Have you ever had one of those moments where your kid says something that stops you in your tracks? Wait, maybe I should clarify. Not the moment where your kid drops the F bomb at church or discloses your embarrassing bathroom habits loudly in the grocery store. Those moments will stop you in your tracks, turn you around on your heels, and having you packing your things to move across the country. The moments I'm referring to today are the ones where your child says something that is so shrouded in innocence and simplicity that it stops you in your tracks. The moments that if life was a sitcom, the entire scene would stop and you'd only hear the thoughts of the main character. The moments that make so much sense in the mind of a human but no sense in the mind of humanity as a whole. Tonight we had one of those moments. They're often called "teachable moments" because come on mom and dad, this is your chance to teach them something valuable! But most times, the lines between who is the student and who is the teacher become unbelievably blurry.
We were sitting at dinner, chatting about the highlights of our respective days, and she began asking a string of random questions, no doubt in an effort to avoid eating. Amidst the chatter and chewing, she asked a question I almost missed. "Mom, why does God give some people more and not other people? Does He not have enough?" Super existential for a 4 year old trying to avoid eating sweet potatoes. But if we're being honest, haven't we all wrestled with this question to a certain extent at some point in our lives? Why do they have more than us? Why do we have more than them? Why was I born in the family and country I was born into and not one plagued with poverty and oppression? What about the starving kids in Africa, the orphans in China, the young girls sold into slavery in India? Does God not have enough for them?
Before I dive deep into my thoughts on this, let's wade in a little with a story. The analogy is borrowed but the story is mine. For those that don't know me well, you might be surprised to know that I'm pretty handy. I don't mean handy like I can operate a screwdriver and change the batteries in the smoke detector. I mean handy like I can hang drywall, change lighting fixtures, lay tile, and use an angle grinder to trim down my granite countertops in order to single-handedly convert my electric range to gas. (Suddenly I have the attention of any men that may have stumbled upon my blog.) The reason I'm so handy is because my dad is handy. I remember growing up he was always doing some project around the house and I used to enjoy just watching him work and being in his presence. I'd often ask to help and usually he would find some random job to give me to make me feel like I was a part of the project. Even if it was insignificant, like handing him the tile spacers when he was tiling the basement bar, it made me feel important, like I was a significant part of the work he was doing. Of course, as a grown-up I understand that my dad didn't really need my help. But he was gracious in letting me feel like he did because including me in his projects was a way for us to get to know each other. The tile, the drywall, the paint all was seemingly insignificant in comparison to the time we simply spent in each other's space, getting to know each other in a personal way. My father did not need my help...he simply wanted to be in relationship with his daughter. The last time he was here for a visit, I found myself pulling him in on some of my own projects. His help and guidance were extremely valuable to me but of the utmost significance was the time we had together, working together on a shared project, co-missioning on the completion of a shared goal, and simply fellowshipping with each other. The daughter simply wanted to be with her daddy.
Before you think I'm skirting around answering the original question my own daughter posed, consider this for a moment...could God equally distribute everything to all people around the globe? Of course He could. He created everything great and small that exists in this world, from the 600+ different types of beetles to the infinite expanse of galaxies in the known and unknown universe. It would be nothing to make a few geographical or economical changes to make sure everything was fair. But what if God is saying "Yes my child I could do it without you, probably more effectively and more efficiently. But then I would miss out on the opportunity to co-labor with you, to get to know you and for you to get to know me in this process." Consider these statements from that frame of mind:
"Tell those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life." (1 Timothy 6:17-19)
"Religion that God our Father considers pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." (James 1:27)
"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for one another. If any one of you has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in you? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." (1 John 3:16-18)
"Dear friends, let us love one another, for loves comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." (1 John 4:7-12)
Do you see the answer? Has God given you the eyes to see and the ears to hear? God blessed Abraham and his descendants to be a blessing. (Genesis 12:1-3) Jesus told His disciples to love their neighbor second only to loving God. (Matthew 22:36-40) He told His disciples to love each other. (John 13:34-35) He told John to take care of and feed His people. (John 21) He told us to live in freedom and use that freedom to serve one another in love. (Galatians 5:13-14) Do you see it?? God has given us a task, not because He needs us, but simply because He wants to co-labor with us! He loves us so much that He wants us to be a part of His great work, the work of letting His people know that He loves them! Much like my dad probably felt on more than one occasion, allowing us to "help" probably makes the project a bit more inefficient than if he were to just do it himself but to what loss? What is lost in inefficiency is more than made up for in fellowship, the understanding of each other's character, and the quality time spent together. God is still today healing the sick, binding up the broken-hearted, rescuing the oppressed, loving the unlovable, seeking after the lost, and restoring the hope of the hopeless...and in His infinite love He is allowing us to be a very small part of it. And oh the joy and affirmation that small part brings to us! Have you ever had an opportunity to be the hands and feet of God, to do good for someone else? For Dad to say "hand me the Philips head screwdriver" and feel the delight and approval when you do it right and know that your contribution mattered?
Time had stopped and somewhere in the Spirit I prayed quicker than my thoughts could process that God would show me how to answer my daughter. I looked her in the eyes and said "Baby girl, God does have enough. He's given it to us so that we get to share it." A little smile spread across her innocent face and she said "I like to share." I said "I like to share too baby."
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