This verse is often quoted, but it is also often pointed out that God meets our needs, not our wants. For example, a baby or toddler may want to eat sweets (candy), cookies or chocolate all the time, whereas the parent knows that the baby or toddler needs more fruit, vegetables and other nutritious food, with only a little bit of chocolate.
I guess that for a long time that's kinda how I viewed God. I wanted chocolate and he gave me spinach, or brussel sprouts, because it was 'good for me'. It gave me a screwy view that perhaps, for example, although I want more money so things aren't so tight all the time, God instead felt I needed to always struggle because it was somehow good for me. But just lately, I've realised that this screwed up view is wrong on at least two counts.
First of all I had a real epiphany about my husband:
Growing up as a victim of abuse and in a very difficult home situation, I was pretty screwed up and lacking in any sort of discipline or self control. As a result I was always very drawn to men with very strong personalities. There were a couple in particular that were on the scene for some years. They were (seemingly) confident, cocky and very authoritative. They were also very driven and have grown into men who are at work a lot. This also has the added benefit of making them a bit more affluent than us, but they're not about much and their wives have to deal with the kids and take second place to their careers. For years I was convinced that they were just the sort of people I should be with.
My husband on the other hand, although seemingly confident and cheeky, often doesn't know what to do in tricky and challenging situations. And although being incredibly clever and practical in so very many ways, he doesn't score well academically, and therefore some of the higher paid jobs escape him (having said this I have come to realise that his skill set is actually incredibly more useful in life and grossly under-valued when compared to many of the white collar numpties I know!). As for being authoritative - well, when he really needs to be he can be, but generally, no; he's very laid back.
I have really felt God reveal to me though that my lovely, under valued and awesome husband, may not have been all that I thought I wanted when we married, but as it turns out he has been exactly what I have needed.
If I had married an Alpha male I would probably have always come second to whatever task or job he was fulfilling and would have always felt under valued. I would not have been given the room to heal that my dear husband has allowed me, and I certainly would not have had the four awesome kids I've got. My husband has been such a practical hands-on amazing Dad, especially when I've been useless due to illness or depression over the years, that I could not have done it without him. I would have been a gibbering mess. He is a 'much-better-than-an-Alpha-type-(and-who-decided-Alpha-type-was-the-best-anyway?)' type man.
In this instance would I compare my husband to receiving cabbage when I longed for chocolate? Absolutely not! And that's the great thing about God - He always knows what we need, even if we think we need something different.
The other thing I've realised is that, when having our needs met, I always thought it meant getting just enough to get you out of the hole you're in and no more. Not a drop. However, when you look at the verse properly, it says that God meets our needs according to His riches. God owns the cattle on a thousand hillsides according to scripture - it's all His. So when He meets our needs He is not stingy - not one bit!
Do I feel short-changed with my husband? Have I got just enough but no more? Ask me on a PMS day when I'm grumpy, and I'll probably growl something sarcastic at you. But on a normal day, like today, I can tell you that God has exceeded all my expectations with my husband. I had to wait for him, for many single years when everyone else around me got married and I felt really alone (and I think that's an important key - there's often a waiting between the asking and the need being met). But He was absolutely, categorically, worth the wait. He's a smasher, and no mistake.
So to sum up. I was a cup of milk. I thought I needed another cup of milk to be with - someone like me. Instead I got something totally different - I got Oreo cookies. Oreo cookies and milk are absolutely not alike. But when they are put together it is magical : )
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| Mmmm, yummy .... |
So the moral of the story is: sometimes when we want chocolate, we get cabbage. But mostly when we want something we get something absolutely awesome, something that really serves us well for the long haul, and if we're really lucky and put some effort in, we get something that transforms our lives.
And honestly, as a post-script, just lately with all the stresses we've had, having someone who didn't know what to do was helpful (apart from when he helped me calm down from one episode, then he was authoritative and it was brilliant). For once I actually admitted I didn't know what to do either and we both lent on God instead of each other or ourselves. And for once, instead of stress breaking us apart, the situation has drawn us closer together. It's been like a miracle. A smallish one that could easily be overlooked type of miracle, but after previous stressful times it is a miracle none-the-less.
May we all be able to recognise that although what we receive may not be what we're expecting, when unwrapped it will bless us in ways we could never have imagined. Be blessed : )
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