Deciding Which Manna to Take: Endless Options And the Weary Mom
There’s always more. There will always be more opportunities and options than you have the time and capacity for. And just because some have to be left behind does not necessarily mean any one thing (pursuit, task, action) is better than the ones left behind. There will always be more. And it is possible that it is all good. Think about the Israelites collecting manna.
Does that make sense to you, or does it just make your head spin?
These are the words I felt the Lord impress upon my heart earlier this week. I was in the midst of a particularly emotional storm of overwhelm.
As I poured out my complaints to the Lord. Begging (as I have done countless times over the past decade), “Lord, just show me exactly what You want me to do, exactly what path you’d have me take, and I’ll go after it!” At that point the Lord brought to my mind the story of the Israelites collecting manna.
A Lot of Manna Left Behind
Many of us are familiar with the account in Exodus 16 when the Lord sent manna (bread) from heaven each morning to feed the Israelites as they wondered in the wilderness. Each morning they were to take only the amount they needed for that day. On the sixth day of the week they could collect double (so they would not have to collect on the Sabbath), but all the other days they had to leave huge portions just lying there.
That would kill me! Good manna. Just lying there on the ground to be burned up by the noonday sun. What a waste!!!!! I can’t even put a half-eaten hog dog in the trash until it has at least spent a week in a sandwich baggie in the back of my fridge ensuring it has had every opportunity to be fully used up.
Some of the people did try to take more than they needed for the day, but the extra would be rancid and full of maggots the next morning. So not worth it!
When Everything Looks Good
Now, this is not an “edit your life” observation. I’m not going down the road of, “Examine your list and how you spend your time. Determine what is essential. What is moving you in the direction of your deepest dreams and loftiest goals. Then say no to the rest.” There is a time and a place for that, and I believe it to be a very valuable life evaluating process. (Two of my favorite reads along these lines are Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
What I’m talking about is when everything looks to have potential. When there are so many good options you simply can’t decide what to pursue.
I have several areas in which I know the Lord has given me interest and at least some level of ability, and yet here I am in my mid-thirties and I have yet to reach my potential in any of them. It is like I am staring at a field of manna, frozen in place, not knowing which portion to gather…On that hill? In that valley? Under that tree?
The fact is every single bit of the manna was good. God did not say, “Choose the best and leave the rest.” But He did make it clear that if they took more than they could finish it would make them sick. (Remember the maggots?)
It’s All Good
Ever been to the latest “must go to” restaurant, stared at the menu, even gone so far as to ask that pointless question…What’s good here? And received the obvious answer, Everything! Big help.
I’m sure if you were standing next to Moses in the desert on that first morning the manna came down and asked him, “Which is the best portion?” He would inevitably say, “It’s all good!”
You think I have trouble deciding what to do with my day? You should see the anxiety I wrestle with when I have a menu in my hands! I am infamous for asking the waitress what she recommends (mostly as a stalling tactic) and then choosing something completely different.
There’s Always More
There was nothing wrong with the manna left behind. It was all good. But just because it was all good did not mean they were supposed to take it all. They were to only take what they could consume for one day. The issue at the heart of the matter was trust. Will we trust Him to take care of us and fulfill us tomorrow if we only choose a select portion among the plethora of options?
God has given us many great options and opportunities. So much we can do! But that does not mean we’re supposed to do it all. There will be seasons (like the sixth day) when God will allow us, and enable us, to take more than at other times. And it will be wholesome and good. But the fact remains, there’s always more.
God spreads out His many great opportunities for our lives and says, “Here. Take what you want. Just don’t bite off more than you can chew. And then trust me with what comes next.”
Yes, this means once we choose a path some options will be left unexplored. If you choose to be a stay at home mom and raise up missionaries for the public school system, or if you choose to go back to school and become a nurse, you will likely never be an Olympic volleyball player. Sorry! We can’t do it all.
Just Pick One Already!
If an object is being pulled equally in all directions what happens? Nothing! It will stay right where it is. If we move closer to one goal we will move farther from the others. That does not make the others any less “good.”
I still remember something my mom told me 15 years ago. “There’s not always just one right thing, just one answer that is God’s will for you. Sometimes He is just saying, ‘Pick one, and honor me while you do it.”’
Like with the manna. Sometimes it is all good, and God is happy for us to simply choose the portion we find most appealing provided we obey and honor Him as we go.
Wonder how far along I’d be in any one area if I’d just picked one 10 years ago and worked towards it, leaving the rest of the manna in God’s capable hands?
Nothing to Gather
Perhaps you find yourself in a season where you feel you have no options. You have little opportunity. And having choices sounds like a blessed struggle. I have a word for you too.
Be satisfied in your season. Perhaps the Lord has you in a place where He wants you to enjoy a Sabbath for your soul. Or maybe your house is full of littles and poopy diapers and spit up covered laundry consume your days. Been there!
We read in verse 26 and 28 that, even though God said there would be no gathering on the Sabbath, some went out looking for more even when there was no more to take.
Maybe where you are and what you have is all He wants you to take right now. I challenge you to find joy in whatever your hands find to do. (Colossians 3:23 and Ecclesiastes 5:18)
Resources for the Numb of Mind
If you have trouble with decision fatigue like I do you have got to check out The Next Right Thing podcast by Emily P Freeman.
You may also get value from my series on Finding God’s Will.
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