Famine

Famine, Abundance.

Famine Abundance.

Isn’t that the way life works?

We are given, blessed, lavished, provided for, bestowed upon, loaded with, covered over,

A heaping mass of plenty, extravagant generous bounty,

And we forget.

We forget the spectacular plush, heaving net of fish, regardless of the soreness in our back in consequence of hauling it over the hull. 

We choose to dwell on the dull ache in the pit of our stomach and the pile of fish carcasses to our left. That wreaking stench-filled mound appears more ghastly and real than any hypothetical bounty of blessings that once was, or is, promised to come. And this pang in my stomach is enough to send me to the grave. 

The present famine is sufficient. It is enough to fill the stomach of our minds with doubt, hatred, and reckless despair in spite of the prior abundance. It exists as ample reason for me to believe that provision will never grace these skinny hands again and these chapped lips will be doomed to lick the dust off the ground. This famine, my present despair, robs abundance of the grace she brings with her timely arrival and succinct visit.

“That selfish wretch,” famine screams, belly hollow and ribs protruding. “Look what she did to me!” The gaunt pale figure writhes on the floor, cradling its nonexistent middle. Cheekbones like bird beaks pecking at the stale apathetic air. As if abundance robbed the creature of hunger and thirst and replaced it with anguish, hatred and a ready finger to blame. 

Famine knows not that Abundance shares DNA identical: from the very womb of provision birthed give and take alike. Yet the suffering of one often obliterates the joy of the other, when joy has the ability to reign supernaturally over all strife.

We forget.

We forget the joy of abundance and are consequently robbed the abundant joy in our suffering.

 “It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.” Genesis 41:28-32