Elisha and the woman from Shunam -- Part II

The story of the Shunammite woman is a great lesson of how to live out our faith. It's a lesson that I first read about in an autobiography by Phil Vischer, the creator of Veggietales. The book is called "Me, Myself and Bob" and it is a fascinating story about the rise and fall of his dream. In the end, he uses 2 Kings 4 as a turning point in his faith. You see, the Shunammite woman had her dream ravaged when her miracle son suddenly died. But, what did she do? She clung to her faith and eagerly sought out "the man of God." When Elisha sees her in the distance, she is asked, "is everything allright with your husband and son?" She says, "everything is fine". Then, she reveals her grief and refuses to return without Elisha. According to Vischer, "she doesn't understand what is happening, but she is going to hang on to God no matter what." This dramatic shattering of a dream is a parallel to what Vischer experienced when his Christian company collapsed around him. The lesson to be learned is that when God gives you a dream and the dream comes to life (with God in it), and then the dream dies, it may be that God wants to see what is more important to you -- the dream or him. Once you make the right choice, you may get the dream back (as the Shunammite woman did). Either way, God is in control and he is all you need. C.S. Lewis may have said it best, "He who has God plus many things has nothing more than he who has God alone."