Years
ago, when my two youngest children were very small,
I
was sitting in my living room, which is attached to the kitchen. My daughters
were making their lunches, peanut butter sandwiches. *It is
important to note here that they were both making the same lunch, that they had
the very same goal. Both were making peanut
butter sandwiches.
Now
each daughter had their very own and very different ideas of how to make their own sandwich.
So,
I had gotten out a brand new container of peanut butter for them to use and
they had gotten out their own utensils of choice as well as their own bread and
were all ready to make their lunch! As
soon as I put the jar of peanut butter down between the two of them my oldest
daughter immediately picked up the jar of peanut butter and headed for the dining
room table, leaving the other daughter behind empty handed.
As
you can imagine it was almost instantly that the fighting began.
“Mom!”
My youngest daughter screamed, “She just took my peanut butter - now I can’t
make my sandwich!”
Then
without delay her older sister replied with just as much passion,
“I did not take your peanut butter! You
don’t own it Mom gave it to both of us. I just
brought it to the table to make my sandwich on my plate!”
Well,
I quickly
intervened at that point and ushered my oldest daughter back into the kitchen with
the jar of my peanut butter. I was
not at all happy at this point as they were both hollering at each other – through me. So I began to explain to the both of them that
the peanut butter did not belong to either of them it was in fact my
peanut butter, and furthermore the two of them were expected
to
share the peanut butter.
I
took it a bit further as I have a tendency to do when I get heated, and asked
them a few questions. Kinda went like this -
“Now
you two have the exact same goal here don’t you?” They both nodded their heads yes.
“Again,
both
of you are wanting to make peanut butter sandwiches. Right?” Again they
nodded, yes.
“Okay,
so between the both of, you only have one jar of peanut butter. Correct?”
Again they nodded yes.
“Soooooo
- what seems to be the problem? Why
can’t you get along and share?
I am right here. You know I am and still
you fight and argue as if I can’t see you or hear you. Why?
I just don’t understand you two!”
To
be perfectly honest, I was a bit frustrated with both of my girls at this
point.
After
a while, the old sharing speech just
gets a little old. Any parent will be able to understand where I am coming
from. But I kept my cool and finished
the speech and I turned around to walk out of the kitchen and my youngest
daughter spoke up.
In
the sweetest of voices I heard “I love you Mom.”
I
didn’t respond right away. I just slowly turned around, then said in a very
firm soft tone,
“Really? If you love me, then show me and do what I
tell you.”
(That’s
when it hit me….like a ton of bricks!)
John
14:15 “If you love you will obey what I
command….”
How
many times does the word of the Lord command
us to love one another?
I
sat in my chair in the living room and saw ~ in my two precious daughters ~ not
only two children of God, but I saw the body of Christ.
Now,
my daughters were fighting over how to make a peanut butter sandwiches. It
ended up taking at least four times as long to make the sandwiches as it should
have.
The
sandwiches came complete with a rebuke from Mom (and believe me I was not
happy) and the whole experience affected much more than it should have in an
unintended detrimental way, leaving the recipients of the sandwiches with a
much smaller appetite than they had in the first place when they started off on
their quest for food!
I
realize I am comparing children and peanut butter sandwiches here to grown-ups
and spirituality but just for a moment let’s just think about it.
What
if we look at this situation as being the Body of Christ instead of two
siblings?
God the
Father sends us one sacrifice to share.
Jesus.
We
are all different - and that’s okay - He made us that way.
It
is clear by the great many times it is addressed in the written word of God
about our differences and our need to work through them and learn to live with
them and serve God to our best ability side by side in them. That God
wants us to GET ALONG!
Well
- Are we?
Or are we being like little children fighting over how to make a peanut butter sandwich?
Fighting over things
that don’t matter
and wasting precious time that we don’t have to waste. (the Apostle Paul talks about this very thing in !Corinthian
Chapter 1) That could be better spent reaching out to the lost and hurting, reaching
out literally to a lost and dyeing, world.
We
may all think our way is the best way
to -
1)Save
souls
2)Get
people delivered
3)Teach
4)Feed
the poor
5)Run
the Church
6)
And everything else that’s important in the life of a follower of Yeshua
My
point here?
I love my children
more than any other humans on earth. (it is important to note this as I am
making a comparison)
*Immediately following my talking to my
girls, after my youngest daughter said to me in her sweet little voice, “I
love you Mom”, my reaction was
not one of a warm lovie~dovie, “I love you too honey,” it was more
of stern acknowledgment. Not because I don’t love her or even so much that I
was angry at my daughter but my favor did not rest on her right
at that moment - as it usually did.
*I
will also mention here that there was no apology made from either daughter for
screaming. Neither to me nor to each other. This also affected my somberness in
my reaction to them.
So,
with this in mind - How does God receive our affections our
praises and worship as a whole - the Body of Christ when we still, spend so
much of the time not getting along?
Catholics,
Baptists, Assemblies of God and everything in between …
Those
of us who believe Jesus Christ and him crucified, died and buried, resurrected
for our sins. Lord of Lords and King of Kings he will come again!
“If
you love me – you will do what I command.”
“They
will recognize you by the love you have one for another.”
“Forgive
one another as I have forgiven you.”
It’s
time to get making those peanut butter sandwiches!
Whatcha
say?
Pass
the jelly would ya?
Jesus
is coming back soon.
I
for one have a lot of unsaved loved ones I’d like to see in heaven!
Shalom ~
Amy Colleen
