Five Potatoes, Four Onions and a Piece of Bacon.

Proverbs 15: ¹⁷ Better a small serving of vegetables with love than a fattened calf with hatred.

I love when Solomon paints a picture with his words. The comparison between the things of the earth, that are free and require minimum preparation, compared to a stalled oxen being fattened over time is, simply, compelling.  For me, Solomon’s pictures draw me in and demand scrutiny beyond the obvious.

Some versions use the word HERB rather than vegetable, implying that this meal is one that is gathered from the forest, a meal for the poor.  A meal that is meager and not indulgent.  The flavoring over this meal is love. When I was engaged, I got a spice jar that was empty, on its cover the word was “LOVE”, and the directions were to sprinkle it liberally over each meal. When Love is the spice at the table, there is an ease about the meal.  When Love is the guest of honor, the focus is not on self, but on others.  Love leaves the last portion for the other.  Love listens and honors around the table. Love settles in and enjoys the conversation.

Love doesn’t focus what is on the plate, but on the company through the meal.. We are promised that our God will provide.  We aren’t promised that He will provide Filet Mignon!  The sparrow has to fly through wind and rain and drink from puddles, yet each need is provided and the little Sparrow is sustained.   We are sustained by our God. 

Each year I go to Romania with Elder Orphan care (Elderorphancare.com – an organization that works with at risk elderly around the world).  There are a number of houses that provide for elderly that would, otherwise, live on the streets. Viorel Pasca is the man behind the elderly, that fights for them and provides through his own sacrifice. He has a George Muller approach to his ministry.  He prays, God provides. God’s provision came one day through a group of school children that came through one of the houses. A small Roma child, the poorest of the poor in Europe, offered all he had. With dirty hands, he offered five potatoes, four onions and a piece of bacon. Viorel was struck by the most generous offer of this small child.  It wasn’t a feast.  It was meager, but the spice that flowed through, and around it, was Love.  The love of a small, obedient child and his family, with Father God in the background smiling at His children and the feast that was presented.    The blessings might look like “just” a gathered bunch of fresh onions and potatoes, with a piece of bacon thrown in for flavor, and not the choice cuts of abundance. Let’s not miss the small things as insignificant. Sometimes the biggest blessings are wrapped in the smallest packages. 

What do your daily blessings look like? When we slow down and find the "choice cuts" of God's manna, we find beauty in the mundane .