Like Vegetables
What We Need Is Different Than What We Want
by Eric Elkin
“Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.”
Our car was loaded up for the long journey home. The expedition's first leg would require 13 hours of driving from Southwest Minnesota to Painesville, Ohio. A long stretch even for truck drivers. A brutal run for a family with young children. Thankfully, our elementary-age children were used to trip. We often made it three times a year.
Before our marriage, my wife had never really ventured far from home. There were annual vacations out west, but not the grind of living great distances from family. I, on the other hand, knew the routine. Having been raised in Ohio with family in Wisconsin, I knew the Dan Ryan Expressway like it was part of my yard.
As a child, candy was the staple for these long trips. My mom made sure we had Oreo cookies, Hershey kisses, and some red licorice. We stocked up on comic books. At one point, my brother reached the pinnacle of modern technology. He brought a cassette player and headsets to listen to music.
So before we loaded up the car, I headed to the store to get some treats - Oreos, licorice, and some candy. With the kids in their seats, ready to go, I presented them with these gifts. They looked at me with disgust. They rejected the treats and opened up the food Peg's mom had given them — broccoli and cauliflower. My children left the goodness of candy for vegetables! I had failed as a parent.
“Jesus does not speak about a change of activities, a change in contacts, or even a change of pace. He speaks about a change of heart.”
My wife has some kind of superpower. It is a seductive kind of power. One you do not see until it is too late. By the time you realize what is happening, you are firmly in her grip. The power is the ability to get children (and adults) to eat and like all the foods you are supposed to eat but do not.
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Our children had the healthiest diet ever. They gladly ate asparagus, broccoli, nuts, and fish. My children ate all the foods I disdained as a child. Then a couple of years ago, I ordered fish with asparagus at a restaurant. I PAID extra for the foods I used to hate. She has converted me without me even realizing it.
My children were not normal. Despite the overwhelming health benefits, most children and adults do not eat enough fruits and vegetables. These thoughts came to mind as I read the text this morning. What if, like vegetables, children do not want to enter the Kingdom of Heaven?
I am so thankful my wife was determined to give our children what they needed and not what they wanted. Often what we want as children and as adults is not the healthiest choice.
I hope and pray, before long, people will wake up to the truth. As church attendance declines among children, significant mental health issues — anxiety, depression, and suicide- increase at alarming rates. Life can be a long journey, but it does not have to be that way. The Kingdom of God is yours if you want it. Like vegetables, there are significant health benefits in living intentionally spiritual.
Click to readMark 10: 13-16
Reflection Questions:
What is something you did as a child that you did not like but had benefits for you as an adult?
What are the benefits?
Where do you need to make changes in your life?
How can you make the first step?
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