Although our family eats dinner together every night, lately busyness has kept those dinners from being at our own kitchen table as often as they used to be. But, when we do, you can be sure there is going to be some interesting, somewhat crazy conversation. Our dinner table is rarely calm or quiet, but I like it that way. It's the best time for me to get some awesome, facebook worthy, quotes from my kids. They say the funniest things!
Last night was one of those rare evenings when the kids and I sat down to dinner together at our own kitchen table (and even rarer than that, I am the one who cooked the meal!). It was a nice time of just hanging out together. We talked and laughed and just enjoyed each other's company. A fun time of reconnecting.
At our house, dessert after dinner doesn't happen very often. Usually only if we have guests or it's a special occasion, like a birthday. The closest we usually come to dessert is when we have biscuits with our meal. The kids will save them to eat with honey at the end of the meal as their dessert.
Last night was one of those nights. Cheyenne had been waiting through the whole meal for that delicious biscuit and honey. She was so excited about it as she opened up the biscuit, squeezed out more honey than any one person should eat at one time, and picked it up to take a bite.
Just as she was about to put it in her mouth, she stopped. "Eeewww! There's an ant in my honey!"
Now, here's the part of the story I skipped. Last week, we had a similar dinner at our kitchen table. At that meal, we also had biscuits. And at that meal, the kids also wanted biscuits and honey. But, guess what?! Each time someone put honey on their biscuit, they found an ant!
After looking around to see if we could find a source, I concluded that they must somehow have found their way into the honey container and were coming out when they kids squeezed the honey out onto their biscuits. But when the kids inspected the container, they couldn't see any ants on it. They didn't believe me. It looked fine on the outside, no ants to be seen, just beautiful, golden, sweet honey.
So they put it back in the cabinet.
So, last night when I heard Cheyenne say there was an ant on her biscuit, I said, "I tried to tell you they were in the container. You can't see them, but they are there. You need to throw that honey out."
Wouldn't you know, she started to argue with me, at first. Looking at the container, she still couldn't see any ants. The honey looked good from the outside. But when she looked at her plate and saw that little ant, she couldn't deny that it was there. And the only logical conclusion for where it had come from was the honey.
Reluctantly, she threw the honey away.
Isn't that just like us with God? We look at our lives and know something isn't right. We don't have the peace of mind we long for, our finances aren't what we wish they were, we feel overwhelmed by all of the busyness of things we "have" to do, we are stressed and unhappy. There's an ant in our honey.
And, in our hearts, we hear God speaking to us, telling us that we need to get rid of the honey.
Last night was one of those rare evenings when the kids and I sat down to dinner together at our own kitchen table (and even rarer than that, I am the one who cooked the meal!). It was a nice time of just hanging out together. We talked and laughed and just enjoyed each other's company. A fun time of reconnecting.
At our house, dessert after dinner doesn't happen very often. Usually only if we have guests or it's a special occasion, like a birthday. The closest we usually come to dessert is when we have biscuits with our meal. The kids will save them to eat with honey at the end of the meal as their dessert.
Last night was one of those nights. Cheyenne had been waiting through the whole meal for that delicious biscuit and honey. She was so excited about it as she opened up the biscuit, squeezed out more honey than any one person should eat at one time, and picked it up to take a bite.
Just as she was about to put it in her mouth, she stopped. "Eeewww! There's an ant in my honey!"
Now, here's the part of the story I skipped. Last week, we had a similar dinner at our kitchen table. At that meal, we also had biscuits. And at that meal, the kids also wanted biscuits and honey. But, guess what?! Each time someone put honey on their biscuit, they found an ant!
After looking around to see if we could find a source, I concluded that they must somehow have found their way into the honey container and were coming out when they kids squeezed the honey out onto their biscuits. But when the kids inspected the container, they couldn't see any ants on it. They didn't believe me. It looked fine on the outside, no ants to be seen, just beautiful, golden, sweet honey.
So they put it back in the cabinet.
So, last night when I heard Cheyenne say there was an ant on her biscuit, I said, "I tried to tell you they were in the container. You can't see them, but they are there. You need to throw that honey out."
Wouldn't you know, she started to argue with me, at first. Looking at the container, she still couldn't see any ants. The honey looked good from the outside. But when she looked at her plate and saw that little ant, she couldn't deny that it was there. And the only logical conclusion for where it had come from was the honey.
Reluctantly, she threw the honey away.
Isn't that just like us with God? We look at our lives and know something isn't right. We don't have the peace of mind we long for, our finances aren't what we wish they were, we feel overwhelmed by all of the busyness of things we "have" to do, we are stressed and unhappy. There's an ant in our honey.
And, in our hearts, we hear God speaking to us, telling us that we need to get rid of the honey.
Hebrews 12:1 says,
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,
When I read that, I immediately think of certain "big" sins-stealing, adultery, addictions-and I think I'm okay. I don't have any of those in my life. From the outside, everything looks fine. All anyone can see is beautiful, golden honey.
But then I look deeper. And that's when I find the ants. A little bit of gossip here, a little jealousy there, with some anger and unforgiveness mixed in. Oh, and then there's some discontent and laziness in there as well. Doesn't sound so yummy now, does it?
But the good news is, I don't have to keep that honey with the ants in it! I can throw it out.
Just as disappointment was setting in around my kitchen table because there would be no honey, I told them a secret. I had another jar of honey in the cabinet for them! And this one did not contain any ants!
They were so excited!
And so it is with us. We don't have to settle for that old, ant filled honey because Jesus has brand new honey waiting on us. All we have to do is be willing to throw out the old and accept the new.
Dear Jesus,
Thank you so much that I don't have to live with ants in my honey. I can live that beautiful, sweet life that I want just by asking you to take away the old and bring me the new. Lord, help me to see the places where I fall short and to give them to you. I want to get rid of anything that holds me back and run the race you have marked out for me. Thank you for your love, mercy, and grace that I can bring my imperfections to you and let you make them perfect. Your unconditional love for me is overwhelming!
In Your Name,
Amen
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