The pandemic has changed a lot of our goals, careers, and ministries. We start asking ourselves, “What next”? In addition, for me now considered a senior citizen and having limitations that have come with aging, I asked myself what kind of ministry can I have? I enjoy the Discovery Channel program Homestead Rescue. It follows the Raney family helping people save their homesteads. Most of the families have no money but their house, barn, stable, security, etc. need to be rebuilt. The Raney’s philosophy is to use what’s available. The owners are always surprised by the materials they already possessed, even some items they considered junk, which the Raney’s used for the renovation. Remembering this lesson from life, I looked at what I had, and the Holy Spirit showed me how to utilize it to minister for Him in new ways. Regardless of what has caused your circumstances—pandemic, illness, tragedy—what do you have available?
It is easy to get bogged down in what you no longer have and overlook what we do have. Dr. Russell Conwell delivered one message no fewer than 6,000 times in cities throughout the world. While on a trip down the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, his guide had shared the true story about Ali Hafed. He was a wealthy farmer, content with his life until a priest told him about diamonds and how much they were worth. That night Hafed went to bed a poor man because he became discontent, fearing that he was actually poor. He sold his farm, left his family, and searched for diamonds across Europe and Asia. But he never found even one; he lost all his wealth and lived in poverty wearing rags. Dejected, broken, and defeated, he committed suicide.
Dr. Conwell continued his message and told of the man who purchased Hafed’s farm. One day he led his camel to drink from a stream in his garden. He noticed a flash of light from a black stone in the water and picked it up—it was a diamond. He began sifting through the garden sand and found another and another of the precious gems. Beneath Hafed’s former farm lay what became the Golconda mine, which was the most valuable diamond mine in the history of the ancient world. What Hafed went searching for around the world had lain under his feet in his own backyard. Dr. Conwell entitled his message and book, ‘Acres of Diamonds’. Christians can search their entire life for opportunities and success and never see the diamonds God has given them.
The story of the Prodigal son provides a Biblical example of this truth. He like Hafed failed to see that everything he desired was in his father’s house. He demanded his share of the estate so he could go his own way and search. He journeyed to a distant country but squandered all he had. Desperate, he took a job feeding pigs but was dying of hunger. This young son finally came to his senses and remembered the diamonds in his father’s house. He got up, went home, and discovered everything he had been searching for had been available his entire life.
What we have may appear to us as too little or too few—spiritual gifts, talents, resources, opportunities, etc. The key is allowing God to have control and guide us. Scripture is filled with examples of God’s using the small things people possess. The first story that always comes to my mind is the feeding of the five thousand. When Jesus instructed the disciples to provide food for them, they responded all that was available was five loaves and two fishes from a small boy. Jesus said give it to me. From this Jesus fed everyone with leftovers. A woman came to Elisha sharing that her husband had died, and the creditor came to take her two children to be his slaves. Elisha asked her, “Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil” (2 Kgs 4:2). All she saw was a small jar of oil. Elisha saw her diamonds. He instructed her to borrow all the vessels she could from her neighbors and then pour her jar into them. Her one jar filled all the jars she had borrowed. Elisha then told her, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons can live on the rest” (v7).
When examining the resources you have, beware of the ‘if-only’ trap—if only I could find another job in my career field, if only I hadn’t failed, if only I had health like I did as a youth, or if only my marriage wasn’t failing. How many marriages end in divorce because one spouse doesn’t have a certain trait the other wants, but fails to see the diamonds their mate has? If only I could be more spiritual. Note Peter’s promise, By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life (2 Pe1:3 NLT).
Sustaining Word for the Week: What next? Begin where you are not where you used to be. Start by seeing the diamonds you’ve overlooked.