My mom makes the best mashed potatoes every Thanksgiving, they're rich in flavor and just straight up addicting. It usually doesn't last through the next day. The only downfall is they take time, a lot of it.
You have to get your potatoes and then decide if you're gonna peel them or not, after that they need to boil, once they're boiled then you put them in a bowl and you have to start mashing them. While you're doing that you add your salt and butter and whatever else you like in your taters. I tried to make them once, don't know what I did different, but mom's is still better.
We've all had instant mashed potatoes though, haven't we? Why? Well it's quick, why wait around and delay a meal or use up more dishes when I can just slap the flakes in a pot and add milk? Stir it up and BAM! 5min later you got yourself a big bowl of potatoes.
I was sitting there the other day just thinking to myself about all this and I happened to think about how much this relates to us in our walk through life.
We live in a culture that is focused on efficiency and speed. How fast can we get somewhere? What's a way to speed up production? How many people can we get through the drive thru?
Often times these questions are answered, but the product is hurt in the process. We sacrifice quality for quantity and instant gratification. Just like our potatoes.
This can be applied elsewhere, not just products and things. It can be applied to our personal and spiritual lives. How many times have we sacrificed waiting and quality for something that was here and now in front of us? How many of us have become tired of putting up the fight and waiting on God and saying, "You know what, He hasn't answered so I'm just gonna do my own thing."
We see this in our work, our daily habits, but most importantly we see this in our relationships.
Instead of focusing on God and waiting on his timing we sacrifice a deep meaningful relationship, one that takes time and effort and dedication to the final product and we substitute it with what's quick and easy.
Instead of keeping our standards raised we allow ourselves to lower the banner and to follow the rest of the world in the quick and easy line of thinking. We allow ourselves to succumb to the desires of our flesh and we gratify it, we don't take the time to build something deeper and instead we engage in physical gratification here and now cause it's easy and this is the culture we're in now. We are sold the message of, "If it feels good then do it." But the Bible has other things to say about it.
"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do." Galatians 5:16-17
"for all that is in the world- the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life- is not from the Father but is from the world." 1 John 2:16
"But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death." James 1:14-15
"Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires." Romans 13:13-14
Bind yourself to the Word of God and ask for strength, it's the only way we can fight our own fleshly passions and desires.
"Help me, O Lord, to be content! My lips to seal,
To every vain desire, each whim - instead to kneel,
Acknowledging Thee, Lord and King, and in that place
To kneel, to pray, to wait until I see Thy face!" ~ Adams
God Bless,
Ryan
No comments:
Post a Comment