What if she ordered food, opened the cash box, took out twenty dollars, and when the delivery man arrived, paid for her meal with her employer’s money? This seems like a shocking move from someone hired to clean the premises. But, who are you when you’re hungry?
Her employer began the conversation with, “Help me understand what happened that day?”
She held fast to her stance that she had “simply borrowed the money” because she left her wallet at home and she was hungry. That’s it. “No big deal.” “There’s nothing hard to understand.” And yet, “How do you borrow without asking?” No one gave her permission to access the cash box. It’s not like taking a sweater from your sister’s side of the closet.
“Two things I ask of you; don’t deny them to me before I die: Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor wealth; feed me with the food I need. Otherwise, I might have too much and deny you, saying, “Who is the Lord?” or I might have nothing and steal, profaning the name of my God.” Proverbs 30:7-9 CSB
Who Are You When You’re Hungry?
How we deal with hunger determines the course of our lives. Hunger left unchecked will cost more than we can afford to lose. Unquenchable longings dictate our thought process and reveal our integrity. Too much or too little could cause us to rationalize deceitful behavior. And in the aftermath of our sin we coax our conscience into believing we’ve done nothing wrong.
Lord, during this season of Lent, feed us with the food we need. Help us in times of hunger not to profane Your name. If we are hungry for excessive profits give us the wisdom not to cut corners. When we hunger for attention give us the strength not to compromise our integrity. If we get hungry for approval Lord, help us hold fast to our values. Help us during this time of sacrifice and soul-searching, to understand who we are when we’re hungry. And may we hunger for more and more of You.
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