My Pleasure

What is your favorite fast food restaurant?

For breakfast; Hardee's or Bojangles? With kids; McDonald's or Wendy's? With friends; a Zaxby's platter or Little Caesar's Hot-n-Ready? These decisions are always tough and vary with the shifting circumstances of who, what, when, and where.

My favorite restaurant, without question, is Chic-Fil-A. I don't know if it's the product of such great food, the customer service that goes above and beyond typical fast food chains, or the leadership and character qualities they employ with each member of their team.

But there's one thing I know I can always count on; it's hearing these words ringing from every checkout line, "My pleasure!" Without fail, those words always follow the exchange of my money for their #1 combo with a lemonade.

Have you ever thought about what it would sound like to hear God say, "My pleasure?"

He did.

"It pleased the Lord to crush Him."

Jesus was betrayed by His own disciple, falsely accused by His own countrymen, beaten by Roman guards, and ultimately executed by crucifixion and it pleased the Father to see His son agonizing in pain under the weight of such a devastating event.

"Father if there is any way to pass this cup from me, nevertheless may your will be done." And it pleased the Father.

"Eloi Eloi lama sabachthani?!" [My God, my God why have you forsaken Me?] Yet, it pleased the Father.

How could He be pleased?

Think about the paradox of this event. Jesus had all authority but surrendered himself to the Father's will. His suffering brought pleasure to the Father. He gave up His life for us to have life. His body was broken that we may become beautiful.

He tasted the bitterness of death that we may taste the sweetness of life. Because of this exchange, this transaction, our account has been paid in full with His words, "It is finished!"

How did Jesus muster up the boldness and the breath to speak these words? Very simply; He was obedient, He was willing to surrender, He had faith in His Father.

And what about you? What is required of you to hear God speak "My pleasure" over your life? Obey; God's will be done. Surrender; give your life into His hands. Faith; trust Him with every situation in your life.

The daunting task of crushing His son was the necessary payment to make this great exchange. And on Sunday when Jesus arose from the grave the invitation was given that we may receive life.

How fitting is it that Chic-Fil-A would be closed on Sundays; the day God opened the door to life and provided a seat at the table of His presence?

Dropping the 'F' Bomb

Have you ever said something you wish you could take back? 

I remember like it was yesterday playing at a friend's house as a kid. Amidst all the running around I remember smelling something terrible. And without hesitating, I looked at my friend and said, "Who farted?" 

The look on his face was priceless. He gave a blank stare then turned to his mom as she cocked her head with a look of disappointment and said, "We don't say the 'F' word." 

What just happened? You mean to tell me that I just dropped the 'F' bomb!

I know. I get it. We've all heard worse. Said worse. Thought worse. I mean, really, how terrible can that 'F' word be? There are countless other words that defame, exclude, and cause issue with those in our midst than that.

What about these 'F' words? Fine, fear, failure. I would suggest using these words to describe our attitudes and behaviors can be more detrimental than some other words we tend to think are brash and unacceptable in our dialogue. 

We believe the lie that we're fine. How are you? Fine. How are the kids? Fine. How's your job? Fine. Everything's fine. Seriously? When, in reality, you're physically and emotionally fatigued. Your spouse is lonely. Your kids are craving attention. Your performance at work is lacking. But in your mind, everything is fine. 

We need to stop tipping our hats with these friendly gestures and learn to be honest and transparent with those who can hold us accountable for our words and actions. Fine has become a word of endearment to keep others from digging beneath the surface and reaching the depths of our heart.  

Our best moments are being paralyzed by fear. We don't seize opportunities for success and adventure because we fear the possibilities of being de-railed along the way. Too often the risk of the unknown outweighs our attempts to accomplish or experience something new in our life. 

We often feel victimized and demonized by our past failures. We feel our identity is wrapped up in what we've done instead of who we are. Our minds are like a punching bag mauling our thoughts with words of guilt and condemnation. Our self-worth has been decimated under the scrutiny of our past mistakes. And this couldn't be further from the truth. 

We need to stop dropping the 'F' bomb and start cleaning up our speech. We need to learn how to take every thought captive. What does that mean? We need to pour our words through a filter that provides a fresh, life-altering, life-giving view of who we are and what we're to do. 

No, we're not perfect. No, we don't have it all figured out. No, we don't have all the answers. But we have a direct line to the One who knows the truth about how we're doing, who can cast out fear and doubt, and who forgives our past mistakes. He alone is the ultimate 'F' bomb; He's our Father.