Manna

Limited Edition Reproduction, 13" x 16"

Exodus 16:1-7

After the exodus from over 400 years of captivity, the Israelites wondered where their next meal was coming from. They were wandering through the desert  on a long trek to the promised land, and they were complaining about being rescued from the Egyptians only to die in the desert. God rained down food which the Israelites called manna, which means “what is it?” It only comes in one flavor so there was a lot of complaining about that, too.

I constantly ask God to help me see the manna in my own life and to be manna in someone else’s life. Allow me to define manna as any grace that happens in our lives that is completely off our radar screen, whether given or received. This can be in very small things like the person ahead of you paying for your order at a McDonald’s drive-thru. Or ‘manna’ can be profound like a courtroom scene during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. A South African woman not only forgave the officer who killed her family but also asked the judge to have this officer visit her twice a month in the ghetto so she could be a mother to him.

What is it that compels an individual to extend grace to me when I don’t deserve it or to articulate a small kindness to me that illuminates my whole week? May God help us see and receive that mystery in our own lives and find ways to be that surprise for others. It is the only food really worth eating.