FAST FOOD

It’s been quite a while since I ate at a McDonald’s Restaurant, much less with a four year-old in tow, but I do remember a time where I visited “childless” and had the privilege of witnessing a parent/child interaction.

The dad was probably in his early to mid thirties and the son around four or so.  After getting the adult food and Happy Meal they settled down to a table near mine.  Having no one to talk with, my sense of hearing was especially acute.

“Thank you, daddy,” the youngster beamed as he smiled at the man, half mumbling, half sinking his teeth into a pint-sized cheeseburger.  “You’re welcome,” the father smiled back.

After a while, the boy began working on his fries, enjoying them as much as the cheeseburger, it seemed.  Gradually the father’s hand slid over to retrieve a salty potato stick.

“Daddy!” shrieked the lad, “Those are mine!”  It was as though you had stabbed him in the heart.

I had an argument going in my head that alternated between “boys will be boys” and “who does he think he is?”  In the end I settled on the conclusion that both assessments were right.

What is it exactly that our Father God does not own?  What is it that we do?  The answer is that He owns everything, and everything we have is a gift entrusted by Him to our stewardship of it. 

Do we scream when the Father wants a fry—that’s His anyway—that which He’s paid for and allowed us to enjoy?  Absolutely.  Should we scream when that happens?  Absolutely not.  The more respect we give God by recognizing that He’s God and we’re not, the more peace we’ll have, because it's the kind of thinking that’s in harmony with His.

God is a holy God and the more like Him we become, the more He beams.  Our desire to do our own thing, rather than His, stresses us, because it goes against the natural order of things that He has imprinted us with.  When we ask for His help to make us more like Him and less like ourselves, we complain about His “fry taking” less—and recognize that His sovereignty brings peace.

Yes, God is the world’s owner, and He’s gone out of town for a short time, but He will return, and when He does, He can have as many of my fries as He wants.

b(Les)sings

Psalm 24

New King James Version (NKJV)

A Psalm of David.

 ¹ The earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness,
         The world and those who dwell therein.
 ² For He has founded it upon the seas,
         And established it upon the waters.
      
 ³ Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD?
         Or who may stand in His holy place?
 ⁴ He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
         Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
         Nor sworn deceitfully.
 ⁵ He shall receive blessing from the LORD,
         And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
 ⁶ This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him,
         Who seek Your face.  Selah
      
 ⁷ Lift up your heads, O you gates!
         And be lifted up, you everlasting doors!
         And the King of glory shall come in.
 ⁸ Who is this King of glory?
         The LORD strong and mighty,
         The LORD mighty in battle.
 ⁹ Lift up your heads, O you gates!
         Lift up, you everlasting doors!
         And the King of glory shall come in.
 ¹⁰ Who is this King of glory?
         The LORD of hosts,
         He is the King of glory.  Selah