Choose Your Lunch

There is a strange British expression to indicate that you have really, really messed something up. You are said to have "made a dog's lunch" of it. It's gross, but it means that your efforts ended up like what a dog throws up. Yech, right?

There's another kind of lunch, though. Remember the little boy whose lunch Jesus turned into food for thousands of people? I love that story. There is no indication that that little boy gave up his food willingly. I imagine the apostles bringing him all wadded up in the fetal position attempting to protect the lunch that his mommy had made for him. Out of the thousands of people listening to Jesus that day only one had a mommy who thought ahead to lunchtime. When the apostles decided that the people needed to be sent away to find food, Jesus told them to find food for them. I am sure that the apostles were bringing the little boy to Jesus to show him there wasn't enough food. Jesus found a way to extricate the few fish and bits of bread from the boy and made enough to feed everyone.

And the leftovers? I think Jesus would have sent those home with the boy.

When I look at the few talents I possess and what God has done with them, I thank God he has let me be like that boy's lunch. When the elders hired me at Rochester I told them that if they wanted to write down my skills and positive traits they wouldn't need much paper. I wasn't lying. Yet, I raised a lovely daughter and am still raising a wonderful son. I have a wife who still makes my heart flutter after 26 years of marriage. I have a church of 1000+ people who love Jesus and take good care of me.

How'd this happen? Look at my family and my history and you would think my life would be a real dog's lunch. But Jesus gave me the same treament he gave that little boy's lunch. None of it was due to me. It was him. Love and grace is on offer, it seems, to those who take Jesus up on his offer.

Dog's lunch or boy's lunch. You decide.