Whenever my extended family gathered, the children were fed first.
We had to remain in the children's space until we were summoned to eat... then the feasting began!
We were not pampered by any means, but we were valued as children by a family who loved each one of us. And they loved to feed us!
The Syrophoenician woman in Mark's gospel apparently did not get the memo that the children were fed first!
She came to Jesus boldly... she had a purpose, a need: her daughter had an unclean spirit and she needed Jesus to drive out the demon. She wanted her daughter to be whole and healed, and she recognized the One who could heal.
This woman's journey to healing was not easy. Some of us would have abandoned the mission. Our pride would have kicked in and resulted in us walking away... humiliated, offended, ready to tell everyone who would listen that Jesus was not worthy of our time.
It's so easy to give up on God when we don't get our way; when we don't understand our suffering; when we expect a resolution to a problem that does not come quickly enough.
The woman begged Jesus for healing and His nonchalant response to her plea was,
"Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs." (Mark 7:27)
God bless her! She didn't flinch, she didn't take offense. She was resolute. Her love for her daughter kept her focused on her mission. She would willingly suffer humiliation. She had faith that Jesus was the answer to her problem and she was willing to accept even the scraps from the table. What humility!
Are we willing to surrender, to let go of ego and trust that God will supply our need? We want the whole meal, we want to grab all we can; we feel entitled to the big blessings and forget that often even the little scraps from God's hand will suffice. Yet, He is lavish in His giving because He loves His children.
Do you understand your worth as a dearly-loved child in the family of God? Your Good Shepherd has already set the table for you.
Jesus knows what we need! He is our healer and provider; He is the Bread of Life! May we approach Him in humility and trust Him for all our needs, big and small. He wants to feed His children.
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