When I was a teenager I traveled to the coast with my parents and grandmother. We ate lunch at a little chowder house on the edge of a cliff overlooking the beautiful Pacific Ocean. I ordered cheese toast and clam chowder. I loved the cheese toast! When lunch was served we began enjoying our chowder. I was eating from my stack of toast and my father asked if he could have one piece. I was shocked. How dare this man who had driven me to the beach and was purchasing my lunch ask for a piece of my toast.
A tirade of complaints about my miserable lot in life poured out of me. My parents were stunned and embarrassed. My grandmother looked uncomfortable. The blessing of the day was lost. The beautiful scenery, the delicious lunch, and the fun of being with my family was infected by my complaint: I was being deprived of one piece of cheese toast.
Focus
In life we often focus on “cheese toast.” We go to church and the bulletin is formatted differently or the communion table is moved so we can’t see the beauty of the risen Savior or experience his presence in worship. To further complicate matters we are willing to infect others with our complaints so they can’t experience God either.
Keeping It in Perspective
In relationship to a day of sun, beach, and magnificent scenery, a piece of cheese toast is trivial. Often we are like the Israelites. Just as they focused on the manna instead of freedom, miracles, and promise we focus on trivial details rather than our freedom in Christ, the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and the promise of eternal life with God. Take time today to focus on the blessings in your life and in your church. Think about your own “cheese toast.” What do you complain about? Put it in perspective with all the good things God has given you. |L
Dianne McIntosh lives in Sweet Home, Oregon with her husband John and her daughter Annalee. Dianne works with the Oregon Christian Convention doing publicity and program development.
