Slow Cooked Joy
Text: Psalm 30:5
And just like that…it’s September.
I am a man of many vices – 80s rom-coms, the Dallas Cowboys, semicolons – but perhaps the most deadly of all of my sins: fast food. In fact, in the 40 years of my vicious life, I have become something of a fast food connoisseur. Name a restaurant and I can tell you what the best experience is going to be. McDs? You want the #1 with extra cheese. Burger King? The Jr. Whopper with cheese sits high in the pantheon of fast food delights. Sonic? Oh man, you made the right choice! Get anything on the menu, but add a side of onion rings - with cheese, of course.
The most important thing I learned in college, however, is that there is only one place that can satisfy a late night craving for the ‘fourth meal’ of the day. That’s right: ¡Yo quiero Taco Bell!
Fortunately for my body, my heart, and my daughter, I hadn’t been to Taco Bell in years (where, by the way, you want to order the #8 – a Mountain Dew, two taco supremes, and a Mexican pizza with sour cream), but the other night driving home from the church my thoughts strayed outside the bun and I had a sudden urge to make a run for the border.
Pulling up to the drive-thru window, the regret already turning to heartburn in anticipation, I had a very unexpected exchange with the young man taking my payment.
He took my card and then said, ‘So how’s your 2020 been, man?’
At first I thought he was messing with me, but his eyes indicated that it was a serious question. ‘Well…I guess about the same as everyone else’s,’ I replied with a laugh.
He responded as he handed back my card, ‘Yeah man. It’s been bad. I just got hired back yesterday.’
My easy anticipation melted into hard realization instantly: This has been an unimaginably difficult year for a lot of folks.
He handed me the bag of ill-advised ‘food’ and all I could think to say was, ‘Joy comes in the morning, man. The night doesn’t last forever.’ I could tell he wasn’t expecting a real response, much less the butchering of a Bible verse, but his eyes lit up.
‘Amen, brother. Amen. You have a great night. Here’s to 2021!’
The Spirit has been slow-cooking that brief exchange over fast food for a couple weeks now, and it has been a recipe for a great deal of reflection. The ingredients include: There are folks who are struggling; I haven’t done enough to alleviate the struggles of others; I’ve focused too much on my own struggles; and I haven’t allowed others to help me in my struggles.
And just like that…it’s September. And it’s been an unprecedented and hard year for all of us.
My prayer and hope for all of us is that we will all strive to be aware of the struggling of those around us, be more open with our own struggles, and have the courage and vulnerability to lean on each other as we move through this time together – and do so in the Spirit of God that binds us together.
Let us slow down and become connoisseurs of the Spirit’s fruit, taking the time to be present and in relationship with each other.
I can’t think of a more healthy food for us right now. With such a meal, we can be confident: Joy comes in the morning!
And the morning is coming...
