Simple Provisions

I always hear the phrase, “Don’t worry; He will provide.” But no one ever takes the time to explain what that means.

Mostly it feels as if God’s provision is more of a watchful eye than a guiding hand. But every once in a while, when I really need it, He comes down and squeezes really hard! J

It’s never big grandiose displays of power, but rather seemingly insignificant events placed in my life as a source of quiet encouragement and subtle care.

I’ve had lots of these encounters recently, probably because I need the reminders now more than ever. But my favorite are when they come in the form of auto driversJ

…

Some days I wake up and love life. Other times I dread even stepping out my door as I dramatically spiral into a well of self-pity. This was one the latter mornings. It took about 15 minutes to find a free auto. I even scowled at our poor gate guard on the way out. I forgot my notebook at home. And to top it off, I realized I only had a 500 Rupee note.

For those of you who are unaware, the exchange rate is about 50 Rupees to the dollar. This leaves the 500 Rupee note right around $10. The other helpful contextual piece of information is that one auto ride is exactly 7 Rupees. This results in an endless struggle for small change. If you see a one rupee coin, then you’ve struck gold; not because of its monetary value, but its convenient appeal, which is often more compelling. Trying to get cab drivers, rickshaw pullers, chawallas, etc to accept anything but exact change is one of the biggest headaches of living in South Asia.

So you can imagine my panic when I looked into my wallet and saw nothing but 500Rs. Tears started to roll in. I knew it was a matter of minutes before I would roll my eyes at the man shoving me from my seat, shout at the taxi driver who would hit us from behind, or throw my hands up in the air and reluctantly buy tick-tacks at a near by stand.

It was then that God stepped in, patted me on the back and lovingly told me to calm down. This divine gesture came in the form of a massive Prabaker-like smile. My auto driver looked into my wrinkled face and shrugged as if he knew everything. He then proceeded to reach over, grab my 500Rs, and count out change in 10 Rupee notes, handing me 49 bills!

It may not seem like a big deal to you, but that is the point. It was God’s simple provision. He knew my vision was starting to fade into a blurry grey, and so He simply reoriented my sight, restoring my faith in human goodness. I believe our greatest gift is being able to see God’s beauty in the crap of human failure.  And I believe God’s provision is when He defends and protects our right to see it.