Kissin' and Cupcakes

Kissin’ and Cupcakes

          I remember the first time that I kissed a girl. I liked it …. a lot! When I think about the kiss, it was actually kind of odd, but in a good way. We had been playing hide and seek in my backyard when there was an overwhelming chemical reaction that even my ten year old brain realized was about to result in a kiss. Being a young lady and resident brownie scout, she decided that this kiss shouldn’t occur in this location. The giant tree we were behind shielded us from prying eyes, which I thought to be quite an adequate place for a kiss. But I am a male, so my opinion was politely dismissed. This wouldn’t be the last time I had to wait on a woman.

          I don’t recall how, but we ended up on the couch in the living room and she was giving instructions. On the count of “three” we were to kiss. Man, when “three” got there, I think my left shoe popped off. Wow! You never forget your first kiss. I thought for sure this would result in marriage and some kids. But alas, it was a short romance, mom’s footsteps were coming down the hall. Mom came in the living room with some cupcakes and milk and I was pretty sure that it wasn’t going to get any better than this, right here and now, kissin’ and cupcakes.

          Fast forward a few decades and I have had a lot of ‘firsts’. First date, first drive, first homerun, first touchdown, first truck, first girl wrecking truck, first daughter, first job, it’s a long list. With each first came a thrill and a sense of accomplishment or guilt, according to the nature of the “first”. Most of us have a tendency to chase that thrill or reminisce longingly for the thrill of a “first’ or of youth. I have chased that rabbit and I bet most of you have too. If we aren’t careful, chasing that ‘first’ rabbit can lead us down into some deep dark holes where things get ugly. When we allow ourselves to become bored or discontent in our life, you can bet that the devil will send a rabbit, i.e. temptation, our way. How do we find ‘lasting’ contentment which is the opposite of chasing the rabbit, the momentary thrill? Philosophers, psychiatrists, and ten cent self-help gurus have written volumes on the subject of contentment or happiness.

          It is a basic human need to be loved and accepted. Without this basic need being satisfied, we will never receive lasting contentment and joy {what a wonderful word}. Where does one find such love and acceptance? God, who created us in His image, is Love. 1 John 4:8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In order to be content, we must know that we are valuable enough to be loved. God made us to have a relationship with Him. God doesn’t make mistakes; He made you exactly as He wants you to be. God even sent His son, Jesus, to become a sinless sacrifice covering our sins with His grace to make us righteous and able to have a relationship with Him! When we give our self to Jesus, we become a child of God, and in that relationship we find the ultimate love and joy.

          Why are there so many sour faced Christians then? We have trouble receiving Gods love. His love is tremendous and wonderful, but we don’t fully trust God. We block our own blessings. It is our nature to take care of problems, to make plans, to do it on our own. We lack faith in God to handle our “little” problems. We are supposed to leave our cares and burdens at the Cross where Jesus died for us. We take our bag of burdens to the Lord and we get on our knees and pray about our burdens. The problem comes when we finish praying. We pick our bag of burdens up and get back to our routine. We pull our burdens back out and speak negatively about them and cry with our friends about them. We make plans to solve our problems and even create a mental wheelbarrow to carry our burdens, all because we never trusted God to take care of them! Peter walked on water in the midst of a storm as long as his eyes were on Jesus. He got into trouble when he saw the waves and doubt crept in. His faith was compromised when his thoughts became negative. He sank because he doubted. I certainly am not looking down on Peter. He walked on water with Jesus. How awesome is that?!

          To be happy, to have joy, to know love, we must learn to trust God in His promise to take care of His children. Seek the Kingdom of God first and all these things will be added unto you, says the Lord. Pray, obey God’s commands, bless others and put God first. If we can do these things then we will avoid most joy destroying, self - destructive behavior that the devil has taught us! In this world, the prince of darkness will find a way to hurt us through a loved one or a boss or some other means. But, we know, that God will work ALL things to the good of those who love Him! We can be content if we choose or we can chase rabbits. Being content doesn’t mean that we don’t strive for better for ourselves and others. We just have to make sure that we don’t put ourselves first, but God and neighbors. To know true joy, we have to learn how to truly be thankful for Christ’s love and what we already are blessed with.

Keep walking,

Kenton