Friday, April 4, 2008

Happy Meal Grace

Tonight I observed several children eating Happy Meals. I should qualify that statement by saying that they eventually ate their Happy Meals, but spent the first 20 minutes of dinner playing with the "prizes" inside. As I watched the food grow cold and the children's fascination with the plastic trinkets, my mind drifted to the grace of our God.

In many ways, I treat God's grace like the prize in a Happy Meal. The first time it appeared, it was a big deal. It was a surprise- something unexpected and wonderful accompanying my daily sustenance. Here in the midst of the ordinary was something so completely unique and exciting that everything else stopped while I tore open the packaging and explored its every facet. As I began to see this reward as the pattern, however, my surprise turned to expectation, and I began to believe that I deserved it. Lack of expectation led to complacency, and complacency led to boredom. Before long, what I once considered to be of the highest value was discarded, and perhaps worse, I outgrew my sense of wonderment at it all.

Lord, forgive me for looking at your grace as a cheap pleasure, only to be used and forgotten. Help me to receive it like a child and to continually be excited by its newness.

1 comment:

drh said...

I think we’re having blog convergence. I’ve recently blogged about McDonald’s and grace, too.

And I didn’t even cheat by reading your blog first!