Turning right outside Macy's I picked up the diamond ring at Kay's I'd been drooling over, and then I stopped at the Shoebox and grabbed a pair of walking shoes, some sensible flats, and a pair of snappy dress shoes.
Then I snatched up a bag full of body lotions and room fresheners at Bath and Body, and swooped into Cinnabon for a dozen cinnamon rolls to go for breakfast the next morning.
The cost? Nothing.
It happened in my imagination.
And it got me thinking.
What if this was my life? Would a shopping trip like this be exciting if I could do it whenever I want? Or is it exciting because I can't?
I got to thinking about God, and why He often parcels out blessings a little at a time. Think manna from heaven, and how it came each day. The Israelites couldn't stash it in their coolers or dry it for using next week. Some tried, but it didn't work. They really didn't know if the manna would come every morning, though that is exactly what did happen.
I have been struggling through the expense of my daughter's wedding. I have no available savings and bit by bit, almost daily, things have been taken care of, sometimes in ways I could not have imagined. I do not know if it will all be provided for. I trust and hope so, but I have no special claim on God's provision. After all, innocent people are being beheaded, dying of cancer, contracting Ebola and a myriad of other catastrophes befall mankind perpetually.
I also thought about how God, who is timeless, could have gifted us with our life all at once, as He experiences reality, but instead He gave us the gift of life in the day-tight compartments we all sometimes take for granted. Apparently one day at a time is the best way.
After I had glutted my imagination with a dream shopping trip, I had a sudden thought. 'I should get something for my husband.' Not once had I thought of shopping for anyone but myself. Well, I may have shared the cinnamon rolls. And even now it was guilt not pure altruism that brought me to think of him. I'd rather not share this with you, but I suspect I am not totally alone.
His mercies are new every morning. It's a good thing. I'll be needing a fresh supply each day.
