By: Travis W. Lewis

October 1, 2002

The following is actually a true story of a simple encounter by the editor in his business travels during the summer of 2002. Since the lesson intended is not to place ridicule on any individual or organization, the names are fictitious. The original essay was first published in the October, 2002 issue of REVEILLE, which is posted on this website under REVEILLE Issue #15. The original article is edited for use as an essay on this website.

I first saw Nicki ordering lunch at a popular fast-food restaurant. He at once appeared to be a jolly, young boy– maybe eight years old, with curly black hair that immediately caught the attention of everyone around him. Nicki was also very plump. Actually, he was really obese. Nicki’s face was pudgy to the point that his eyes appeared to be in a continual squint, and his neck appeared to consist only of a roll that cushioned his head on his shoulders. The course of the young guy’s barely detectable beltline ran from a point hardly above his hips from behind, sharply downward and under his belly that hang over and hid whatever belt he may have worn. “What d’ye want for lunch, Nicki?”, his mother asked. “A Big Mac burger with cheese, a ragl’r cheeseburger, biggie fries and a big Coke.”, Nicki replied as his hands fidgeted with the pockets of his baggy pants. Then, jerking at his mother’s elbow, he added, “And, hey Mama, can I have two apple pies again? We still get two for only eighty-nine cents.”.

By this time, needless to say, Nicki really had my attention. “Nicki, this is the third time this week you’ve ordered the same things. Do you stay hungry all the time?”, was his mother’s only reply as she placed the order and paid for their meals. She took their self-serve drinking cups from the waitress and handed the large one to Nicki. Obviously energized, he turned and made a b-line toward the drink fountains as waiting customers quickly parted to make way. By this time, my grin that had begun as Nicki was ordering had become a silent chuckle. After chugging down a great part of his first cup of Coke, Nicki quickly reloaded and parked himself for his meal. As I sat in wait to meet a friend, Nicki’s lunch arrived, and he wasted no time in his attack. By the time he finished, hardly a crumb had escaped his relentless chomp, after which they prepared to leave with plain reflection in Nicki’s countenance that his appetites had been satisfied – at least for now.

For me, it had been a simple experience. but as Nicki left, a striking comparison somehow began to form in my mind between what I have often observed with would-be worshippers – myself included. Nicki came with a void that yearned to be filled. He never entertained the thought that his choice of food that tasted so good and temporarily satisfied his desires was loaded with stuff that would one day prove to have been rather useless, and often harmful, to the body which he assumed to be nourishing. His attention had seldom, if ever, been focused on nutrition or healthy growth or maturity. As a result, his choices brought little, if any, lasting strength and offered no hope for a truly healthy or hopeful future.

Quite the opposite. Instead, his choices would someday likely bring major regret – yet possibly too late. Nicki enjoyed ‘good feelings’ as he gulped his fat-laden meal with which he was soon filled. The thought never occurred to Nicki that he was actually weakening the ability of his body to function on a level that life would someday demand.

In the choices of Nicki and his mother, we may find a lesson that is practical on the spiritual plane of our own lives. Nicki’s mother was responsible for supervising and providing for his nourishment. Her choice was whether to simply satisfy Nicki’s appetite with his choice of food, or to provide him with genuine nourishment for his maturity. Her decision was a foolish one – to humor the appetite of the son that she professed to love while denying him the actual nourishment for which she was responsible. I suppose this to be the balance beam upon which every serious pastor and teacher constantly tread, “How can I make my points palatable enough to be accepted, yet genuine enough to provide growth for the Lord’s children?”

Such a constant struggle is neither easy nor is it won without help from God. From personal observation, and for various other reasons, I fear that many of us succumb to the same convenient, low-resistance choices made by Nicki’s mother. Each of us would be wise to seriously consider our own choices of spiritual intake; yet, in choosing, be aware that such examination requires brutal honesty.

Are we actually made stronger by our choices of spiritual intake – our choice of our own Christian education, along with our manner of worship and praise; or are we seeking only to satisfy a temporary need to experience a religious buzz and to “feel” fulfilled, if only for a little while? Leaving our Christian services, do we take home encouragement and thoughts that truly help us make wiser choices in our lives? Or, do we just feel good for a short while, then arrive home no more enlightened or prepared to respond to life in a Christ-like manner than we were when we left for “worship” services? Do we leave our services actually cleansed of the ‘stinking thinking’ produced by dread, greed, jealousy, or vengeance that thrived in our hearts when we arrived; or does the benediction return us to the same pit of worry, hate, and revenge? Are our worries erased by what we hear in Bible study, songs and sermon? Or, do we return to wallowing in the same slough of despondency soon after arriving home? When we have our protracted meetings or “revivals” – after we sing and preach and pray in festive fellowship for days and nights on end – by the time a few days expire following the meetings, can anyone tell that the meetings even took place? Did the revival that we described as being ‘really good’ actually revive us? Did our efforts bring anyone outside or inside the church into a closer fellowship with Jesus Christ? If so, for how long? Did our efforts produce a more intense hunger and thirst for the knowledge and likeness of Christ in our lives? Or are there no really lasting, visible results at all?

Not one of us experiences a genuine closeness with the Holy Spirit of Heaven without a positive, lasting impact on our lives. Are we actually seeking genuine growth and usefulness in the Kingdom of God? With increase in knowledge and closeness with Jesus Christ comes an increase in usefulness for His Cause. Such maturing produces changes in habits and priorities, all of which are invariably evident to those we meet along our way. As we grow, we more often find ourselves seeking the lasting strength afforded by drawing nearer to God through regular, genuine, prayerful study of His Word. Only then does the quality of our spiritual diet assume a higher priority and provide the strength and continued growth expected of the Father.

If we fail, then the service that provided only cheap, temporary highs for which we may have formerly drooled, will take on the same value which we placed on the choices made by Nicki and his mother. If we succeed in our “reset” effort, we can begin to leave our services strengthened and motivated to display the beauty of godliness, instead of simply heading home for a long nap before time for another ‘McService’. Ω