I just read an article about a man who loved the marshmallows in Lucky Charms so much, that he bought 1,000 pounds of just the marshmallows, a semi-truck load, so that he wouldn’t have to fish for them in a conventional box of the breakfast cereal.
In the same article, two women collaborated to invent a tool that would scoop out the inside of a bagel. One of them had worked at a bagel shop in high school, and had burned her fingers several times, scooping out the innards of toasted bagels for folks who wanted to save a few calories.
Then there’s the guy who invented the brownie pan that ensures every brownie has some crusty edge on it. He’s already been approached by fans who want him to design other such items, like a pizza pan shaped like a doughnut to maximize crust.
Seriously?
No offense to these people, who I’m sure are kind-hearted, generous, and are beloved children of God, but my goodness. At what point did they receive a promise that everything around them would be perfect? Who made that promise to them?
In life, where most of the rest of the world lives, the sweet crunchy marshmallows are a treat, not the norm. If you want a bagel, you eat a bagel. If you want just the skin, try a bag of chips. And in every brownie pan, a little gooeyness must lie.
Thank God that Jesus didn’t begin his ministry on earth, look around and see how messed up we all were, then said, “Pops, this ain’t going to work. Let’s just pack it in and try another planet.” No, we were created as imperfect. We were made from the dirty and flawed dust of the earth, and God loved us anyway. God then came to us in Jesus, and told us about love, forgiveness, humility, and grace. Christ showed us that in spite of our lack of sweetness, our bagely fullness, or our gooey centers - we are redeemable and we are worthy of God’s love.
So if you’re tempted to buy sandwiches with the offensive crust already removed, think about your own crustiness for a moment. Then say a little prayer of gratitude to God who loves you anyway.
