Trail I
made up a batch of trail mix the other day. Some peanuts, almonds and a few walnuts went in. A handful of dried cranberries and mangoes got tossed in, too. And, of course, some mini chocolate chips—because trail mix just isn’t trail mix without chocolate. When I set a dish of it on the table for my boys I got shouts of thanks.
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“Ooh! It’s trail mix. Thanks Mom!” “Oh, I want some.” “I get it after you!” And then…the picking began. One of them started picking out the cranberries. Another went after just the peanuts and chocolate chips. But the third child grabbed an entire handful, and I smiled.“Good,” I thought to myself,“He’s going to enjoy the complete goodness of the mix.” I watched as he opened his hand ready to pop the mix into his mouth. But he didn’t. He started to pick out the walnuts and toss them back into the dish! I shook my head in disbelief as I walked out of the room. There are people who view God’s Word as a trail mix. They sort through it, looking for the pieces that gratify them, bring them contentment, or speak to their current problem. They avoid the pieces that make them anxious, create doubt, or speak to their sin. Sometimes pieces of the Bible don’t mesh with their human reason. They cannot figure out how our entire world could be created in six days, so they don’t choose that piece. Or they can make no sense of how a virgin could give birth to a child, so they leave that piece alone, too. Other people go gung-ho after God’s Word, scouring it and taking it all in only to find that some of it doesn’t look so appetizing. “You shall not murder,” God’s Word tells us in Exodus. Yet their minds begin to reason that abortion is okay, or on the other hand, that a soldier killing in the line of duty is breaking this commandment. They read about the Lord’s acts of wrath in the Old Testament and wonder how a loving God could actually be that vengeful. The apostle Paul wrote many letters that make up much of the New Testament. They are full of good words for people today. But some people may begin to reason that since Paul was human, and full of flaws, his writing must also be flawed. Therefore, they feel they must be careful as they read it because it may not be beneficial as a whole.
