Relationship Nightmares

Have you ever seen one of those reality shows where a celebrity chef goes to a failing restaurant and tries to turn it around? Like Kitchen Nightmares or Restaurant: Impossible. One of my favorites in that category is Kitchen Nightmares. I'm not sure why I like to watch it so much. There is some nasty stuff on there, and I get grossed out pretty easily. But the show is just very enticing to me. If you're not familiar with the premise: arguably the most successful chef in the entire world, Gordon Ramsey, travels across the country to very sad, pitiful restaurants and uses his knowledge to help the staff turn their business around so they don't have to close down. Gordon Ramsey is very...well, let's just say he is very aggressive. Alright, he is a complete jerk sometimes, and upsets a lot of the people he encounters. However, like I said earlier, he is quite possibly the most successful person in the culinary industry. This success gives him a lot of credibility in my mind when he is saying something. But, one of the funniest things about the show to me is that these people who own or work in failing restaurants are so stuck in their ways that they actually argue with Chef Ramsey about the changes that need to be made. It just amazes me that people are so blind to their mistakes and won't listen to the one guy that gives them the best chance to survive. Throughout the rest of the show, Chef Ramsey often will redesign the restaurant, change the menu, and sometimes change the staff as well. He does all of this over a one-week period in order to "re-launch" the restaurant at the end of the week to bring about a new atmosphere and give the place a new identity. You might be wondering why I'm blogging about a TV show. I promise that I have a point.

The other day I was watching an episode, and I started thinking: "How accurately this describes our relationship with God!" One particular chef decided that his cooking was better than Chef Ramsey's, and this gentleman was not going to hear any of Ramsey's suggestions. It started a really big scene in the kitchen while customers were waiting for food (ratings boost, much?). Toward the end of the episode though, the chef began to come to his senses and applied the suggestions of Chef Ramsey. According to the show, that particular restaurant is now a great success in their city. But throughout the show, I started being reminded of how much I'm like the failing chef. There are so many times in my life that I know God has told me what He wants me to do, but I argue with Him and try to convince Him (and myself) that my way is going to be better. I'm so stubborn that I actually continue to fail so that I can say I'm taking care of things on my own, when in reality I'm just getting closer and closer to "shutting down". When I allow God to come in, change my selfish ways, "redesign" my heart, change my attitude, and sometimes change the people I surround myself with, I begin to see Him in a clearer, brighter light. He becomes the center of my thoughts, my words, and my actions. He guides me through this world and teaches me along the way. Sometimes that process brings tears, and sometimes it brings a great deal of hurt. But I'm being sanctified by the grace of God. And I'm grateful for those hard times, because through them, I feel myself pressing more into my Savior. And in doing that, I'm learning that He is the only source of my survival, and the only bringer of salvation.

Sufficiency

After several weeks of what seemed to be non-stop busyness, it was so wonderful to get away with my sweet bride Lyndsey and head to DFW to celebrate the wedding of David and Anna Gale. We enjoyed an awesome weekend seeing family and friends. It was also wonderful to be able to resonate on the beauty of grace that our Savior offers us. Marriage is such a tremendous picture of the grace that is offered to us. During the ceremony, I was reminded of the promise that our Heavenly Father made so many years ago to Abram in Genesis 15. After being commanded to bring several animals and cut them in half, Abram laid the animal halves across from each other forming an aisle. (This was customary during that time in order for a covenant to be formed between two parties. Both groups would pass through the animal halves, symbolizing that the promise would be held together by blood.) This was the physical way God was going to show Abram the covenant He would make. However, God already knew that Abram's descendants would not hold up their end of the promise. God proceeded to pass through the animal halves without Abram, stating that He would hold His end of the promise even though the (future) Israelites were not going to be faithful. What an amazing testimony of our God's grace! Even when we are filthy, irresponsible, disobedient, and downright sinful, our God holds up His end of the promise. Even in the death of Christ, the promise is upheld, because we have never been able to hold up our end of the bargain. We are a wicked race, and could never do enough to earn the salvation God brings. I've been so amazed this weekend of the grace that is offered to me. And in turn, so humbled by how unworthy I am of said grace. Let us all rest in the grace of God, instead of trying to earn favor by our actions. Let us be reminded that God's grace is sufficient to save us.

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." -2 Corinthians 12:9a