Needy

 

On my day planner I have a standard entry entitled “general house”. This stands for making my bed, picking up and putting away assorted items left lying around, managing any laundry, cleaning the kitchen, making sure the floors aren’t littered with debris and dog hair and collecting garbage.

This morning while performing these mundane tasks I was grumbling – “Why does no one else pick up?”; “How does the floor get this dirty?”; “You’d think with all the cooking others do they could wash a dish!”; “What happened to all the towels?!”; That’s the problem with mundane tasks – your mind can think on other things while you do them. On a positive note, my three adult sons, who still live here, all make their beds – that’s success, right? I must have got that message across. I’m a firm believer in making the bed – I heard it said once if your bed is made your room is 80% clean and you have accomplished something early in the day to set the tone for the rest of it. This is a similar thought to ‘being clothed and in your right mind’ which on some days is the most we can do.

I did spend a bit of time being thankful and praying for my housemates – but mostly I grumbled.

Another item associated with a daily planner is a ‘word of the year’ – something to guide your focus to help you accomplish your goals. It is more general than a New Year’s Resolution, but is supposed to help you remember how you want to live in the new year. Some examples would be focus, change, positivity, mindfulness, bloom and balance among others – you get the idea. I’ll refrain from voicing my thoughts on the above words. I’m afraid I find them a little too nebulous. I’m probably not very mindful.

I chose needy.

Now I don’t particularly like the word needy. I was called needy once and I’m pretty sure it was an insult. I did take offense – mostly because I am a strong and independent woman – stand aside!

But as I was thinking on the upcoming year, I came across this verse:

You who seek God, let your heart revive, for the Lord hears the needy (Psalm 69:32b-33a).

I don’t know about you, but I want to be heard.

Now Psalm 69 may not be the psalm most turn to when looking for a word of the year. It is a psalm written by David when he is surrounded by enemies, hated and anticipating being killed. He’s desperate for God, calls for help and defense from his enemies. Several of the verses are applied to Jesus in His suffering. Despite all this, around verse 30 David wraps up the psalm praising God and declaring his trust in Him.

Now the word needy is pretty straightforward. It means poor, oppressed, wretched – not exactly something for which one strives. You don’t see people walking around asserting their neediness – at least not in so many words. But we’re needy all the same.

David in the psalm addresses the one who seeks God. He tells them to revive – literally live – because the Lord hears the needy. He does not hear the proud, self-assured, confident, rich – but the needy. The one who knows they are not enough, don’t have all the answers, cannot make it on their own.

Remember what Jesus said, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3)?

Poor in spirit – needy – David tells us to have hope because God hears those people. They are not alone. Jesus says those people are happy – they get the kingdom of heaven. That’s quite the gift.

There’s something to be said for knowing who you are – knowing your need.

Every false religion – even those within the realm of “Christianity” are based on works – doing, saying or being the “right” kind of person. Only in true Christianity is the focus on who God is and what He’s done.

For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31).

God does it all – He created – He redeems – He sustains – He rules.

So my word of the year is needy – I want to remember who I am and who He is.