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I’ve been giving a little bit of thought to my “day-to-day routine” here as of late.
It seems like sometimes people get a comfortable pace set for their lives then stop stretching themselve to be more, to do more, to accomplish more – than they did yesterday. Some call it a rut – I call it “Life in a Coma.”
Seriously – we get in so much of a pattern with our lives that we could almost go through our daily routines without even being concious! My weakness when it comes to this routine? Dr. Pepper and Snickers.
It’s not just an issue of liking this particular soda and candy bar. I have actually found myself pondering what life would be like if I found a “magical pool of Dr. Pepper” or a “Snickers tree” so I could have unlimited supplies of my favorite snack and drink . . . yeh, I know . . . a tad bit scary, but my point? Well, it’s actually really simple: I feel that I absolutely need a daily dose of this “burp potion” and “teeth killer” when in reality, it’s just part of my rut. Could I survive without Dr. Pepper and Snickers each day? Sure, but when the craving hits, I go get them anyway . . . and the reason? It’s my rut.
However, I have begun to wonder . . . what if I stepped out of that rut to realize where that money could be better spent? Just one example: Were I to financially adopt a Compassion Child through Compassion International, the money I spend on my daily Dr. Pepper and Snickers (approximately $2.50 depending on where I buy them) could feed and educate a child a month for a month. That could be my monthly pledge right there! Wow – I could use that money to eternally change a life – seriously! But hold on a sec . . . OK, I’m back. I had to get a drink of my Dr. Pepp . . . um, nevermind. Back to what I was saying. I could save a life!
So now what? Well, I have a choice…I can embrace this new challenge, give up two things that are probably not really that great for me anyway and commit to change a life or walk away and forget I ever had this epiphany and continue my daily stop by the gas station . . . hmmm.
This Sunday I will stand on a stage in front of about 100 people and pour my heart out in a message that God has laid on my heart to share, one that He wants His people-and the people who aren’t even in His family-to hear. It’ll be a message about the Savior of the world who died on a cross for sinners then rose again so we could have eternal life. God has already poured into me so I can pour into believers and non-believers the truths of who Jesus is.
That message of hope will be a very serious thing, and it may be a morning that means life or death for someone’s eternity, and yet people will have two choices: Receive the message and commit to whatever it is God is calling them to do. Or walk away, back into the rut they call “life” totally unchanged. So does it seem silly that my Dr. Pepper and Snickers mean so much to me? For me the answer is “yes.”
Ask God to do an inventory of your own life. What is your “Dr. Pepper and Snickers”? What’s keeping you chained to the rut you’re in? What’s preventing you from experiencing a full life in Christ? Why are you keeping the life-changing story of grace and forgiveness to yourself?
That’s just a thought . . . and I welcome yours.
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