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A Life Lesson in 7 Eleven

One Sunday after church last year, my daughter and I stopped at 7 Eleven. While we were in the store, Jocelyn asked me, “Daddy, if Jesus is God’s son, and if Jesus asked God not to let him to die, why did God let Jesus die? Why didn’t God answer his prayer?”

 

Yes, I was in the hot seat!

 

I said, “Well, God had something better for Jesus. . . . Do you see that ice cream sandwich in your hand right there? You asked me to buy you that ice cream sandwich, right? Now, if I took that ice cream sandwich away from you, you wouldn’t like that, would you?”

 

She said, “No.”

 

I said, “How would you feel?”

 

She said, “Sad.”

 

I said, “But let’s say I take that ice cream sandwich away from you, and allow you to be sad for a little while—and then I take you to the grocery store and buy you thirty ice cream sandwiches. How would you feel then?”

 

She said, “I’d be happy!”

 

I said, “God allowed Jesus to be sad for a little while. But when God raised Jesus from the dead, Jesus was happy!”

 

What I wanted Jocelyn to see was that God had something better for Jesus.

 

And just as God had something better for Jesus, so also God has something better for you.

 

Where you are right now is nowhere compared to where God is taking you. What you have right now is nothing compared to what God wants to give you. What you’re going through right now is nothing compared to how God wants to bless you.