When Elijah was about to die and be taken away he asked his young apprentice, Elisha, what he could do for him. Elisha said that he wanted a double share of Elijah’s spirit. Elijah said that it was a tough ask but if Elisha watched him be whisked away Elisha would be granted his request. And so he received his wish.
Elisha was thinking of glory. Elijah performed many miracles. Elisha was thinking that he would have twice as much fun. Turns out he had twice as many fires to put out as Elijah did and he essentially was twice as busy as Elijah had been.
“Careful what you wish for” is a common caution given to youngers. We think glory comes with quantity. Our answer is often more. But there are lots of things we can have more of and not all of them are a whole lot of fun. Elisha should have simply hoped that he would be as faithful and as good as Elijah. Or Elisha should simply have blessed his elder by saying, “Thank you.”
Let Us Pray: Father in Heaven, help us to be simply grateful for all of the people who have nurtured and taught us in life. As we have been blessed, help us to be blessings for others. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.