Scraps of Life

I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.  2 Samuel 24:24

As we eat, our dog sits there, giving us his sad eyes, waiting for a morsel to fall from the table. I don’t think his palate is able to discern that we eat the best, giving him only the scraps – I’ve seen what he puts in his mouth. He has a good life for a dog, but only a fool would think we love him as we love ourselves. He gets the leftovers.

Sadly, this is often how we treat God. Though on Sunday, we sing that we love Him above all, the rest of the week, we give God only the scraps of our lives. We wake up, check social media, and go about our day. If we think of it, we may say a quick prayer as we fall asleep, but only a fool would look at our lives and think that we give God our all.

David, in today’s passage, insisted on giving God something of value. In the story, he planned to offer a sacrifice to God but lacked the place to build an altar. When he inquired about a property, the owner tried to give it to him, but David insisted on paying. I will not give something that cost me nothing. My gift must mean something, or it is a scrap.

What do I live for? Do I get up in the morning to follow God? Or, do I point my day at me, following only myself?

In my addiction, I followed me above all, to disaster. In my recovery, I realized that I desperately needed something else to follow. God was – and is – the only adequate solution to the problem of me. Only in following Him, do I find the joy, purpose and meaning for which I was searching.

I don’t do it perfectly, but now, I give God the first of everyday, rising from bed to read, pray and point my life at Him. I will not give God only the scraps of my life.