So, my devotional this morning was about making kids eat their vegetables. It was a pretty funny mom lesson.... Thought I'd share. ;)
Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf with hatred. Proverbs 15:17
As children, our mom made my sister and me finish the vegetables on our plates before we could have dessert. One night my sister looked at our mom and said that if she had to eat green beans, she would throw up.
Mom insisted she have at least one bite, or no dessert. Knowing ice cream was within reach, my sister held her nose and tried to force down a tiny bite of beans. True to her word, the second she swallowed, her whole meal ended up back on the table. It was not a pleasant moment!
Proverbs 15:19 says that,“the path of the upright is a highway.” The path of a Christian isn't easy. There are times when we have to stomach unpleasant situations, people, or circumstances. Verse 19 says that this is better than the alternative: Compared to hatred, discord, envy, and greed, the path of a Christian is smooth, with open road ahead. Compared to the temporary pay-off of a life that looks only to please self, the life of a Christian focuses on the long-term and, in the end, the reward is greater....Maybe better than ice cream (Is this possible?!)
For some of us (not you), a meal of vegetables is not the most pleasant choice. But it's there we find essential nutrients for a well-balanced and healthy lifestyle. So, while they are not always pleasant at the time, in the long-term, vegetables are just what our bodies need. The same is true with love. It is better to live a life built on a foundation of love than to get carried away in the rocky roads of hatred.
My family still looks back on that meal and laughs until we cry. It's become one of our favorite memories--because we shared it together, in love.
No comments:
Post a Comment