Ridiculous Requests

Real responses from comment cards at the Bridger Wilderness Center:

-Trails need to be reconstructed. Please avoid building trails that go uphill.
-Too many bugs and spider webs. Please spray the woods to avoid these pests.
-Please pave the trails so they can be snow-plowed during the winter.
-Install chair lifts so we can get to the wonderful views without hiking there.
-The coyotes make too much noise. Please eradicate these annoying animals.
-A deer stole a jar of my pickles. Can I please get reimbursed?
-A McDonalds would be nice at the trailhead.
-The places where trails do not exist are not well marked.
-There are too many rocks in the mountains.

What ridiculous requests do we make to God?

Blue Ink

I heard about a man who robbed a bank and drove off. He thought he was in the clear until he opened the bag and it exploded with permanent blue ink. He was blue from head to toe. Day after day he scrubbed himself trying to get free from the ink but it was futile. He lived with all this money yet could not leave his home for fear the ink would be seen and he would be arrested. The ink served as a constant reminder of who he was and what he had done.....a constant reminder that he was a guilty man. He was completely isolated from the world because of the ink and almost went insane. Finally the day came when he could no longer take it anymore and he decided to turn himself in. At least in prison he could be free from the guilt of what he had done. John 8:32, ".....and the truth will set you free."

A Peculiar Patience

In the grocery store, her two year old begged for cookies. Mom said no and the little girl began to cry. “Now Sarah, we’re halfway done, it won’t be much longer.” Of course the same thing happened in the candy aisle. “There, there Sarah, only two more aisles then we’re done.” When checking out, she reached for the gum. When mom said no again, she screamed louder than ever. The mother patiently said, “Sarah, we’re leaving now. We’ll go home and have a nice nap.” A man who witnessed these events in the store, complimented the woman on her way to her car by saying, “I couldn’t help noticing how patient you were with little Sarah.” She replied, “Thank you, but my little girl is Samantha, I’m Sarah!” Too often, we’re like this two year old when we don’t get our way. We beg and cry and carry on. In 2 Peter 3:9 we see how patient God is with us. Can we also be this patient both with Him and with others?

True Change

A barber’s supply company held a large convention. In the morning, they showed the crowd a man they picked up off the street. That same afternoon, they showed the same man after he had been shaved and groomed with their products. They exclaimed, “This is what our products can do for you!” Everyone was impressed to see the completely changed man. The next day, they wanted to repeat this process to new clients and sought this man out again. Guess where they found him? Lying in a gutter, all filthy and drunk again. They had changed him on the outside, but had anything really changed? What about us? Over the past year, has anything really changed? Fact is: True Change only happens when a True Commitment to Christ is made. Today, are you content with the status-quo or do you truly desire to be changed?

The Blame Game

The game had not been going well and the manager of the baseball team was so disgusted by his shortstop’s performance that he yanked him out of the game and assumed the position himself. The first ball that came to shortstop took a bad hop and hit him right in the mouth. The next one was a fly ball which he lost in the glare of the sun, until it bounced off his forehead. The third hit was a hard line drive that went right past his glove and between his legs. Now furious, he ran back to the dugout, grabbed the shortstop by his uniform and shouted, “You’ve got shortstop so messed up that even I can’t do anything with it!” As we read passages like Ezekiel 18:1-4, the truth is that we’re each responsible for our own actions and behavior. And even though it’s one of our favorite things to do, starting today, may we be aware of and quit playing the blame game!

Grumpy Old Men

There were two grumpy men in a nursing home who had argued for years. One became ill and thought he was on his deathbed, so he called for the other man and said, “John, I’ve been thinking about our relationship. I’m willing to forgive you for what you have said and done against me over the years, and I’d love if you’d do the same for me.” With tears in his eyes, John agreed that he too would like to forgive and be forgiven. Then his friend in bed said, “But if I get better, this doesn’t count!” Oh, how we love to be in control over life’s circumstances. We plan the agenda and freely call the shots. And sadly, at times, we even treat God with the same kind of conditions and in the same way this elderly man treated his friend. Today, is your relationship with God one-sided? Do you serve Him on your terms and conditions? May we all see the uselessness of such a stance and may we instead, rely fully on his Spirit to work in and through us.

Your Spiritual Gift

The story is told of the wealthy Texan who was in the habit of giving his father unique gifts every father’s day. One year it was hang-gliding lessons. The year before it was the entire record collection of Slim Whitman’s Hits, autographed by the singer himself. But this past year he had outdone himself. He purchased a rare kind of South American bird, called the translator. This bird could speak five languages and sing the “Yellow Rose of Texas” in any key while standing on one foot. The talented bird cost ten thousand dollars, but he felt it was worth every penny. This would be the father’s day gift his dad would never forget. A week after Father’s Day he called his father. “Dad, how did you like the bird?” His father responded, “It was delicious.” Scripture states how “…each of us has been given a spiritual gift.” (I Cor. 12:4) Today, have you opened your gift and are you using it as the Giver intended it to be used?