PHOTO BY BRAD CAMPBELL Corn dog and onion rings

Hi, all! 

Life can be so complicated some days. Things happen. Challenges arise. You’re disillusioned or disappointed by things or people you thought you knew. You’ve made plans for the sunny day, and it rains on your parade. You’ve looked forward to some time off of work, and a new project arises which must have your input immediately. You’re cruising along with nothing but the music blaring in your ears and the wind blowing through your hair when you suddenly realize you’ve broken the speed limit as the blue lights flash in your rearview mirror.

You get the idea. But listen to me for just a minute, and maybe we can put those disappointments of life in perspective. Those who know me well know that I enjoy food. I like to cook it, and I like to eat it. Countless wonderful memories of my life center around meal time and the fellowship that comes with those great friends and family moments. But, there are those other times when it’s just me. For example, I like a nice visit to one of those drive-in diner places where you press the red button, yell into the screen, and your goodies are delivered to your car window — sooner or later.

My favorite greasy fried meal at such a place is a foot-long chili cheese dog, a large order of onion rings, and a 44-ounce drink to wash it down. But instead of eating there in my car, I take it home, just a couple of miles away, and pig out all by myself while watching some black and white reruns from times gone by. Those greasy fried foods don’t do kind things to me, but I love them anyway! I crave them, I will go get them, and I will eat every bite of them, knowing fully what to expect.

You see, there are those things in life that will obviously cause us discomfort, uneasiness, and perhaps even pain. Yet, for some strange reason, we crave them. We go after them. And we will take them all in, obliviously disinterested in the self-imposed disappointment that will undoubtedly arrive sooner than we would like. Why is this? Why do we continue to do the things we know will cause us pain?

Satan is alive and well, roaming around looking for those he can eat up! But remember this, the Lord is Alive, too! And He wants to deliver us from those disappointments of life, whether they’ve been caused by others, or we’ve done it to ourselves once again. And until we stay away from the things that harm us, we will continue in that difficult cycle. I must admit I was disappointed very recently when the particular drive-in joint I referenced above suddenly closed up shop and left town! No more greasy stuff from there! I was hurt.

Ah, but my body, my soul, will be so much better off without the mess I was eating from there! Get the picture? This week, maybe you need to back off from the things you’ve been “eating” in life. Take a well-needed break, and look for the new and better things the Lord has in store for you! Your initial disappointment just might lead to bigger and better things — with the Lord’s help!

Just a thought. ’Til later.

Brad Campbell can be reached at mastah.pastah@yahoo.com.