I came home from my trip to discover about 8 large zucchini on the kitchen counter. There were another 8 in the garden needing to be picked. Oh there were other vegetables as well but nothing is more prolific than zucchini. Well, maybe dandelions! I still have zucchini in the freezer from last year. I believe some of my zucchini will be added to that stash. There will be zucchini bread and whatever else I can make. I'll bbq some of it, fry some of it, maybe add to some salads and soup. But what am I to do with this great blessing? There is a tradition amongst zucchini growers that bears repeating. These fine folks take some to their neighbors and relatives during times when they are gone or asleep and leave them on the doorsteps! Some are so brazen to do so when these unsuspecting people hear someone at the door they know the zucchini has arrives. At this the victim hides and pretends to not be home or just opens the door and gets it over with. Ah, zucchini! How exactly does this become a blessing or curse for the Christian? Looking at our Christian lives the same as we look at zucchini begs us to examine the blessings we have and what we do with those blessings.
Jesus and his disciples were sitting around watching the temple folk come and go bringing their offerings. Those who brought tithes put in little to lots as you would imagine people do today. Finally, one old widow brought her coin and put it in the treasury. It was all she had. Those who had come before her has brought out of their excess much like the zucchini story. She brought ALL she had and needed. She emptied herself to God whereas the others merely gave from their excess. Christians have the excess mentality. They either give or don't give by their own volition and are not concerned about proclaiming Jesus through all areas of their lives. Those who have put in all and emptied themselves of all they have end up having the greatest blessing...Jesus! The widow gave all and had God's blessing. The story doesn't say anything more. We know from the Word that the widow had the blessings of God bestowed upon her so much that she couldn't contain that blessing. Looking at our lives we need to wonder just what it is we've surrendered to God or if we are even surrendered at all.
Every now and then I take stuff I have in excess to some charity drop site and tell myself that I'm doing something good. My closet is full yet. I take my zucchini and share it with others as well as other vegetables I have in excess. The eggs my chickens lay are parlayed to neighbors, friends and others. Notice two issues for me. First, the word "I" appears in each sentence. The truth is that the stuff, zucchini and other vegetables and eggs all belong to God and it's his desire to use them to bless others as well as to nurture me. If I am surrendered to God it's no longer I who live but Christ who lives within me. The giving is out of a gracious heart that knows Jesus and has determined to pick up the cross and follow Jesus. There's nothing that can separate us from the love of God except the love of self. The love of self stems from our desire to be the god of our world instead of God being the God of all. Our choices of what to do with zucchini and other blessings either reflect God or me. It's always your choice.
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