Sustained

Please don't get used to two posts in close proximity to one another. I just so happened to have two moments in the same day to reflect...

At about 3pm this afternoon a funny exchange happened between my dear husband and I. Being the failure I am at meal planning (which I hope to reform) I called to ask the all important question "What would you like for dinner?"

He simply replied, "Vegetables." And we both chuckled.

I mumbled something back about how great it is to eat what we have and my, aren't we self-sustaining. And we chuckled some more.

Now you might not think this is funny but you might not know that Joel is an avid broccoli eater, an occasional green bean or carrot eater and beyond that does not "prefer" most vegetables. But, in our quest to be "self-sustaining" he has agreed to eat any and all vegetables put before him that were birthed in our garden...and boy, are there vegetables. We attempted a gardening method from the book Solar Gardening: Growing Vegetables Year-Round the American Intensive Way and have 400 square feet of garden with apparently little-to-no walking space. Yes, vegetables coming out our ears.

All of that though is just background for a myriad of thoughts that raced through my head (and heart) after we hung up the phone. We do what can by researching things like wood-burning stoves and solar cookers, while trying to grow and preserve as much as we can but in reality, being more "self-sustaining" really just brings me to my knees in the awareness of how God-sustained we are... the trends of urban sustainability and buying local should humble us in awareness that without the God of the harvest, who speaks forth the rain and sun, we could not "sustain" anything for long.

Jehovah Jireh, you sustain us.

But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:30-33

So yes dear, tomorrow we'll have eggplant again for the glory of God.