Fried Pickles Are Ruining Your Life, I Can Guarantee It

A while back Jill and I went out to eat for a date night. Keep in mind, we don't eat out very often (we're Dave Ramsey people) so when we do, it’s special. So, that day I decided to skip lunch in order to be really hungry for dinner. Needless to say by the time the waitress was asking us if we wanted an appetizer, I fell for it and we splurged. You can probably guess what we ordered, given the title of this blog. Jill chose fried pickles, and even though I HATE pickles, I will eat my hand if it’s fried.

Within minutes a ridiculously large plate of fried pickles was sitting in front of us and within another few minutes they were demolished by yours truly. You probably see where this is going. By the time the real food came out I was pretty upset at myself. The hunger I had carefully crafted and protected all day long was no where to be found and worst of all, I wasted it on food I DON’T EVEN LIKE.

THE WORD:

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be FILLED.”

- Matthew 5:6

That word, “filled” here is also translated as satisfied or fulfilled. So as I think back to that dreadful night at that subpar restaurant chain, I recognize that while those fried pickles FILLED me, they did not FULFILL me. My belly was full but my soul was empty.

Jesus calls us to hunger. That might sound odd to us initially because we often view hunger as a problem to be solved. In the kingdom of Heaven, however, hunger is what SOLVES problems. I would dare say what most often holds us back from spiritual breakthrough, awakening, power, and miracles is a LACK of hunger. We so desperately want to live satisfied lives that we neglect real satisfaction that can only come in response to true hunger and thirst.

But be aware, hunger without patience is dangerous. Your hunger for whatever the Lord intends to bring about in your life will inevitably be tested by what comes quickly and easily. See, the real test of patience is not just in the waiting, but in not settling for anything less that comes in the meantime.

Here's the reality: patience is the currency of Heaven. Life’s greatest gifts, satisfactions, and blessings all REQUIRE PATIENCE. God puts it like this in Zechariah 4:10 "Do not despise the day of small beginnings."

You want a job you're passionate about? You must be patient in the education process.

You want a house you love? You must be patient in the home-buying process.

You want a baby? You must be patient in the months of sickness, soreness, and fatigue (and that’s just what the husband goes through!)

You want a great marriage? You must be patient in the dating process (We all know friends who settled for marrying a fried pickle).

Here’s what I’m saying: everything sacred starts in SEED FORM. If you can’t take care of a seed, you can’t be trusted with a tree. If you can’t nurture what you put in the ground you won’t value what comes out of the ground.

Now allow me to get just a little "teachy" for a second as I wrap this up.

In Matthew 13, Jesus tells several different parables. In verse 4, the Parable of the Sower, He describes birds swooping down and gobbling up seeds spread along the path. The seed represents the message of the kingdom and the path represents a hard-hearted person unwilling to receive it. But at its surface, we know it's common practice for a bird to take advantage of a quick and easy meal. After all, that's what a seed is to them.

In the same chapter, skipping down to verses 31-32, Jesus tells another parable saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

Two different parables, two different outcomes. In the first one, the bird eats the seed, while in the second one, the seed gets planted and grows so that the birds can nest in it.

Catch the big picture:

The bird rejects a secure future in order to secure a full belly.

The SAME seed that feeds that bird for one meal could feed them and and their family for generations to come. That same seed could provide a place of security from the elements, a place to lay their eggs, and a place to rest their wings.

The difference between that seed being a single meal or a place of refuge is time and patience.

APPLICATION:

I know we're often convinced that we just don't have enough time, but could it be that we really don’t have enough patience? You can’t get more time, but you can become more patient.

There is a Chinese bamboo tree that takes 5 years to grow. It must be watered and fertilized in the ground every day. It doesn’t break through the ground until year 5, but once it does it grows 90 feet in 5 weeks. The question is, did it take 5 years or 5 weeks to grow? It took 5 years, because if at any point you are to stop watering and fertilizing it could die.

Here's my bottom line today: don’t be the person who waters and fertilizes for 4 years and 364 days only to give up on what’s a day away from revealing itself as WORTH THE WAIT.

Don’t give up on a promise that’s in SEED FORM. Don’t you dare settle for a seed when you could have a tree. Don't fall for the appetizer and settle for fried pickles.

QUESTIONS:

1. Where are you currently settling for less than God's will and purpose for your life? Whether it's in your relationships, home life, work life, or spiritual life, make the changes necessary to position yourself for what FULFILLS rather than what comes easily.

2. What promises are you waiting on God to fulfill? Be sure to evaluate your own level of hunger for the things He has promised. Don't be afraid of the sting of hunger; it's actually the key to breakthrough! Take some time to read the Parable of the Persistent Widow in Luke 18.