A Baloney Sandwich

"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be pare takers of the divine nature." 2 Peter 1:4a

I have been wondering lately where I need to go? What is my purpose, what do I do? I have prayed and lifted it to God "Show me your way oh Lord."

So, today I was at the center and I was going through my training manual when I stumbled upon this in the front of my notebook. It is a story written by Bob Benson called, "A Baloney Sandwich"

Bob starts talking about being invited to a church picnic where everyone brings their own food. The church provides the drinks. He would procrastinate and get home to fine one wrinkled baloney slice, two crusty pieces of bread and a little dab of mustard left.

He makes his sandwich places it in a brown paper bag and heads to the picnic, when he gets there he ends up sitting with the family who made all of this food. Fried chicken, potato salad, baked beans, homemade buns and two chocolate cream pies. As he sits there looking at his crusty baloney sandwich, he hears the women say "why don't we just put it all together?"

"No, I could not do that," He replies.

Where she returns with an instanced "nonsense" and puts all the food together before he could protest further. After grace they all started munch in down on the abundance set before them. Even the crusty old sandwich.

I know what you are thinking right at this moment, why would Tanya blog about a crusty old baloney sandwich? Here is why, after the story Bod shares an epiphany:

"One day, it dawned on me that God had been saying that sort of thing to me. "Why don't you take what you have and what you are, and I will take what I have and what I am, and we'll share it together." I began to see that when I put what I had and was and am and hope to be with what He is, I had stumbled upon the bargain of a lifetime."

I get to thinking sometimes, thinking of me sharing with God. When I think of how little I bring, and how much He brings and invites me to share, I know that I should be shouting to the house tops, but I am so filled with awe and wonder that I can hardly speak. I know I don't have enough love or faith or grace or mercy or wisdom, but He does. He has all of those things abundance and He says, "Let's just put it all together."

Thank you Bob, I started thinking about my life. Am I being stingy with what God gave me, am I not giving to God to share. I believe I am holding on to dear life and I am not giving to God. Then if this story did not just hit me between the eyes, Bob goes on further with a challenge.

When I think about it like that, it really amuses me to see somebody running along through life hanging on to their dumb bag with that stale baloney sandwich in it saying, "God's not going to get my sandwich! No, sire, that is mine!" Did you ever see somebody like that-so needy- just about half starved to death yet hanging on for dear life. It's not that God needs your sandwich, the fact is , you need His chicken. You have been invited to something better, you know. You have been invited to share in the very being of God.

Awesome Bob, God is good and He is just waiting for me to figure it out. Okay God, you get my sandwich, cause that chicken does look good. How's your sandwich, would you rather have the chicken?

Love always, Tanya