The Cornetto vs God

Imagine you have a very small family. Your mum buys a packet of eight Cornettos and you all have one each.

Excellent, there’s four left. You want another one, why not? You eat another one, all the while dreaming of the other three still left, waiting to be devoured.

You feel a little sick and have an ice-cream headache but you reckon you could go another one. You weigh up the fat content against the run you’ve promised yourself you’ll do if you can just taste the cool, crunchy sweetness on your tongue again.

You eat your third.

Did you really need it? Did you even enjoy it? We are always wanting something more, aren’t we? Could we be satisfied with that one Cornetto, knowing there are more to be had in the freezer? Or did we simply want to take it so no-one else will be able to take it first and enjoy it? Or would we just be jealous if someone takes them and we have none? We don’t like missing out. Society today is full of material junkies. We are constantly wanting more and wishing we could have that new Rip Curl jumper, slim-line pink straightener, mini iPod or new skateboard wheels.

Everything our friends have and more. We take our eyes off God by being dissatisfied with the perfect plan He has written out just for us.

I was reading through Psalm 78 in church recently, while listening to the sermon of course. It talked about the Israelites in the wilderness with Moses. God had saved them from Egypt, and He promised to give them everything they needed, nothing more, nothing less. But again and again they challenged God and His power and asked for more.

They didn’t trust Him. And what happened to them? Verses 29- 30 say, “They ate till they had more than enough, for he had given them what they craved. But before they turned from the food they craved, even while it was still in their mouths” (NIV). This means that for a time they were satisfied and God let them have what they thought they needed. But, as human nature goes, they had barely finished enjoying what they craved for before they were onto the next thing. Sounds like the Israelites were behaving just as spoilt as we do today, don’t you think? So then I ask you, what is the difference between a need and a want? How many of us look at our friends and think I wish I had a boyfriend/girlfriend so I could be as happy as them or I’m not as thin as her so I’m inferior or He is a better football player than me . You never know, someone might be looking at YOU and thinking I wish I had your type of personality or hair like yours or eyes as big as yours or a sixpack as flat as yours or as many friends as you.

We are all unique, created by God’s hand and He desperately wants us to love ourselves and see ourselves as He sees us. And, as Christian music artist Shawn McDonald sings, “My God don’t create junk.” My God gives to me according to what is good for me, even though sometimes I don’t see it. There’s always something else that I want, whether it’s the latest fashion or that gorgeous guy in my class at college. It’s all about keeping your eyes fixed on God vertically; do not worry about horizontal concerns. The same God that times things in my life perfectly, has and will also supply all your needs, and He is waiting for you to trust Him. Jeremiah 29:11- 13 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (NIV).

Back to the Cornetto left in the fridge.

It won’t satisfy you permanently. But imagine God as the BIG Cornetto, that you can eat and eat, as well as share with your mates and families, and it never ends. The taste gets even better with every bite and you never feel sick from eating too much. In fact, the more you eat the more you want. And the more you need. “Taste and see that the Lord is good,” says Psalm 34:8 (NIV).

So today, as you go about your life, trust that everything in your life is in place and that God is giving you everything you need.