Provision

PRO-VI-SION [pruh-vizh-uh n]

noun :

1. a clause in a legal instrument, a law, etc., providing for a particular matter; stipulation; proviso.

2. the providing or supplying of something, especially of food or other necessities.

3. arrangement or preparation beforehand, as for the doing of something, the meeting of needs, the supplying of means, etc.

4. something provided; a measure or other means for meeting a need.

5. a supply or stock of something provided.

(thanks to dictionary.com for the exact definition of provision)

I've been throwing this word around lately, using it more frequently than I do my toothbrush.  (and defnitely more than I use floss, just ask my dentist!)  Seriously though, the meaning of this word has really begun to come alive for me.  I find myself thanking God at every turn for His bounty; His provision astounds me!

Christmas is an easy time of year to think on how God has given to us.  We remember that we are waiting for Christ to come, again.  Meaning, He already has come!  What an amazing provision, bountiful even.  God did away with the need for sacrifice by allowing Christ to come to Earth.  As I write this, I am shaking my head at the thought of it.  Crazy, ludicrous, and wonderfully true. 

This Christmas we had another, very tangible, reminder of how we have been provided for.  Jason spent the hours between our family gift exchange and our Christmas supper carving a freezer-full of deer meat.  This means less money spent on meat each month, less meat going into our bodies that was  killed, processed, and packaged at an unknown local.  Less of those things means more money to save for bringing home our child, more ethical eating, and more long-term health. 

 I have been privileged to witness God's provision in others' lives as well.  My dear friend Callie has met the man of her dreams and will be married in just a few short days (3 to be exact).  I have seen how God has worked out the story of their love and can't help but feel like definition number 3 (see above) is so true.  It was written long ago, worked out by God himself beforehand, and now is coming to fruition. 

And again, in our own lives, the giving of others towards the adoption of our child...provision.  I just can't seem to stop saying it enough!  Maybe it is the realization that I play a passive role in provision.  I am the acceptor, the trustee, if you will, of all these great gifts.  I try to be proactive, alligning myself with God so that I might be watching, waiting, and doing as He prompts.  But, that's it!  I can no more make people want to be a part of this adoption than I can to go and withdraw the money from the bank.  Ain't gonna happen...without (you guessed it) provision!

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father..."  James 1:17

Oh how I long to continue a posture of thanksgiving, coupled with humble reception, of these great gifts.