Trick-or-Treat
17 For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong. 18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;
1 Peter 3:17-18
With the first day of fall already come and gone and stores crowded with costumes galore, it's hard not to naturally get excited for everything that's so great about this coming season. Here, in Southern California, the weather hasn't really caught up with the whole idea of autumn yet. But the promises of scarves, pumpkin ale, and pumpkin carving still await and give us hope for a change that is bound to come. A dinner conversation the other night had our friend quoting an episode of Jimmy Kimmel from last fall.
The premise of the segment was to have parents tell their kids they took all their candy the morning after trick-or-treating. I didn't recall the segment being that funny, but curious I decided to watch it again. What I saw was four minutes of crying kids, some punching walls and others telling their parents they are ugly. Yes, to be honest I laughed when I watched. And then I watched a couple more times, because it turns out it is pretty funny.
The video, of these kids realizing the candy they had "worked" so hard to get is now gone, is a perfect depiction of how we as humans handle disappointment. Sure, we may not burst into tears or storm off every time we think we have, or earned, or will, experience something we don't, but in a way we can all relate to that moment we realize things aren't going to way we expected.
Kids are everyday examples in my life, and as I giggled at their disappointment, it was also so evident that, that was in so many ways how I handle my own.
Trick-or-treating is hard work. First, you have to get all dressed up in the itchy and sweaty costume that your mom spent hours sewing for you. Then, with a huge bag or pillow case in hand you have to trek your way up and down the streets of your neighborhood, approaching strangers, repeating the same thing over and over again, and then explaining to each of them what your costume is supposed to be. By the end of the night, there's blisters on your feet and your bag of candy is so heavy you can barely keep it off the ground.
So, you can imagine the disappointment you might feel, when you did all the work, and someone else enjoyed your entire stash of Reese's Pieces and Skittles. I feel like, even though it was kind of sad to watch the kids' faces as they faced this very problem, it is just the first of many times in life that they'd feel this exact same thing.
I'm sure each of us have experienced, in some way, someone else experiencing the glory of something we worked so hard to do. Or maybe you put your blood, sweat, and tears into something expecting a life changing moment and are disappointed when, the world seems to remain exactly the same despite your efforts.
The result? You act like a kid who wakes up to no Halloween candy. You pout or sulk, in your own way, and start to wonder why you even keep making an effort. We grow in age, but our reactions seem to stay the same. That is until we realize the following; our efforts, success or failure, should never be about us, but about God.
The threat of disappointment is something I personally struggle with on a daily basis. I hate disappointing myself or others and I hate the feeling of being disappointed. I hate it. And then, I hate the fact that I expect less from God, just to avoid that feeling, especially since He continues to give me reasons to expect so much more from Him. I know this is something I need to work on in my own life, but beyond that, I'm starting to see that everything God does, when I hurt, when I smile, when I cry and when I laugh, all of it, is not in vain if I bring it to Him in an effort to bring Him glory.
God doesn't make mistakes. He won't steal our Halloween candy, if He doesn't see a greater purpose for His kingdom in it. When you look at it in that light, when you realize you might be disappointed for a minute or a day, but that God has a reason for everything He does, it's easier to face disappointment.
Without Halloween, those kids wouldn't even have a chance at pounds and pounds of candy, but because they know the holiday, they expect on November 1st they will wake up with a pile full of sweet treats! Without God, we won't experience pure joy and passion, but because we know God, we desire it with all we are. And that's how it's meant to be I think. But just because we hurt temporarily, doesn't mean we should turn our backs on God or stop striving for more. Kids only have a chance to trick-or-treat once a year, God calls us to joy every second.
Don't just live for the candy, live for every moment God wants you to experience with Him. And trust in His unwavering plan for you to bring glory to His kingdom!
1 Peter 3:17-18
With the first day of fall already come and gone and stores crowded with costumes galore, it's hard not to naturally get excited for everything that's so great about this coming season. Here, in Southern California, the weather hasn't really caught up with the whole idea of autumn yet. But the promises of scarves, pumpkin ale, and pumpkin carving still await and give us hope for a change that is bound to come. A dinner conversation the other night had our friend quoting an episode of Jimmy Kimmel from last fall.
The premise of the segment was to have parents tell their kids they took all their candy the morning after trick-or-treating. I didn't recall the segment being that funny, but curious I decided to watch it again. What I saw was four minutes of crying kids, some punching walls and others telling their parents they are ugly. Yes, to be honest I laughed when I watched. And then I watched a couple more times, because it turns out it is pretty funny.
The video, of these kids realizing the candy they had "worked" so hard to get is now gone, is a perfect depiction of how we as humans handle disappointment. Sure, we may not burst into tears or storm off every time we think we have, or earned, or will, experience something we don't, but in a way we can all relate to that moment we realize things aren't going to way we expected.
Kids are everyday examples in my life, and as I giggled at their disappointment, it was also so evident that, that was in so many ways how I handle my own.
Trick-or-treating is hard work. First, you have to get all dressed up in the itchy and sweaty costume that your mom spent hours sewing for you. Then, with a huge bag or pillow case in hand you have to trek your way up and down the streets of your neighborhood, approaching strangers, repeating the same thing over and over again, and then explaining to each of them what your costume is supposed to be. By the end of the night, there's blisters on your feet and your bag of candy is so heavy you can barely keep it off the ground.
So, you can imagine the disappointment you might feel, when you did all the work, and someone else enjoyed your entire stash of Reese's Pieces and Skittles. I feel like, even though it was kind of sad to watch the kids' faces as they faced this very problem, it is just the first of many times in life that they'd feel this exact same thing.
I'm sure each of us have experienced, in some way, someone else experiencing the glory of something we worked so hard to do. Or maybe you put your blood, sweat, and tears into something expecting a life changing moment and are disappointed when, the world seems to remain exactly the same despite your efforts.
The result? You act like a kid who wakes up to no Halloween candy. You pout or sulk, in your own way, and start to wonder why you even keep making an effort. We grow in age, but our reactions seem to stay the same. That is until we realize the following; our efforts, success or failure, should never be about us, but about God.
The threat of disappointment is something I personally struggle with on a daily basis. I hate disappointing myself or others and I hate the feeling of being disappointed. I hate it. And then, I hate the fact that I expect less from God, just to avoid that feeling, especially since He continues to give me reasons to expect so much more from Him. I know this is something I need to work on in my own life, but beyond that, I'm starting to see that everything God does, when I hurt, when I smile, when I cry and when I laugh, all of it, is not in vain if I bring it to Him in an effort to bring Him glory.
God doesn't make mistakes. He won't steal our Halloween candy, if He doesn't see a greater purpose for His kingdom in it. When you look at it in that light, when you realize you might be disappointed for a minute or a day, but that God has a reason for everything He does, it's easier to face disappointment.
Without Halloween, those kids wouldn't even have a chance at pounds and pounds of candy, but because they know the holiday, they expect on November 1st they will wake up with a pile full of sweet treats! Without God, we won't experience pure joy and passion, but because we know God, we desire it with all we are. And that's how it's meant to be I think. But just because we hurt temporarily, doesn't mean we should turn our backs on God or stop striving for more. Kids only have a chance to trick-or-treat once a year, God calls us to joy every second.
Don't just live for the candy, live for every moment God wants you to experience with Him. And trust in His unwavering plan for you to bring glory to His kingdom!
Comments
Post a Comment