I have been doing these inspirational offerings so long now
that I am not surprised from where ideas come.
If something spiritual has to be biblical, then probably the Bible is
going to be the primary or only source.
If something spiritual has to be Christian, then doctrine will factor
into the picture. I am sure some of my
inspirational pieces are biblical, since I quote the Christian Bible. And I am positive some of them are
Christian. But I also know that I do not
limit myself to these two categories.
The way I see it, the entire world is God’s source of
spirituality and spiritual inspiration.
Nature might be a source of inspiration.
Who has not enjoyed the beauty of a sunset and been stunned by the
beauty of this awesome sight? Sometimes
it is the majesty of a mountain that inspires.
I have been inspired by lush cornfields and by the barrenness of a
desert. God has offered us plenty of
possibilities.
Various things I read afford multiple opportunities to see
something spiritual in the ordinary. I actually
think that is the key to seeing spiritual.
Maybe you and I are the real issue.
Perhaps the question is whether you and I can learn to “see
spiritually,” rather than whether there is something objectively “out there”
which is spiritual to see? I think this
may be the case.
The latest source of some spiritual wisdom was a story I
read in CNN news online. I am sure it
probably was part of a syndicated series, so it likely appeared in many
newspapers and electronic news sources.
I am not surprised to find spiritual, inspirational things online in the
various news sources. There are
countless good, human-interest stories in that context. What was surprising to me, however, was the
focus of the story.
The focus was gambling!
Actually, it was the lottery. I
did not begin reading that article suspecting an idea would pop out that begged
me to reflect and write about some interesting spiritual tidbit. The headline was certainly meant to draw in
the reader. “Costly Courtesy in
Powerball Line.” Certainly nothing
ostensibly spiritual in that line---with possible exception of the idea of
“courtesy.” The story focused not on the
winner of the $371 million dollar winner of a recent lottery. Instead the focus was on a loser!
The winner was an 84-year-old Florida woman, Gloria
MacKenzie. I had to laugh. Some folks might think it is unfair for a
woman that old to win that much money! I
can hear people now saying, “She’s so old, she can’t spend it all!” That might be true, but does it matter?
The story’s real focus was on a 34-year-old loser, Mindy
Crandell. Mindy is a wife and
mother. She went to a Publix supermarket
in Zephyrhills, FL to buy a ticket. Or
perhaps, she just went shop for groceries and decided, “why not, I’m going to
buy a lottery ticket.” So she stood in
line for the machine to dispense a ticket.
However, at some point Mindy stepped aside so that 84 year old, Gloria,
could step up and get her ticket. The
rest is history. Gloria won; Mindy is a
loser!
An interesting twist came when we are told Mindy was asked by the clerk if she wanted to jump ahead of Gloria in the line? Gloria is quoted to say: "While in line at Publix, another lottery player was kind enough to let me go ahead of them in line to purchase the winning quick-pick ticket." Apparently Mindy was ok with where she was and, as a result, is a loser.
The
article picks up the old saying, “everything happens for a reason.” Most people I know think this is true. I am not sure, but let’s assume everything
happens for a reason. So what possibly
could be the reason for Mindy to have been in place to win, only to give $371
million up to an old lady?
It
seems Mindy’s 10 year old daughter had the insight. Ten-year old Mallory said, “Sometimes it’s
better to be patient than rich.” Now
that’s a spiritual comment, if I ever heard one. Out of the mouths of babes and adolescents
come the spiritual nuggets. I like
Mallory’s insight. Being rich would be
ok; perhaps it would be great. Most
people think it would be.
But
being rich probably never is a trigger to being spiritual. Rich people can be spiritual; but being rich
never makes one spiritual. Patience, on
the other hand, is a virtue. It usually
is spiritual. Dealing with God normally
requires patience. And certainly God has
to be patient when dealing with us! I do
agree that sometimes it’s better to be patient than rich. In fact, that may always be true.
I’m
actually glad I am not rich. I think to
win $371 million would completely mess up my life. And I am sure it would torpedo any sense of
spirituality I might have. But
patience? If I can learn patience and
learn to be patient, then I can learn to wait for God’s desire for my life to
become clear. Patience is the spiritual
antidote to our culture’s frenzy and superficiality. Sometimes it is better to be patient than
rich. Thanks Mallory.
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