Beggars can't be Choosers
You know, I've always heard the phrase "beggars can't be choosers".....most often as a child when I wanted something my parents only begrudgingly wanted to buy me. I would usually get the off-brand of that item and if I tried to put up a fuss about it not being the name brand, I would be scolded with the reminder about beggars' options.
The phrase means even more to me now. I am working a job I really don't enjoy. I am living in the arctic tundra of Minneapolis in winter, which I really don't enjoy. Each day I ride to work on public transportation, which I REALLY don't enjoy. I have recently spent much time wallowing in self-pity that this is my life, that this blustery, snow-covered city with its endless traffic jams and crowded grocery stores is my home. I have cried out to God, begging Him to explain why our other opportunities ended in disappointment and that THIS is where He sent us instead.
But, just a few short months ago I was begging God to give me a job, any job. Our finances were getting to the point of peril and we were unsure how we would even survive if a job wasn't found soon. Now that I have a job, I have the audacity to complain that it isn't good enough? I am humbled to realize just what a spoiled rotten little brat I must seem in God's eyes. I am His child and He must really want to scold me with "beggars can't be choosers". Instead, He has placed me in an office with people who are kind, who have helped me feel welcome and who have helped me learn how to survive here. I am receiving a paycheck that is ever-so-slightly more than adequate to meet my needs -- far more than I ought to receive in the position for which I was hired. I have a husband who loves me, a church that is beginning to feel like home, a safe place to live, food on my plate each night, a warm and comfy spot to lay my head each night, and most importantly, a Savior to forgive my trespasses....and I dare to complain about God's provision? Well, lesson learned. Beggars indeed can't be choosers and I am glad I have a Lord who is sovereign to choose for me, even when I don't understand the choices.
The phrase means even more to me now. I am working a job I really don't enjoy. I am living in the arctic tundra of Minneapolis in winter, which I really don't enjoy. Each day I ride to work on public transportation, which I REALLY don't enjoy. I have recently spent much time wallowing in self-pity that this is my life, that this blustery, snow-covered city with its endless traffic jams and crowded grocery stores is my home. I have cried out to God, begging Him to explain why our other opportunities ended in disappointment and that THIS is where He sent us instead.
But, just a few short months ago I was begging God to give me a job, any job. Our finances were getting to the point of peril and we were unsure how we would even survive if a job wasn't found soon. Now that I have a job, I have the audacity to complain that it isn't good enough? I am humbled to realize just what a spoiled rotten little brat I must seem in God's eyes. I am His child and He must really want to scold me with "beggars can't be choosers". Instead, He has placed me in an office with people who are kind, who have helped me feel welcome and who have helped me learn how to survive here. I am receiving a paycheck that is ever-so-slightly more than adequate to meet my needs -- far more than I ought to receive in the position for which I was hired. I have a husband who loves me, a church that is beginning to feel like home, a safe place to live, food on my plate each night, a warm and comfy spot to lay my head each night, and most importantly, a Savior to forgive my trespasses....and I dare to complain about God's provision? Well, lesson learned. Beggars indeed can't be choosers and I am glad I have a Lord who is sovereign to choose for me, even when I don't understand the choices.
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