Thoughts for Today - by Pat Grant

So I’m in the grocery store today. I have religious routines when it comes to breakfast. Every morning I do the same thing. Breakfast routines keep my life in control. I have the power to put on the table what I like to eat. It makes me think I have everything together. I do the same breakfast every morning. Started eating the same thing when I was in diapers and will continue into depends. I’ll probably eat the same thing when I’m in a wheel chair mumbling to cute nurses and drooling all over myself. Oatmeal, toast with crunchy peanut butter, and a mashed banana.

Now the peanut butter must be crunchy. Smooth and creamy peanut butter is a sin. I recall somewhere in revelation that those reserved for the lake of fire and brimstone screaming day and night in burning sulphur – they were eating creamy. Hence my problem this morning. I ran out of peanut butter. It’s not the first time but it happens from time to time. In my world when I’m out of peanut butter in the morning just as I’m yanking toast out of the toaster, that’s an economic crisis. That’s the cops coming to your door and saying, “Do you know where your son is because we think he’s staying with us downtown.” Being out of peanut butter is like jumping off the diving board and on the way down you notice the sign that says, “Closed for cleaning will refill the pool next summer.”

So I’m in the grocery store today did I mention that? I go to the jam and jelly aisle. I’m now looking at the wall, I’m talking the great wall of nut butters. So many labels, so many choices. I know what I want, I know what will make me happy so I spend my time narrowing down the bottle and brand. It’s taken many years of tasting and testing to acquire this knowledge and I’m happy to know where I’m at and where I’m going, which is now, believe it or not, the point of this blog.

Choices. We all have them, we all make them. There are so many choices in this life. Whether it’s for nut butters or other things there are thousands of alternatives to serve our needs. Some choices are good, others will ruin you for life. When I reached out to grab a bottle of my brand of peanut butter I was also making other choices wasn’t I? To chose one thing is to not choose something else. That’s called opportunity costs. What you chose to do now is taking you away from something else you could be doing. Chose wisely. Make sure what you’re doing is worth what you’re not doing otherwise.

In my business as a chaplain I’m constantly teaching and preaching about choices. What to do in a situation. What is the right choice to make when faced with a dilemma of some kind. To not ask yourself the question, “Is this what God would want?” or “Do I feel this is the right thing to do?” leaves you vulnerable. When you don’t know what you want the wall will wail! It’ll scream all kinds of answers and you’ll fall prey to doing things you wouldn’t otherwise if you knew what the right thing to do was. Time and tasting do teach streamlined decision making, and so does prayer.

Ask God to give you the ability to make the right choices. Ask Him to show you through the power of the spirit to look at the wall and know what bottle to chose. Ask Him to help you to know what to chose and not to chose that will maximize your happiness and increase the joy in your life. Ask Him. I do know this much about God, He is eager to narrow down the search. He’s willing and enthusiastic about giving you the ability to see past all the substitutes and picking the real deal. In a life filled with smoke and mirrors, where deception is as common as corn syrup who doesn’t want the advantage of seeing through to the heart of a matter.

That’s what God offers through the power of the Holy Spirit. That is what I’m hoping you will think about today. The ability to know what you should be spreading on your toast.

Pat Grant
November 3, 2009