Our Daily Bread

Highlight of my time here in South America so far: This past week. Why? Well, in the past five days I was able to experience...

Iguazu Falls, a candidate for one of the seven natural wonders of the world

Holding a python

The black market in Paraguay

An Indian village

A colony of thousands of butterflies

Being in two countries at once, Argentina and Brazil

Standing in the mist of a huge waterfall

Rainbows

Hundreds of colorful birds and flowers

Almost having my lunch stolen by a cuati, the South American version of a racoon

Holding a macaw

White water rafting in the Parana River

A South American dance show

The best papaya I've ever had

And, best of all, fall more in love with God for his beautiful Creation through it all!

My trip to Iguazu Falls was unforgettable. One that particularly struck me was our visit to the Guarani Indian village, a tribe of Indians in Paraguay and Argentina today. Our tour guide explained to us that the Guarani live their lives thinking about the present time. They only prepare food for that day and there is not an emphasis on storing up material wealth. No one in this tribe is saving up for their retirement fund or planning dinner for next week.

This “living one day at a time” mentality allows them to enjoy their lives and have less stress or worry. As an American, I am so focused on the future that I often miss out on the wonderful experiences happening in front of me. As I write this, for example, I am stressing over my long weekend to-do list or dreaming about Christmas with my family in December or wondering what I will do after I graduate from ACU. Since I was young, I have been taught to look ahead, save my money, get a good education, and the like, all for my future. This future-oriented mindset is not always bad, but it does detract from “the now.”

As Christians, we are called to live in peace about the future. In the Lord’s Prayer, we pray “Give us this day our DAILY bread.” I believe that the Lord’s Prayer includes the word “daily” for a reason. We are not instructed to pray for food for tomorrow or the next day; we are told to ask for food for TODAY alone. By doing this, we are living in the moment and trusting that God will provide for our futures. We are given the freedom to live day by day without worry. The Guarani taught me a biblical lesson without even realizing it. In fact, most Guarani are repulsed by Christianity after being abused and taken over by Jesuit missionaries in the 1600's. The Mision is an excellent American movie on this sad crisis if you're interested. I was humbled by the fact that I learned this Christian principle from the Guarani, a tribe that does not practice Christianity. I hope to put this value into practice in my life by enjoying today and trusting in God for tomorrow.