Sometimes Life is Hard to Swallow

This week, I bought one of those cheap checkout-counter women's magazines, because it had cute hairstyles on the cover (I'm looking for a new 'do.) And inside I find this 3 day liver detox/fat flush "plan." Usually I think this stuff is garbage, but since I have eaten nothing but sugar for the last 38 days, I thought maybe, just maybe I would give it a shot. And Jennifer Garner/Affleck uses it. So it must be good because she's all gorgeous. I'll look like Jennifer Garner in 3 days. Watch and see - I will! We'll look like twins :-P

So, Day One consists of drinking only water and "Miracle Juice." Geez. Not MY name for it, I assure you. It's a mix of pretty normal sounding stuff mostly, like water, cranberry, orange and lemon juices, with ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon. Throw in an oddball herbal supplement that I couldn't find exactly and some "natural" sugar substitute, and now we're cookin'. It smelled pretty good, so I had high hopes. I took my first sip of 492 of this stuff (well, maybe just 400), and discovered that it tastes a bit like Russian tea. Cold russian tea. Yuk.

But, I've gone to the trouble of making this concoction, so I decide to press on. I'm driving to work, finishing my first cup, when I get to the bottom. What was swirling around in there was all the spices , etc. that did not dissolve. It looked pretty gritty and not at all appealing. I was tempted to dump out those last few gulps, but decided that those things were put in for a reason: presumably a benefit. So I closed my eyes, and swallowed the rest. And it wasn't so bad, as long as I didn't look.

And then this thought occurred to me. The things we encounter in life may be good for us, but may also be hard to swallow. We may think we need a promotion, but God says, "You're not ready." We may want more, but God says, "You need to be content with what you have." We may desire a relationship with someone, but God says, "That's not the one I chose for you." We may say, "I don't want to do that. It's too hard." And God says, "It's too hard for you alone, but not if you ask Me to help."

Sometimes God's answers to what we want are hard to swallow. But His answers are always best.

So, as the New Year arrives in a few short hours, I'll share my hope for 2008. Not just for me, but for you as well:

I pray that we learn to be grateful for the blessings God has given us. I pray that we learn contentment, wherever we are. I pray that not only will we rejoice when God's plan makes us happy, but that we all be able to close our eyes, and swallow God's portion when we don't really like what He's offering. Because even the gritty stuff is good for you...

Happy New Year!

But seriously, if you try the Miracle Juice, heat it up first: then it just might pass for russian tea :-) And I lost three pounds the first day :-D