It was Thursday of last week and I was sitting in my hospital bed. I was so annoyed, I didn't know what to do. It was not that I was upset about being in the hospital. I had already come to terms with what my situation was and accepted it. No, I was angry because I was looking at some unsalted green beans on my plate. This was the second day in a row that I was going to have to deal with some bland tasteless veggies. And I was upset about it. Earlier in the week I noticed that the vegetables never had any seasoning on them. I tried to make due by pushing them around in whatever sauce I could salvage off of the main entree. But on Wednesday and Thursday there was nothing to push the vegetables in. So I was annoyed. Luckily for me, the young lady that brought my tray to me was still in the room serving my roommate. I decided that I'd had enough. As she was walking toward the door, I summoned her back to my bedside. In a polite (but firm) voice, I asked her if it would be possible to have some salt for my vegetables. She looked me square in the eye and said, "Sir, you are on the reagular diet. Your salt is in the package there on your tray". I looked down where she was pointing. There was a small package that held a straw and a napkin. I don't use straws so I had never examined it before. I picked it up and flipped it over. On the other side of the napkin were three little packets. One was sugar. One was pepper. And the final one was... wait for it. Salt! Needless to say, I felt foolish. But I only had myself to blame. You see, I had never asked for salt before. I could have been enjoying the salty goodness of my vegetables all week long and I did not because I had simply failed to ask someone.
There is a biblical lesson that I learned from that moment. In James 4:2 it states, You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You do not have, because you do not ask God (niv). I had sat in my bed, day after day, and silently complained to myself because I had no salt. Up until that final moment, I had not thought to ask anyone for help. I also never actually looked for any salt on my tray. I just assumed that what I wanted was not available. Matthew 7:7-8 states, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened". How many times do we Christians walk around upset over things we don't have only to discover later that the very thing that we wanted was available for us? Even worse, it was right there within our grasp the entire time. But we neither asked for it or looked for it. I could have enjoyed my food even more if I had asked for some salt earlier in the week. It is a lesson that I pray will stay with me from now on. As we go through our days, let us remember to always ask, seek, and knock. Ask God to guide our lives, seek His face, and knock on the door of humility. I use humility because sometimes my pride will not allow me to ask or seek. This lesson was a blessing to me. I hope that you will find it to be a blessing as well.
Peace and Love,
Rev. Mike
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