Puppies and Chocolate

The other day a friend of mine called and made mention that she was stressed out because the students in the College she works at were worried that they weren't going to get their annual Puppies and Chocolate Day.  Yeah, you heard me right:  Puppies and Chocolate Day.  In fact, one person who was running for the next years student government realized  how upset the student body was so she used it for political gain.  Immediately her campaign became, "elect me and I'll bring back Puppies and Chocolate Day".

Wow.

Puppies and Chocolate Day ended up happening.  There was free Chocolate to eat and Dogs hanging around to pet and all was well in the universe again.

Here is some insights.

We are all really worried about our own Puppies and Chocolate Day.  It may not be candy and chocolate, but maybe it's the next promotion or the next relationship.  We so desire comfort.  We don't really desire contentment, but comfort.  Puppies and Chocolate Day allows us to be comforted and please our senses, but we are not really content.  In fact, we start waiting for next years Chocolate and Puppies day.  When the relationship fails, we start looking for the next one.  When we don't get the promotion we look for some other way to find comfort.  We go get drunk.  We bury a night in Dairy Queen therapy.  We run a marathon with our buddy Netflix.  We fight an endless battle on Call of Duty.  We use drugs.  We cut.  We get busy.  We bury ourselves hoping for one day of comfort.  One more Puppies and Chocolate Day.

It's a trap.  Let's stop and look around us and really see how beautiful everything is.  For most of us, if this is all we had it would be enough.  It really would.  Especially if you are reading this and you are a follower of Jesus Christ.  This life is a short season and then eternity with our Savior.  All the comfort we think we desire is cheap imitations for the eternal glory of the life to come.  Our souls are hungry for God and we try to fill that desire with momentary comforts.  They don't have a chance of meeting our needs, only God does.  Paul put it this way.

"for I have learned to be content with
whatever I have.
I know how to live on almost nothing
or with everything.  I have learned the
secret of living in every situation,
whether it is with a full stomach or empty,
with plenty or little.  
For I can do everything through Christ,
who gives me strength"

Christ fulfills us.  He sustains us.  He last.  

I write this because I'm struggling with it right now.  The world never quits pulling us and telling to just try this and you will feel so much better.  Just make this much more money and everything will be okay.  Just impress this many more people and you will feel great.  Lies.

I want to be content and when the puppy comes by I'll pet it and occasionally chocolate may get eaten, but they are not the goal, they are gifts.   

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