Our second son Isaac has a sweet tooth. The other night after the Christmas musical as I watched him enjoy a cup of scalding hot chocolate, I marveled at his ability to enjoy it even though it was so hot. His eyes lit up with every sip. I realized that once again I could learn something from my children, this time Isaac teaching me to enjoy the simple things in life. [By the way, this is the same Isaac who said Sunday morning that what he is looking forward to about Christmas is a new Bible.]
A dear friend forwarded this story to me last week. Many of you may have read it before, but in this season that can be so easily overshadowed with materialism I wanted to share it with those of you who haven’t.
The Wisdom in Hot Chocolate
A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired.
During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives.
Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot and an assortment of cups - porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate.
When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said:
“Notice that all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. The cup that you’re drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups. And then you began eyeing each other’s cups.”
Now consider this:
Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you have. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate God has provided us. God makes the hot chocolate, man chooses the cups.
The happiest people don’t have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything that they have.
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. And enjoy your hot chocolate!!
Enjoy your Christmas, whatever it is!
In Christ,
Pastor Scott
No comments:
Post a Comment