A man fell over a cliff and, as he tumbled down, managed to grab on to a bush growing from the side of the rock. Terrified, he hung in space, his life flashing before him. In desperation, he shouted toward heaven, ?Is there anyone up there?? To his astonished delight, a voice floated down: ?I am the Lord God, and I am here.? ?What should I do?? called the man. The voice replied, ?Let go of the branch and, with my protection, you will float harmlessly down to the beach below.? The man glanced under his feet to the jagged rocks at the foot of the cliff, hundreds of feet below. He gulped, and looked back toward heaven.
?Is there anyone else up there??
It?s easy to trust God when there isn?t too much at stake. When putting your faith in Him involves parting with your money or trusting Him with your future, however, it becomes increasingly difficult. Why is that? Essentially, it happens because of a lack of trust. Even though Jesus promised that those who sacrifice for His sake in this life (Mark 10:29-30) will be rewarded in Heaven, we struggle to believe His words. Instant gratification, on the other hand, requires no trust and delivers a lesser (but immediate) reward. It seems like a safer option.
In today?s First Reading, we learn of a widow who used all of her flour and oil to bake bread for the prophet Elijah. Even though it could have caused the woman and her son to starve, she obeyed the command of the prophet. Why? Because she trusted that God would provide, as promised by Elijah. Her trust was rewarded and their supply of oil and flour did not run out. Similarly, in today?s Gospel, a poor widow gave all that she had because of her trust in God?s providence.
According to the dictionary, trust is defined as ?assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something; one in which confidence is placed?. Every day we have the opportunity to trust God with our finances, relationships and future. Today we learned of two widows who trusted that the Lord was good for His word. There may have been fear involved, but they trusted anyway. Their faith was rewarded. God is asking you to trust Him in some way today.
Are you willing to imitate the widows or would you rather play it safe?
