Don't be in a hurry to 'crave' the day

Here is something that came to me early in the morning last week — a simple, but profound teaching.

The Bible makes clear how in a relationship with Jesus that He sends the Holy Spirit, who has meaningful names such as guide, comforter, counselor, and advocate. This is Jesus' way of being with us, so that we are not alone with all life's huge challenges.

I was lying in bed thinking about that Latin phrase, “carpe diem.” It translates “seize, or pluck, the day.” I see that as a good thing — making the most of the day, appreciating it. But what the Holy Spirit dropped in my mind on the heels of carpe diem was, “do not crave the day.”

At the time I was expecting to leave to be with our son's family, while his wife was very seriously ill in the hospital — for the second time in only weeks. There was some question as to when I should arrive. If it was this day, then that meant missing activities the following day that I was eager to attend — and to my discredit, I was having trouble letting this go. I was absolutely choosing the right thing — being with them in their need. So why was I even in a debate? Because I wanted to get in “my” day, and then go to them.

With the words, “Do not crave the day,” came a story I remembered — and I looked it up in the Old Testament book of Numbers 11. There the wandering Israelites wanted more than manna to eat — some became greedy for meat; they regretted that God had led them out of slavery in Egypt saying, “We remember the fish … the cucumbers … the melons and the leeks … the onions and the garlic, and now there is nothing to look at except this manna.”

Manna appeared on the ground every morning — a substance like coriander, or cilantro seed, but gummy, that could be ground and boiled and made into cakes which tasted as though they had been baked with oil. The doubters and complainers got what they wanted — a wind brought quail — but for their greediness many died. The Hebrew name for that place means, “graves of craving.”

This was a huge jolt for me. One by one I pried loose “my” plans for “my” day until my heart was in that place called “I-give-it-up.” These events would happen without me — and be enjoyed by others who attended whether I was there or not. Being with my family, doing what I could to lighten their load, was something that could not happen without me.

As it turned out, there was some improvement with our daughter-in-law so that I was not needed until after the day that I had “craved.” I was there for the morning, and afternoon, and evening gatherings I had hoped to attend. But I went with a clear heart — knowing my motive was not an all-day “selfie” shot.

There is so much greed and craving on many levels to deal with in life. It's a powerful opponent I don't always recognize — even when it looms like a giant across my path. To not recognize it means I let it win. This time I heard the warning, “do not crave," and laid that bad boy down.