Don’t Just Eat the Marshmallows!

“DON’T JUST EAT THE MARSHMALLOWS!” I print this on a banner and wave it madly over the breakfast table. Every time I buy Lucky Charms, it’s the same. The kids beg to eat it and then pick out the fluffy sugary sweetness and leave the cute oat shapes floating aimlessly in the bowl. You would think that I’d wise up and quit buying it. But as I decidedly march down the cereal aisle looking for healthy, low-sugar, proves-I’m-a-good-mom cereal, there he is. His cute little leprechaun face luring me in – promising gold at the end of the rainbow and before I know it I’m in the check out line with yet another box of Lucky Charms.

The next morning, I stand perched over the breakfast table, banner in hand, chanting, “Don’t just eat the marshmallows. The little oat shapes are good for you. They’re oat. And that makes them – good for you.” The cereal is meant to be eaten with sugary-sweet and good-for-you-to-eat together. It’s a partnership. You can’t have one without the other.

Just like…us with God. We always want to eat the marshmallows or blessings but want to leave the oat shapes or growing in the Word in the bowl of life. Sometimes we are unwilling to partake of the things God gives us that are good for us and help us to grow. We only want the marshmallow mountaintop. We’d prefer to leap from mountaintop to mountaintop munching on marshmallows. But, friends, I’ve learned we can’t always be on the mountaintop. We have to spend some time munching on that which makes us healthy. We have to spend time in God’s word, listen for His voice, and allow Him to grow us.

When we do that, we will get to eat the marshmallows. But we’ll eat them together with the crunchy oat shapes – the way God intended. So, next time you find yourself hovering over a bowl of Lucky Charms, enjoy the goodness in all of it. You’ll be glad you did!