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Dear Beloveds, A couple weeks ago, I celebrated my 59th birthday—"59 and feelin’ fine!”—as I said all day! Thank you for all your good wishes and birthday greetings to me; they meant so much! One of my favorite gifts I received that day was a decadent box of See’s chocolate candies. This was a true treat, as I would never buy such a luxurious package like that for myself. As I predicted, since I had three of our children home for my birthday, that box did not last long in our house! We had so much fun gathering around the iconic white container with the dainty brown paper tray cups that cradled each finely crafted piece of goodness, trying to guess what each delightful dense chunk held. Using the “map” that was included to help us, we took turns choosing and sharing each beautiful morsel together. Some pieces where hits, while others had less favorable reviews. I will always cherish the memories of seeing my adult kids and their pure joy in sharing this box of treats together. Later that evening, we attended the Hollywood Bowl and offered some sweets to share with our concert neighbors sitting nearby. I could not help but remember the famous line from the movie Forrest Gump, when Forrest tells an unsuspecting stranger on a bus bench “My mama told me...life is like a box of chocolates.” Indeed, there is so much theology to be found in a box of chocolates! One of the challenges of navigating a new box of chocolates (unless you are a true See’s connoisseur) is that without the “legend”, or little piece of paper with the photo descriptions, you are not really 100% sure of what you will bite into; even with it, you may still encounter some surprises. For me, that is part of the fun. You hope that you will get the nuts, or the caramel, or nougat that you desire, but you can’t be completely sure until you take that first bite and begin to chew. And, that first bite can be experienced with great joy—or with great disappointment. It's all in how you see and feel it—and how you respond to it. I have been with acquaintances who have bitten into their yet unknown piece of chocolate and have been so dismayed with the result that they have spit it out--- a waste of good chocolate!—and I feel so sorry for them in that they could not joyfully experience the uniqueness and adventure of a new taste. So it is with life—we never know what we are going to get—we don’t know what is around the corner. But we can take each new experience and either embrace it, or shudder from it—the choice is ours! To that end, another thing to ponder---what happens if we get a “bad” piece of chocolate, one after another, over and over again? That is another huge theological question that all of us have encountered—how do face life with our uphill battles, trials, and unpleasant experiences? It may seem silly and banal to compare our human lives with a simple box of candy, but there is a wonderful theology that we can derive out of every experience in life—what will our hearts tell us to do and to be when we confront unexpected events? What can God teach us through these things, and how can we be grateful learners? How can we take each experience whether good or bad, and truly “taste” and take it all in? And what about the little “map” that is thoughtfully included in each box of See’s? Can we liken this to our Bible, waiting to help us navigate life with a little help? All these reflections from a charming, unassuming box of candy! With great love for you, Pastor Grace
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