God and Coca Cola

In Mexico, eggs can be bought by weight at the corner grocery store. As missionaries in Mexico City, this system worked to our advantage when funds were low. It was possible to scrounge up only a few coins and enjoy an egg or two for breakfast. It was one of those days; we had searched under the couch cushions, shaken out our wallets and looked in pockets to come up with a few cents for eggs. As I was walking the short distance to the local store, suddenly the strangest urge came up inside of me-I wanted a Coke! It was odd for me to feel this because Coke was something I rarely drank or craved, but it rose up in me like a sudden volcano. I am not sure if it was the bubbly, sugary sweetness I craved or if it was more an internal cry of protest against the constant financial battles that always seemed to challenge us. All I know was that I said in my mind, “God, how I wish I could buy a Coke!” That thought was not even fully out of my head when I looked down and at my feet there was a shiny 10 peso coin lying in the dust. A whole dollar! I could buy a Coke and an extra egg or two! Joy flooded my heart, drowning out the desperation I had felt just minutes before. That Coke sure did taste good, but the sweetest gift I received that day was the knowledge that there is a God who sees and cares about every detail of our lives, and He doesn’t mind using something as simple as a Coke to remind us of it.

Image retrieved from: http://www.popandroll.com/coke-art/Coca-Cola_Art_Calendar_1a.jpg

Fishy Business

“Oh Lord, why?” Have you ever faced a situation in your life that made you utter these words? Perhaps a rough financial situation, physical suffering, or a dying relationship provokes these words; whatever the cause, we find ourselves in enough discomfort to question why it is happening to us. Sometimes we come up with an answer for it, and sometimes we don’t. We may blame ourselves, blame others, blame God or go through a cycle of blame, but we can’t help but to ask ourselves why.  

Jonah found himself in a “Why God?” situation even though he had a good idea of why! Onboard a sinking ship he confesses that the storm is because of his disobedience. However, the storm did not cause Jonah to repent. It was only once he was isolated and distraught, sitting in the belly of a great fish that God had prepared just for him, that Jonah feels enough distress to cry out to God in repentance and change his choices. God did not send the great fish to consume Jonah, but to consume his hardened will. He had a great plan and purpose for Jonah, but it was not going to happen through Jonah until Jonah was at a point of total submission to God. Bad things in our lives can come from different sources and for different reasons, but we should always run an attitude check to make sure that the reason for our fishy situation is not our stinky attitude. The good news is that Jonah came out of that ugly situation smelling like a rose! Well, in God’s sight anyway!

This blog was inspired by a thought from my father, Herbert Witmyer.

Photo from: ttp://dailyinspires.com/finding-nemo-wallpapers/

 Hope

Hope is such a glorious thing! It is that magic motivator that allows explorers to face unknown dangers in pursuit of a conquest and keeps oppressed hearts beating until deliverance finally arrives. Hope is the companion of faith and charity, the fuel of dreams and visions that ignites the weary heart to believe again. It is a powerful force indeed when carried within the human soul! Hope is God-ordained and every human should possess a good dose of it. However, hope has a treacherous side to it that can quickly turn our mountain of expectation into a destructive avalanche.

After being defeated in WWI, Germany struggled to get back on its feet. The ensuing rule of the Weimar Republic further steeped the nation in political instability, violence and economic depression. Germany was ripe for hope and that hope presented itself in the form of a charismatic, 5'8" tall chancellor named Adolph Hitler. Today we see his mustached face and recoil at his hideous atrocities that will forever stain the annals of history, but in 1933 most Germans, whether rich or poor, educated or non-educated, young or old saw that same face as their hope for a brighter tomorrow. Only a comparatively few frustrated individuals and rejected fringe groups perceived that underneath Hitler's immense popularity there existed the perverted seeds of hate and revenge that would drive Germany to its knees once again. Can we fault a desperate Germany for falling under the enchantment of such a clever fellow? It is easy to do this in the clarity of retrospect, but the fact remains that as long as man hopes, man will be vulnerable to whatever or whomever he chooses to put his hope into.

It is easy for us to commit Germany’s same error. We follow our own instincts and end up holding a full cup of disappointment and sorrow. It is through these tears that the truth of God becomes magnified. "Happy is he... whose hope is in the Lord his God." (Psalms 146:5) Charismatic chancellors may deceive us, but the King of Kings is a sure investment for our hope.

Works cited:

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. www.ushmm.org/wic/en/article.php?Moduleld=10007331      Accessed Aug. 11, 2013

Finishing the Race

 Boston, MA

“Let’s go!” I said to my 10 year old daughter, “Let’s run!” She turned and gave me a confident smile and took off like a Tasmanian devil. I smiled at her vigor, her zeal and her persuasion of victory. She had every reason to outrun me! However, when it was all said and done, age won out over youth. I explained to her that winning the race has as much to do with pace as it does with velocity. Races are not judged by how you take off, but by how you finish.

Apparently, God feels the same as marathon organizers about this concept. He said, “But he that endureth to the end shall be saved.” Matt. 10:22. In Hebrews 12:2 we find the definition of pace, “Let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” Many times we start out just like my daughter, motivated, full of good faith, energy and a determination to take off and fly. Society gives its accolades to the swift, the strong, the capable and the ones in the lead, and it is easy to lose our pace trying to achieve and maintain this ideal image. However, God is not looking to see who we are beating out today or our current record speed, rather He is concerned that we are keeping our eyes on His finish line and doing what it takes to cross it even if that means slowing down a bit to keep our pace. We live in a society (the Christian world being no exception) that is full of failing marriages, broken relationships, exhausted ministers, weakened bodies and frustrated purposes. Nobody wants to be the tortoise when Mr. Hare is taking the racing community by storm, but slow turtles and old moms conceal the wisdom of the ages: we must find the pace that will take us across the finish line because that is what really matters in the end. 

Chocolate!

Humanity is like a box of chocolates. Superficially, we may all seem somewhat similar, but everyone has their own God-ordained flavor on the inside. You ‘bite into’ some folks and discover they are tangy lemons, others are soft jellies and yet others are tough caramels; our talents, skills, temperaments and personalities all blend together to produce our special flavoring. Even though we may personally hate maple creams or find nuts unappealing and wonder why they even have a place in the assortment, every single flavor in God’s chocolate box is good and valuable in His sight. He has given to each of us an individual flavor that carries with it our individual power.

It is easy for us as humans to become very loyal to our flavor type. If we are a sweet vanilla cream, we feel that is the best flavor and we depend on the power of our sweetness to get the job done. If we are a chewy caramel, we feel that chewy caramel is the best in the box and everyone should recognize the fact. If we are decadent truffles, we tend to only respect others who have achieved decadence and thus the comparison goes. We fall into the trap of overvaluing our own flavor and we forget God intended for his chocolate factory to produce all different types of flavors for His purpose and for His enjoyment. The goal of our flavor is not to satisfy our desires and longings, but to taste so good to those consuming us that they take a second look at the box to see what Expert made these delicious chocolates. Whatever our personal flavor, it should embody our Maker’s motto, “O taste and see that the Lord is good!”