Instant Oatmeal
I love oatmeal. Growing up in the frosty, bone-chilling winters of Texas, (Hey! 60° can be cold) I looked forward to the days when we could eat oatmeal for breakfast. It was thick and hot all the way down and warmed me up inside almost as good as mom’s hugs. It was a close race between that and standing in front of the gas space heaters. As I grew older, the greatest thing happened – Mr. Quaker made his oatmeal INSTANT, and added flavors, too. No longer did I have to wait for the oats to cook. We just boiled water and poured it over the mix and, voilà, I was ready for my insides to be warmed. I thought it couldn’t get any better and, low and behold, someone invented the microwave. Now I didn’t even have to wait for the water to boil. Just nuke the water for a minute or two and I could be on my way. Now, I enjoy a couple packets of Apples and Cinnamon almost every workday morning. The doctor even says it is good for my cholesterol. And the best thing yet, we have a water “cooler” that has a spigot on it for instant hot water. I don’t even have to wait for the microwave anymore.
We now live in an “instant” world. Everything is instant, from being able to reach us by phone, to faxes, emails and the internet, and even our dinners and coffee. We have grown to be impatient over the last generation and demand an instant fix to everything, including our health. How long have doctors sought the “cure” for the common cold? This reminds me of an episode of the Beverly Hillbillies some years ago. For those of you too young to know the ballad of Jed Clampett, Jed and the clan struck it rich in oil in the backwoods of the Ozarks and his cousin Pearl convinced him that he needed to move to Beverly Hills, where the rich folks were. His greedy, and therefore extremely helpful, next door neighbor, Mr. Drysdale, was their banker, who would do anything to keep Jed’s millions in the vault. When Mr. Drysdale came down with a cold, he lamented that, with all the modern technology and medical breakthroughs, the doctors couldn’t even cure the simple cold. Granny was amazed and reported that they had had a cure for a cold for as long as she could remember – rest and plenty of liquids and the ailment would be cured in a week or two!
When it comes to our faith and spiritual well-being, we should take a healthy dose of Granny’s wisdom. Faith and spiritual growth is not instant. We struggle and grow and learn each and every day, and the journey is never completed. Paul tells the Philippians to “press on” toward the goal to reach the prize set before us – and this to those who consider themselves mature. Phil 3:12-16. Athletes never attain perfection, but have to constantly practice and push themselves and build their skills and bodies to become better. Paul had to realize that he was weak in order for God show His strength through Paul. 2 Cor 12:7-10. Even Peter, one of Jesus’ closest confidantes and one of the boldest and most confident apostles had to be corrected and instructed by Paul (Gal 2:11-21) and had to be shown a miraculous sign to learn that the gospel was for all people (Acts 10).
Remember, we ALL make mistakes (Rom 3:23), and have to learn some things the hard way. We may become mature, but we never reach perfection. No matter how far we have come, there is still a ways to go. How many new Christians have we lost because we expect them to be spiritual and strong and steadfast the moment they come up out of the water, eventhough we struggle with some of the very same issues. We all need a huge bowl of patience, sprinkled with a mountain of God’s grace and love, and someday, our spiritual ailments may be cured – in a few decades.
“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Phil 3:13b-14
We now live in an “instant” world. Everything is instant, from being able to reach us by phone, to faxes, emails and the internet, and even our dinners and coffee. We have grown to be impatient over the last generation and demand an instant fix to everything, including our health. How long have doctors sought the “cure” for the common cold? This reminds me of an episode of the Beverly Hillbillies some years ago. For those of you too young to know the ballad of Jed Clampett, Jed and the clan struck it rich in oil in the backwoods of the Ozarks and his cousin Pearl convinced him that he needed to move to Beverly Hills, where the rich folks were. His greedy, and therefore extremely helpful, next door neighbor, Mr. Drysdale, was their banker, who would do anything to keep Jed’s millions in the vault. When Mr. Drysdale came down with a cold, he lamented that, with all the modern technology and medical breakthroughs, the doctors couldn’t even cure the simple cold. Granny was amazed and reported that they had had a cure for a cold for as long as she could remember – rest and plenty of liquids and the ailment would be cured in a week or two!
When it comes to our faith and spiritual well-being, we should take a healthy dose of Granny’s wisdom. Faith and spiritual growth is not instant. We struggle and grow and learn each and every day, and the journey is never completed. Paul tells the Philippians to “press on” toward the goal to reach the prize set before us – and this to those who consider themselves mature. Phil 3:12-16. Athletes never attain perfection, but have to constantly practice and push themselves and build their skills and bodies to become better. Paul had to realize that he was weak in order for God show His strength through Paul. 2 Cor 12:7-10. Even Peter, one of Jesus’ closest confidantes and one of the boldest and most confident apostles had to be corrected and instructed by Paul (Gal 2:11-21) and had to be shown a miraculous sign to learn that the gospel was for all people (Acts 10).
Remember, we ALL make mistakes (Rom 3:23), and have to learn some things the hard way. We may become mature, but we never reach perfection. No matter how far we have come, there is still a ways to go. How many new Christians have we lost because we expect them to be spiritual and strong and steadfast the moment they come up out of the water, eventhough we struggle with some of the very same issues. We all need a huge bowl of patience, sprinkled with a mountain of God’s grace and love, and someday, our spiritual ailments may be cured – in a few decades.
“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Phil 3:13b-14
posted by Carl Wheeler at 1:00 AM
1 Comments:
Be thankful for Grace!
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