Challenge: The Needs of Others

He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with this own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.  Gal 4:28 NASB

The American mentality is that we work hard for our own needs and wants and if there is something left over, we’ll pass that on to the needy.  But, this verse suggests another thought entirely.  It suggests that our hard work be to meet the needs of others.

Wait a minute!  What about my needs?  What about the daily provision of my family?  What about this mortgage payment that I didn’t expect to have to pay without rental income?  What about this?  What about that?

I had to stop short when I realized the train of thought.  Essentially, when I stick with this mentality, I am placing Doug and myself in the role of provider for our family.  Now that’s a terrifying thought! 

What would the consequences of a shift in my mentality be?    What if I were to truly trust God to meet all of my needs while submitting all I work for (even considering that I do not contribute to the financial income of our family) to Him for the meeting of others’ needs?  How would life for our family change were we to truly allow God to be our provider.

I don’t know why that is such a scary thought, but I’ll confess that it is.  But now that the thought is in my mind, it is definitely a challenge I have to deal with.  Lord, may I have the wisdom to deal with it as You would intend!