (and I know people often leave words devoid of any true meaning after awhile, but really? 'thanksgiving' is a pretty simple concept) is the day when mass amounts of people run around like they have lost their minds, chasing after a few extra pennies and shiny things on shelves? We've given our twenty-four hours of sanctity to being thankful, now we must leave opportunity for our greed to run rampant. It's so easy to criticize the past, but we are just like them. Very few of us know what it means to not have had our basic needs met...... and yet we still join the disillusioned circus, still crave more, still claim we don't have enough, still make excuses to show our love by buying people off rather than actually taking the time to do something meaningful with them.
And I sometimes wonder how it all looks to God, is it like one giant repeat button being pressed over and over again?
how long has stuff superseded real relationships with people?
Forgive me, I'm not eloquent, especially not past midnight when my brain stops functioning and goes into sleep mode, all I can say is that my heart sinks.
I'm not sure who to feel worse for. I think it might be fair to say that america is one of the most impoverished places on earth. If we were full, why would we have the desire to keep stuffing things in this gaping black hole? and we do a pretty good job of stuffing.
If we knew what love was wouldn't we ever realize that our actions affect others?
And wouldn't we care?
And if we really knew what this whole thanksgiving thing was about, would we really be filling our bellies with greed a few hours later?
I dare you to look in their eyes and tell them that your family, your friends, they really do need this new ipod, this new computer, this new shiny toy, those shoes (when their closet is full of them). Look in their eyes and tell them "I'm sorry, but these people, my friends and family, they won't know I love them if I don't get them something, and then I'll feel bad."
I dare you.
Or better yet.
Go tell God.
Tell him why you need all this stuff, tell him why giving to others is so important when celebrating Jesus. Explain to him that you are under obligation to buy and give all these things on this date for these people, even when it costs the tears and sweat and lives of your brothers and sisters. Even when it causes greed to eat away at your soul, to numb the heart that is beating and slowly turn it to cement.
Go tell him.
I dare you.
We have become a sad culture indeed when people's love of others is based on buying large gifts for each other a couple times a year. But it's so much easier than really loving. And it's so much easier than really giving.
And it's so much easier than really looking in their eyes.
And it's so much easier than really dying for them.
We are the ones in chains running back to Egypt.
We are the ones who need to learn what love is to stop this mind-numbing game and shake us all awake.
