Blessed with Less
Bendecido con Menos
by
Mary Hunt Webb
Posted Tuesday, June 30, 2020
Have you been following our postings? [Photographer: Ingela Skullman. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com].
If you have been following our postings since August 31, 2018, you may have noticed that the central theme has been that of making do with less. Even some of our earlier postings going back to 2011 have fit this theme as well. My husband and I had no way of knowing that the topic of "Blessed with Less" would become as essential as it has in 2020. We consider it to be divinely inspired. So far, we have identified 34 of our previous postings that have addressed this subject. Can you find them among the ones we have already written?
Some are quite obvious, such as the one posted on April 30, 2019 with the title, "Do I Really Need to Buy That?" Others may leap out at you as you scan the titles. If you read through the postings, you may find that certain verses occur again and again. One such verse is Luke 14:28 that says, "For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it?" (NKJV) That one appeared on January 10, 2012 from the NKJV (New King James Version) and again on April 30, 2018 from the NIV (New International Version). Such repetition is intended to demonstrate the different ways in which Bible verses are applicable.
As you cope with the changes that the pandemic has brought, consider the wisdom of recurring verses, such as Ephesians 6:12, which appeared on October 31, 2015 in "God's Address", on June 30, 2016 in "An Invisible Battle" and again on June 30, 2019 in "Etiquette from the Bible". This particular verse — Ephesians 6:12 — reinforces the insight that, "…our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (NIV) Each difficult situation that we experience is one that God uses to strengthen us and prepare us for what lies ahead.
On that note, it is eye-opening to my husband and me that this this is not our first pandemic. It may appear worse because the lines of communication are now more advanced and available to more people than in the past. For example, during the Asian flu of 1957, there were still some people – including our next-door neighbors – that did not possess telephones in their homes. Yet, many people were very ill. That meant that it was difficult to assess how widespread the illness was.
During the Asian flu of 1957, our next-door neighbors were among many that still did not have telephones in their homes. [Photographer: Alexas_Fotos. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com].
I not only had the Asian flu that winter, but I also experienced five relapses of it. I was not hospitalized; I simply remained at home in bed. My absences from school nearly caused me to be required to repeat that grade the following year. Once I returned to elementary school, my teacher allowed me to stay in during recess in order to make up the work I had missed. As a child, missing recess was difficult, but it was better than having to repeat that grade.
In 1968, I was exposed to the Hong Kong flu when a dorm mate came down with it. When she needed to go to the infirmary, I drove her there in my Volkswagen. There was no social distancing then, but I never caught it from her.
When a girl from my university dorm had the Hong Kong flu, her roommate asked me to drive her to the campus infirmary in my Volkswagen that looked very much like the one in the photograph. I was concerned that I might get the flu as a result of being so close to her, but I didn't. [Photographer: Pexels. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com].
Only people that have not experienced previous pandemics are likely to say that those were not as terrible as the current one. What has changed is the ability to track the number of people that have caught the flu as well as with patients that have died from it. Technological advancement in communication has made the difference.
This time of being indoors is an opportunity for reflection on the many blessings God has provided rather than for worrying about the negative impact of the current situation. The admonishment not to worry or be fearful appears in 2 Timothy 1:7, which says, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (KJV). You will find this verse on April 30, 2015, "Always Moving Forward" and again on May 31, 2016, in "Words of Friendship".
Although this feels like a difficult time, please remember the advice of Hebrews 11:1 as recommended on June 30, 2011, in "Golden Moments of Time", and again on October 1, 2011, in "It Wasn't Raining When Noah Built the Ark". That verse reminds us, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (NKJV) Faith is the act of trusting the One you cannot see with the assurance that He will provide what you have yet to receive. Faith isn't faith if you can see that for which you are believing.
Trusting God when circumstances appear bleak is the counsel found in Proverbs 3:5-6, which says, "5) Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6) in all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. (NKJV) This verse appeared on this Webbsite on January 2, 2011 in "Resolve Rather Than Dissolve", on June 30, 2015 in "Rain Brings Smiles", and again on September 27, 2018 in "Changes Are Ahead".
When I wrote "Changes Are Ahead", I could not have anticipated the dramatic changes that we have all experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic, but what I wrote then fits the current situation. Things may look difficult now, but hold onto the wisdom found in the Bible because God is about to turn this situation into something good. I've seen it happen many times before so that I know it will happen again!
BIBLE VERSES USED IN THIS POSTING
Luke 14:28 — "For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it?" (New King James Version).
Lucas 14:28 — Porque ¿quién de vosotros, queriendo edificar una torre, no se sienta primero y calcula los gastos, a ver si tiene lo que necesita para acabarla? (Reina-Valera 1960)
Ephesians 6:12 — For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (New International Version)
Efesios 6:12 — Porque no tenemos lucha contra sangre y carne, sino contra principados, contra potestades, contra los gobernadores de las tinieblas de este siglo, contra huestes espirituales de maldad en las regiones celestes. (Reina-Valera 1960)
2 Timothy 1:7 — For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (King James Version)
2 Timoteo 1:7 — Porque no nos ha dado Dios espíritu de cobardía, sino de poder, de amor y de dominio propio. (Reina-Valera 1960)
Hebrews 11:1 — Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (New King James Version)
Hebreos 11:1 — Es, pues, la fe la certeza de lo que se espera, la convicción de lo que no se ve. (Reina-Valera 1960)
Proverbs 3:5-6 — 5) Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6) in all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. (New King James Version)
Proverbios 3:5-6 — 5) Fíate de Jehová de todo tu corazón, Y no te apoyes en tu propia prudencia. 6) Reconócelo en todos tus caminos, Y él enderezará tus veredas. (Reina-Valera 1960)
Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us to, "5) Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6) in all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths." (NKJV). [Photographer: Manfred Antranias Zimmer. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com].
