Sustenance

 “Rabbi, eat something.” But Jesus said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples said to one another, “Surely no one has brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work.”   John 4: 31-34

The last thing this volunteer is thinking about is where his next meal is coming from or why he isn’t home watching the latest episode of Dancing with the Stars. His food, his sustenance, is the pure contentment we find when we follow the way of Jesus: helping others, doing unto others what we would have them do unto us.

We all know the feeling: the satisfaction, the warm in your belly contentment that comes from doing the right thing. Whether it is teaching English as a second language or picking up litter, we know the feeling that comes from altruism. Whether it is serving hot lunches at Trinity Soup Kitchen or reaching out to a lonely senior, the Kingdom of God is found in those exchanges.  

When we murmur and moan (as the Israelites did while wandering in the desert), it is a sign to us that we need a fresh infusion of the Kingdom of God. We find it not in complaining, but when we get out of ourselves and connect with others.  Our sustenance comes from service; joy and happiness come from jumping into the Kingdom of God wherever we encounter it.

Seek ye first the Kingdom – and JUMP!