“He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.”
Amazing Grace by John Newton, Verse 4, Line 3,4
When I was a young, my mother would cook a chicken for dinner and we each had our assigned portion, our assigned piece. Mine was the thigh. The men got the meatier pieces. I always left the table hungry. In verse 4 of John Newton’s famous hymn, he shares that grace has been like a shield protecting him from evil and being a barrier between him and evil but also grace has been his “portion.” I hear that as grace having satisfied him and made him content at the table of life.
My portion, my fair share, does not mean that I get everything there is to be got with no problems but it does imply fairness and satisfaction. I do not have the nicest nor biggest house but I do live in a situation that brings me joy. It is mine. As I walk the journey of my husband’s terminal disease, I reflect back over our marriage and remember the highs and the lows, lots of good times and lots of struggle as our relationship matured. I see that the path of my life that I believe God led me down was “my portion” and was marked with God’s grace. It is also true that some of the defeats and failures in my life that closed doors and became turning points for me were moments of grace, releasing me from immature decisions. To follow our analogy, I was stopped from over indulging and walking away sick from the table of life. Grace has helped me control my portions as I learn to walk with God.
Today might be a good time to do a quick life review, pondering your contentment with your “portion” in life. Release the failures and offenses as learning experiences and thank God for the grace of the blessings. How would you rate your contentment level with your “portion” today on a scale from 1 to 10 with 10 being high? Let’s try to place the hungers and wants in his hands and let God be our portion!
On the Way to Wonder 