This always reminds me of
a fairy-tale fable where the poor farmer shares his last meal with a
stranger who turns out to be a prince who then rewards the farmer for his
generosity. I suppose this story is just as surprising in that the widow is a
foreigner who owes no allegiance to the Jewish prophet Elijah. She has accepted
the grim reality that awaits her and her son and is convinced they both will
die of starvation. But in Elijah's "do not be afraid..." she hears
something to convince her that giving away the little she has will not simply
hasten the inevitable. While we are not facing starvation we do experience
times of spiritual, emotional or physical famine and resigned to our fate give
up any hope that help will come in time. A loss of employment, or health, or
relationships or struggling with more bills at the end of the month than income
at the beginning we find ourselves in need of the same words, "Do not be
afraid..." I'm not suggesting there is a magic pot that won't run out of
whatever it is we need but there is a place where courage and strength to
overcome can be found, a place where the cup is never empty and the plate is
always full and it is never too late to hope in the promise of God. When we
come to the table of grace, the meal of mercy, there is refreshment for weary
and weak souls that are replenished in the sharing.
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