“Full life, the kind we all keep trying to unearth, is found right here, in the ebb and flow.”- Meredith McDaniel
“And he rained down on them manna to eat and gave t hem the grain of heaven. Man ate of the bread of angels; he sent them food in abundance. . . . And they ate and were well filled.”- Psalm 78:24-25 (ESV)
In the Foreword to In Want + Plenty, Meredith McDaniel’s first book, Emily P. Freeman (The Next Right Thing) observes that God wired us to want to know what happens next. Hence, our Creator built story into our bones, brains, and DNA. So, we keep turning the page, watching the next episode, and leaning in closer . . . and then what happened?
Furthermore, Emily writes, stories shape us and may also heal us. However, Emily cautions:
“But [stories] can’t do either if we aren’t willing to hear them or tell them. Our unwillingness (or inability) to face the stories our lives are telling will not keep those stories from speaking. It will simply keep us from having a say in the way they play out.”
Consequently, Meredith points back to biblical accounts of ways God rescued His people. Above all, though, Meredith points within. She invites us into the story of how God rescues us now. And reminds us of His provision of everyday manna. Yet, God’s provision doesn’t always explain itself. Sometimes His manna invites us to lean in closer – to ask for an explanation.
Finally, as Meredith begins the Prologue to In Want + Plenty: Waking Up to God’s Provision in a Land of Longing, she describes the concept of Narrative Therapy. Because, over the past fifteen years, Meredith has witnessed its healing power. Narrative Therapy involves:
“Taking the time to look back, name where we are currently, and look ahead not only helps us reclaim our identity and true self, but also provides us space to shift and move as life happens, so we can ride the wave with it.”
Today’s question: How do you find God’s manna in the ebb and flow of life? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Blame ourselves for our predicament”
