"Daily Bread"

by Scott Zambelli 

In addition to being an artist, I am a World Vision sponsors.  We sponsor a young girl living in El Salvador who shares the same birthday as my daughter.  It has been a rewarding experience and I highly recommend it to others.  One of the items I receive as a sponsor is a quarterly magazine from World Vision.  This magazine keeps us informed about the activities of World Vision, as well as giving us first-hand accounts of how people and societies are being helped around the world. 

It was in one of these magazines…the Spring 2008 issue…that I was captivated by the cover photo and accompanying story.

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The photo is of a young boy in Zimbabwe, eating some small morsels of bread from a plate.  The story spoke about the living conditions faced by many in Zimbabwe and what they endure on a regular basis.  It is very heart moving and I recommend you reading it.
Over a period of a few weeks, I kept returning to the cover photo.  I could tell that God was speaking something into my heart through this boy.  I wasn’t sure what it was, but I knew it would be revealed when the time was right.  I would look at the photo, pray about the message of the photo, go about my business, and then repeat the process.

As I was going through the process, I tried to figure out what was being said.  I would ask God.

“Was it about world hunger?” and the answer I would feel was, “Yes…and no.”

“Was this about feeding the poor?” and the answer was the same, “Yes…and no.”

In exasperation I would shake my head and ask, “God…why can’t you just give me the answer?”

“I am giving you the answer.”  God continued, “It is because you are trying to make my answer fit your preconceived and limited view of what the answer should be.  That is why my answer sounds confusing.”

Once I realized this, I decided to revisit the picture once again.  This time, I tried to clear out my ideas and allow the message to flow through me, (kind of like how Yoda tells Luke to allow the Force to flow through him), and this time saw something different when I looked at the photo.

What I realized is that I was not looking at a person hungry for food and eating bread.  Instead, I was looking at each and every person – hungry for God…needing nourishment from the Bread of Life.  I was no longer looking at a picture of a hungry boy.  No.  I was looking at a picture of true communion.

The world we live in is a physical world and each of us has the same physical needs.  It doesn’t matter how rich or how poor you are.  Each of us has to breathe oxygen, drink water, eat food, and dispose of all of the associated wastes that come from these needs.  These are all things we must do ourselves and can never buy our way out of them or pay someone else to do them for us. 

This holds true for our spiritual needs as well and fortunately for us, God does provide them.  Like the physical world we live in, our daily spiritual needs have a price.  Unfortunately, these spiritual necessities have an enormous price tag that none of us can afford.  In fact, even the combined wealth of the whole human race cannot purchase a single day’s worth of rations. 

So what do we do?

Most people decide to be angry at God, turn their backs on Him, and try very hard to not believe in Him.  They’ll say, “That’s not fair.”, “I’m a good person, what did I do to deserve this?” or “If God is a loving God, why would he let us starve when He has what we need?”

In their anger, they decide to rely on worldly addictions to try and forget their spiritually emanciated state.  They surround themselves with friends, sex, drugs, money, cars, and any other material possessions they can find to try and fill the emptiness inside them.

Sure…they feel good for a little while.  But it always wears off.  The emptiness never goes away.  So they move on to the next worldly “flavor of the week” to start their denial again.

Fortunately for us, there is something that fills the emptiness once and for all.

Unfortunately, it is those very things that none of us can afford.

Well a lot of good that does us!  Now I can’t turn to worldly possession to numb myself to my condition, and God is preventing me from the very things I need to survive.

Thanks! (By the way, that's a sarcastic "thanks".)

While you may be feeling a little less than thankful at this point, what you may not realize is that you are now approaching the very core of Christianity.  It is when you come to this point of understanding that you are almost ready to begin your journey.  All you need are a few more points of understanding.

What are those final few points of understand...and how will it help you to obtain something that you cannot purchase?

The answer is simple, God gives it to you.

While the answer to this is simple, the process of asking is not.  You see, in order for you to ask...to truly ask..you need to go through a process of understanding and come to the realization that God sent the one and only person who could ever…and will ever…be capable of making payment for your needs and salvation.  That person is his son, Jesus Christ.  It is through this simple, yet difficult, acceptance that you realize that God does love you and has not abandoned you.

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Jesus came to us and paid the price for us through his sacrifice on the cross so that we may have both our daily…as well as eternal…needs met.

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Since he purchased them, they are in his possession.  All we need to do is be humble enough to acknowledge this and ask for our handout.

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If you’re not sure how to do it, watch a homeless person ask for a handout…for their humbleness is an example for you before God.  Give them something to make it through the day and see their appreciation…for their appreciation will be yours before God.

Finally, take these things to heart when you take your next communion.  For you are eating of something that no human can purchase or worldly possession can replace.  It is a gift, given to you by the one who purchased it through the literal blood, sweat, and tears of his sacrifice...it is your “Daily Bread”.

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To purchase items featuring this artwork, just click on any of the pictures on this page to visit the eStore.  Remember, 50% of the Net Proceeds of this art will be donated to World Vision.  If you would like to learn more about World Vision, you can visit their website at www.WorldVision.org.

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Original photo taken by Jon Warren and is the property of World Vision.