Monday Morning Memo: Lord, Help Me

We were blessed last week to be able to spend time in the beautiful state of Florida.  As I have written before, I am not a fan of cold weather, so we usually try to escape for a few days to a warmer climate sometime during the winter each year.

Whenever we travel, we try hard to not eat in too many chain restaurants.  I usually spend time scouring a website called TripAdvisor which has reviews from customers for eating establishments in the area to which we are traveling.  We love to try out the locally owned “Mom and Pop” style restaurants where most of the locals eat.  We have been doing this for quite a few years and I don’t believe we have ever been steered wrong and, as a result, have found some amazing, out of the way eateries which we return to when we are in the area.

Of all the local places we have experienced, there is one that probably stands above all the others in my opinion.  We found it a couple of years ago when we were in the Orlando area and we were thrilled to find out it was still open for business this past week.  Anyone that knows me well will not be shocked to find out that it is an ice cream shop.

I am rather strange in the fact that I rarely eat any ice cream at home.  I seldom buy it at the grocery store and when I do it usually gets nasty before it is consumed.  But that changes when I find a really good place of business that specializes in this particular dessert.  That’s when my will power often goes out the window and I thoroughly enjoy every…single…bite.

While perusing TripAdvisor two years ago, I came across raving reviews of the ice cream found at Private Island Ice Cream Company.  Person after person said it was by far the best ice cream they had ever eaten.  These people hadn’t just heard about it, they had experienced it firsthand and so they had authority to let others know their opinions.

What makes their ice cream so much better is the fact that it is made right in front of you.  You decide what you want in your personal concoction and then, using liquid nitrogen, your ice cream is made from milk right before your eyes.  The result?  The creamiest, most amazing frozen delight you will ever experience.  This company’s website says that they have “The Most Amazing Ice Cream Under The Sun!"  and I have to agree.

I can’t tell you how many people we have told about this establishment.  We have shown others pictures of our visits there and tried to describe just how incredible their ice cream is in our opinion.  It isn’t just a place we have heard about or just read about…it is a place we have experienced for ourselves and ice cream that we have indulged in several different times.  We tell others because we want them to try it out too since we believe they will like it just as much as we do.   Why would we want to keep quiet about something that we think is so incredible?

I was thinking about this over the weekend and I realized this is how we should be about telling others about our Jesus.  Talk about someone incredible!  He came to this earth to experience everything we will ever face and then endured an agonizing death on a cross for our sins.  Then He rose again so that we could live forever with Him in eternity.  Now THAT is something to talk about!  It’s not just something we have heard about…those of us who have accepted Him into our hearts as our Lord and Savior have experienced it.  We know firsthand what an awesome God we serve and we should be sharing our knowledge with everyone with whom we come in contact!

But for some reason, it’s often so much easier to talk about ice cream.  Bragging on a frozen dessert doesn’t step on anyone’s toes…doesn’t make us feel uncomfortable…doesn’t push us out of our comfort zone.  And more than likely, sharing about ice cream won’t cause anyone to reject us.  It’s just so much safer, isn’t it?  Even though experiencing good food satisfies for just a fleeting moment, but experiencing a relationship with Christ is for eternity…we still often choose comfort over someone’s eternal destination.

Lord, forgive me. 

Lord, forgive me for my laziness, selfishness and lack of concern for the salvation of others. 

Lord, help me to realize how short time is and the urgency with which I should be sharing about my Jesus. 

Why in the world would I want to keep quiet about Someone who I know to be so incredible?