Straight Paths- Cast Your Bread Upon the Water

Cast Your Bread Upon the Water

Loren Hardin

The Ashland Beacon

     Robin was forty-years old when she enrolled in outpatient hospice services with end stage lung cancer. Robin was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, and had enjoyed living and working there as a nurse’s aide for several years. However, anticipating the eventual need for her elderly parent’s support, she moved into their home in southern Ohio. 

     Robin was petite. I’m estimating, about four-feet-ten-inches tall and about ninety pounds. Robin was energetic and animated, and she didn’t appear old enough to have a twenty-five-year-old daughter. 

     Robin informed me that she was divorced and seldom talked with her daughter. In fact, Robin hadn’t seen her daughter for over three years, even though her daughter lived only 90 miles away. Robin explained: “My daughter resents me for not coming to her wedding. I should have been there for her, but I was afraid of seeing her father there. I was afraid he might cause a scene, so I didn’t go.”

     Robin shared that her daughter was expecting her first child soon and that she had recently received an invitation to the baby shower. However, Robin questioned whether she should attend: “My ex-husband and his family will probably be there, and I’m afraid of what might happen if I show up.” I was deeply concerned that Robin would again allow the fear of what might happen rob her of what could happen, of an opportunity to restore her relationship with her daughter. 

      The following week, in route to my visit, I pulled to the side of the road and prayed, “Lord, what does Robin need to hear today? Please give me wisdom; guide our conversation.” Then the following scripture instantly came to mind, and I grabbed my Bible from the car seat and read: “Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days…He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.  As you do not know what the way of the wind is, or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, so you do not know the works of God who makes everything. In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening do not withhold your hand. For you do not know which will prosper either this or that, or whether both alike will be good,” (Ecclesiastes 11: 1-6). 

    I was excited to share the scripture with Robin. I read it aloud and explained that the expression “cast your bread upon the waters” was used by ancient sea merchants to refer to loading their goods upon a ship and setting sail to see what would happen. We talked about how we will never sow, if we “observe the wind” and “regard the clouds, if we wait for the perfect time. We talked about how we really don’t know how things will turn out and about how we sometimes needlessly worry about things that may never happen. We talked about how we must take risks to grow. Then Robin, exclaimed, “I’m going!” 

      The following week Robin returned from her daughter’s baby shower with a wonder-full report: “Everyone was so nice to me. My ex-mother-in-law treated me like I was one of her children. And my ex-husband spent most of the time by himself.” And Robin reconciled with her daughter.  I hate to admit it, but it was enough to make this grown man cry. 

     “People are like turtles, they can’t move forward until they stick their necks out,” (Unknown source).