Our Daily Bread

My friend, Judy, had her first chemo treatment today. In about 10 days, all of her hair will fall out.

I know, I know..."it's just hair."

Yeah.

When my baby was 2 years old, he was diagnosed with cancer. He had a large, malignant tumor growing in his abdomen...on his liver. He had surgery to remove the tumor, and part of his liver. Did you know that the liver is the only organ we have that regenerates itself?

Only God.

When it was time for my baby to start chemo, I thought, "please God...don't let him lose his hair." Clark had long, silky, blond hair. It was beautiful, and framed his blue eyes, and his sweet, little face, perfectly. He had already been through surgery, and had all of these scars across his tummy. Wasn't that enough?

But the chemo went in, and sure enough...about 10 days after his first treatment...his hair started falling out in clumps. Beautiful, long, silky clumps. He would wake up from his nap, and his pillow would be covered in hair. Jim took him to his barber, and got it buzzed short. He thought it would make the inevitable easier...and it did. Sorta.

Clark lost all of his hair...his beautiful, long eye-lashes...his eye-brows.

Yes, it's just hair...but to get to the point where you can say that and mean it? You have to experience the loss of it. You have to get to the point where you are praying, "God spare his life," instead of "God save his hair."

It started me thinking this week about this verse, "Give us this day our daily bread." (Matthew 6:11)

This day. Today. Not enough for today AND tomorrow. Not enough for the week. Not enough so that we can store it up...put it in the freezer...bring it out in 3 months.

THIS. DAY.

Why?

I think it's so we will get to the place where we put ourselves in complete and utter dependence on Him. We have to get to the point where we realize we have nothing, and can do nothing, apart from Him.

Every move we make, every single day, we must rely on Him.

A few weeks ago, our pastor preached from John 15...on Christ being the vine, and us being the branches. We MUST be attached to Him in order to thrive, in order to survive. HE supplies us with what we need. He is our Source of life.

HE gives us our daily bread.

"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing." John 15:5