It seems God presence is on me in this season. For I find him even at the restaurant. This Sunday I had the pleasure of having lunch with my wife at the Olive Garden. I have just recently broken a twenty one day fast and in the process my stomach has shrunk I can consume less than I did before. This to my advantage as I wish to keep the weight I lost off. Any how, since I eat less than I did before and because the Olive Garden is not the most economical place to have lunch, my wife and I decided to share a meal. Since we were only purchasing one meal we went all out. In addition to the bread they bring out we ordered an appetizer and a salad and pasta. It was a good ole fashioned three course Italian meal.
Well of course it was Sunday and the lines where long. So I was hungry when I left church at noon, I was famished by the time two o’clock rolled around and we were finally getting a table. As soon as we sat down we ordered our food. Within minutes they had brought out a huge bowl of salad and our appetizer. I attacked the food. I began to devour the breadsticks, inhale the salad, and demolished the appetizer. After about ten to fifteen minutes had passed and my feeding frenzy had subsided the pasta finally arrived. The pasta was my wife’s choice and it was delicious. While I can not properly spell the name, the dish had the most amazing chicken, shrimp and beacon. It went down smoothly with a creamy cheesy sauce. MMMM! However to my dismay after just a few bites I was full. I could barely eat another bite. The most delicious part of the meal and I couldn’t eat it, I had wasted my appetite on appetizers, bread and salad. The cheap stuff, the stuff that almost tastes the same at home. I was devastated. I complained to my wife, she laughed and happily consumed her portion and mine. “You should have waited” she said with a smile and a laugh as she took another forkful of pasta and I looked at her enviously. As I watched my wife I laughed and realized I should have waited. It occurred to me that my lunch and life where much the same. We have such a hunger for life too often we waste our time, energy and effort on the cheap stuff, the stuff that doesn’t matter and when its time for the good stuff its to late, we have already spent what we have and others enjoy our portion. These last few weeks our pastor has encouraged us to a life of discipline. I want to encourage you to the same. It is true that in a disciplined life there is much sacrifice, however what is sacrificed is the appetizer, the salad and the breadsticks. You may not always be full however when the time is right there will be plenty of room for the Pasta. Don’t be like me be like my wife, wait for the pasta. Live the adventure.
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