My husband and I drove to a buffet restaurant in town. Our two children in tow, we were led to our table where the waitress informed us we could “help ourselves.” As parents, we did our best to teach our children manners, but since restaurants were not a usual part of our family meal experiences, we were not prepared for our children’s actions once they realized they could take a plate and “help themselves.”
They ran greedily past the salad bar, past the servings of vegetables, past the meat-carving station, and straight to the dessert buffet. Before I could reach them, their little hands had touched dozens of cookies, cakes, and cream puffs. Their plates were piled high before I could intervene. My little daughter looked up at me with wide eyes and offered her explanation, “But I was hungry!”
I don’t remember all I told her, but I do know we helped ourselves to another plate of nourishing food before touching those desserts. I struggled to explain why things that might not always taste as delightful as a cream puff could be good for them. My children longed only for the sugary goodness meant to be partaken of sparingly only after ingesting the nutrition their growing bodies desperately needed.
Like my children with desserts, I have yearned for good from God—but not trouble. I have run toward comfort, not holiness. I would bypass the hard days that would make me strong and grow me up in the Lord. I gripe and complain at the slightest hint of a trial, questioning God when faced with pain or adversity.
God has already proven He will care for us. All that touches our lives is carefully measured and poured out from His sovereign but loving hand. We don’t have to doubt Him when the spoonful we swallow tastes strange or bitter on our tongue. His purpose and will for our lives is perfect. And at the end of our faithfully-run journey, a spread of sweet blessing awaits us.
Gladly receive whatever God sends your way.
(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)
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Julie Jeffery Manwarren is a forty-something married mother of two. She is an aspiring writer who loves all things creative. For the past nine years, she has owned and operated a bakery out of her home. On top of writing and baking, Julie enjoys decorating, planning events for her church and community, and spending time with her husband Phil, their two teenagers, and God—who continues to amaze her with His goodness.