A Birthday Breakfast

Last Monday Doris and I took our granddaughter, Emma, out for her fifth birthday. We have started taking the older grandchildren out for breakfast for some "alone time" with Grandma and Grandpop. I am not sure if this is a special treat for the grandchildren or their grandparents!

There is a little country store about four miles from the farm where Emma lives with our son, Andy, and his wife, Kristine. Bright and early, well at least early, we got up for our special "date." It was typical upstate New York weather for a spring morning - temperatures somewhere in the upper 30's. Emma met us at the door all dressed up in her pink tank top and multicolored tights - clothes she picked out herself. Doris and I stood there dressed in a long sleeved shirt and sweatshirt wondering if our little Emma would freeze to death! We asked if she needed anything else. Assuring us she was fine, she grabbed her new purse and off we went.

In the restaurant the locals were beginning to arrive. Emma picked a booth for us and we slid across the cold vinyl. Our "birthday girl," who learned to read this fall, picked up the menu and began to sound out some of the words. She indeed was getting older! We sped up the process a bit and told her some of the highlights on the menu like scrambled eggs, chocolate chip pancakes, thick French toast with maple sugar, sugary cereal, donuts, chocolate milk, and a host of other goodies that only grandparents would give to a child. I announced, "You can pick anything you would want."

She replied, "I want toast and white milk." I repeated she could have whatever she wanted. Again she replied, "I want toast and white milk."

Concerned that this was not much of a birthday breakfast, "I said, isn't there something else?" I then again began rehearsing the menu items. Again she replied, "I want toast and white milk." I finally talked her into a banana too!

I thought later, is this something like how God feels when He has "blessed me with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3), and I take advantage of so little of what He offers? Is He frustrated with how little I enjoy of what He provides? Does He wonder if I understand what he is making available to me? Is He concerned that there is something wrong with me because I do not take advantage of what He has so freely offered? Is He disappointed that I am not enjoying what He knows I would really like?

What I do know is this, Jesus wants me to "have life, and to have it to the full" (John 10:10). Lord, may I sit down at your table of life's blessings and not just nibble on the toast and drink the white milk. Let me dig into the riches of your grace that You make freely available to me.