Taking the bad with the good

I was driving on my lunch break the other day, eating a banana when I came across the dreaded "soft spot" on the banana.  You know what I'm talking about that rotten or bruised patch that's a little brownish and not looking real appetizing.  So anyway, I get to that spot and normally I'd cut out that spot and throw it away but I'm driving and don't have that luxury.  So after debating in my mind for.... a few seconds, I decided to get over my "soft spot" stereotypes and go ahead and eat it.  So I just took one huge bite so that the nasty part would be mixed in with a lot of the good stuff on the banana.  And my plan worked, I didn't gag and realized that the rotten part wasn't so bad when it was mixed in with a lot of the good stuff. 

I say all of that to get to this point: sometimes we're in the middle of a bad situation and everything seems terrible.  We can't see any positives because we're so caught up with what we're going through at that time.  We need to realize that in even in a bad situation, there are so many good things around us that the bad part doesn't seem so bad any more.  When we realize that the bad stuff is usually outnumbered by the good stuff, we tend to be more grateful.  Next time when we're in that "soft spot" in our life, take a second to step back and think of all of the good things that you have and when you take it all in in one bite, the bad becomes a little easier to swallow. 

Disappointed much?

Ever really got your hopes about something and then be utterly disappointed.  While driving back from Saginaw this weekend, I kept seeing Subway signs advertising the new "Orchard Chicken Salad" sub.  I love chicken salad so I started craving one.  I decided we'd have Subway for dinner to satisfy my cravings.  It looked good when they made it, with the chicken, apple and cranberry chunks in it, it looked good when I opened it, and it looked good as it approached my mouth.  But then something happened when I bit into it, it just wasn't what I expected.  I expected to have this "moment" with my sandwich and it never happened.  I finished the sandwich (because I was hungry) but I left wishing I'd ordered something else. 

I've experienced this many times in my life, from movies, to the latest album from my favorite band, and on and on.  Most of us have experienced it so often that we're not that surprised when it happens now.  For some of us it's in our relationships with our families, for others it's our friendships or our dating life.  I say all of this because while I have experienced this over and over again in my life in many different things, I have never experienced this in my relationship with Jesus Christ.  Every time I have trusted him, he has blown me away with his faithfulness and blessings.  Never once has he disappointed.  Trusting Christ is a learning process but it's something that will never grow old.  He has and will never fail me which is something we can't say about a lot of things or people. 

The psalmist put it pretty good in Psalm 119:140, "Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and Your servant loves them."  So what about you?  Have you tested God's promises by trusting in Him?  Try it! and I promise you won't be left disappointed.