Today, the scriptures focus our attention on a widow in a small town called Zarephath. She would never have been known to us except for the fact that she was courageous enough to extend hospitality to him. Her husband had died and she was living alone with her son. This would have been a difficult situation, but she was doing what she could - gathering sticks in order to prepare a small meal with the last of her provisions.
What worries were going through her head as she gathered those sticks? Was she worried, scared or resigned to the fact that she had only a handful of flour left in her jar and a little oil left in her jug (1 Kings 17:12)? With all these thoughts rolling around in her head, a stranger arrived on the scene and asked: please, bring me a small cupful of water to drink (1 Kings 17:10). What was he asking? Did he not know that there was a drought, that her water jar was running low? Yet, he went further: Please, bring along a bit of bread (1 Kings 17:11).
The man who was asking questions was a stranger to her, yet the code of conduct of the time demanded that she extend hospitality to him. To do that, she had to really stretch her heart so that she could give away the little that she had. Sometimes we feel the same way - our bodies and souls are thirsty for refreshment and rest, yet at that particular point, someone else calls out to us for help. We need to dig deep in order to find the strength to give out of our own emptiness, yet if we do, we are often rewarded beyond our dreams: we find that there is always enough flour in our jars and enough oil in our jugs.
Have a great day.
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