Manna Kept, Is Worms

I’ve decided to explain myself. The name of my blog may sound odd – “Umm, manna, that’s from the Bible. Good one.” But believe it or not, choosing the title took a bit more effort than “insert religious word here to indicate that I will talk about Christianity.” Really.

Manna Kept comes from a quote in The Pilgrim’s Regress, an allegory by C.S. Lewis: “Manna kept, is worms.” In the book, a hermit is speaking about the true nature of love. He argues that passion cannot – and should not – be sustained. When I chose this quote as the title of my blog, I saw a lesson not in love, but in grace.  When held with clenched fists, God’s grace turns to rot. “Manna kept, is worms.”

The word “manna” sounds similar to the Hebrew expression for “What is it?” It signals the arrival of news, of rescue. After the people of Israel escaped from Egypt, they wandered in the desert toward Mount Sinai. At one point, they were starving, and God sustained them with manna, a bread-like substance.

  

Manna. Sustenance. Life. Where did it come from? The Israelites were not sustained by the work of their own hands. The people of God were called to humbly receive life-giving food from His hand. But when the Israelites hoarded this sustenance from the Father, it rotted. Exodus 16:20 says “…it bred worms and stank.” So what’s the message? Clean out your pantry once in a while? Not quite.

When we hoard the love of Christ, we are not somehow “conserving blessings.” We are withholding life. We hoard the sustaining love of God, because we fear that it will somehow be lost. So we clench our fists more tightly: “Why would I welcome her? Why would I stick up for him? I’ve got to make sure I’m taken care of first.”

Normally, we wait until we feel emotionally or financially secure before we even consider giving to others. But we will never feel secure before God through our actions, feelings or strength of faith. We are secure when we believe that Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf before the Father is sufficient for our salvation. With that knowledge firmly planted in our hearts, we can begin giving immediately. There is no reserve of love or strength to build up. When we believe in Christ alone for salvation, we are given access through the Holy Spirit to the love and strength of Jesus, in its entirety. We can give and receive the Father’s love with liberated hearts. And we know that manna kept, is worms – so we live with open hands.