Greetings Dear Reader,
When I was a children’s pastor, we held a quarterly Ice
Cream Sundae buffet after church to raise funds for special events for the
kids. We would lay out all the
acceptable toppings for ice cream, syrups, and whipped cream.
We would serve about two hundred adults and I would get to
move back and forth along the toppings table greeting our “customers”. What
always caught my attention was the banter over which toppings were “proper” for
ice cream. I also learned that ice cream
is the great equalizer when it comes to adults.
I watched proper deacons squabble over pineapple versus
strawberry toppings. The walnuts and pecans
were the sources of contention between the matrons in the ladies’ auxiliary. There was even a couple who actually got into
a shouting match once. It seems that they
were heatedly in conflict over the idea of a sundae having chocolate ice cream
at all.
My perspective was that people were elevating simple choices
to a level that caused conflict. An
event that was supposed to be joyful and child-like was turned into pockets of
prideful preference. The thing that wore
on my heart the most was that they were arguing about something that did not
impact them in any real way. You see,
they did not have to eat the toppings over which they were squabbling. Their objections were to the preferences of
others.
I am guilty of this.
That does not preclude me from seeing the foolishness of it. It is similar to the conflicts over ketchup
on hot dogs or pineapple on pizza. It is
like criticizing the color of another person’s car. I do not have to drive it,
so it is none of my concern.
We take this even further, Dear Reader. We demand that others think like we do in
many ways. We judge others for not doing
so and condemn them when they disagree.
We do not accept it when others do this to us, making us hypocrites as
well. We are willing to let others live
in freedom if they choose to live like us.
The things that do not matter, when fueled by pride, cause us
to turn them into things that do. We
deny others their preferences in areas that are actually opportunities to
rejoice in our differences. I have
discovered some of my favorite things by experiencing them with those who knew
them best.
I must not judge the preferences of others. I must see each difference as a facet of
their uniqueness. In that, I must learn
to love them for the solitary place they hold in all of the universe. When I focus on this, I can find the beauty
that resides in each soul. No matter
their preferences in things that do not matter, I can find ways to love and
learn if I am gracious and kind. Please,
however, do not ask me to try anchovies on my ice cream.
Wishing you joy in the journey,
Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every
writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a
homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure
store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Contacts for Aramis
Thorn:
#aramisthorn
Bookings: aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com
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