Here’s a weird but telling question: How do you order in restaurants? Do you order “as is” or specify food to your liking? Do you make snap decisions or mull over the menu? Do you accept food prepared differently than you requested or send it back?
Personally I’m a “I’ll have the salad, dressing on the side, no cheese, hold the olives and…..oh yeah, can I add chicken?” kind of gal. Not exactly low maintenance, if you get my drift. Surprisingly though, my favorite dinner during our recent anniversary trip to Italy was at a tiny mom and pop place where we ate what they served – no questions asked.
We found this gem in our Rick Steve’s Italy book. Touted as a restaurant without a menu, the place sounded like an adventure. After visiting the local markets each morning the owners decide what they’ll serve each night. So JP and I placed our palates in the hands of the creators and had absolutely no idea what we’d get.
What we got was nothing I would have ever ordered on my own. Plates full of Italian olives, cheeses and prosciutto. Salads with stuff I’ve never seen. Two kinds of rich, creamy pasta. Veal and fresh veggies.
And I LOVED it.
Walking with God is like our experience at the Italian restaurant. Only the Creator really knows what should be put on our plate. But too often, rather than accepting what I’m served and liking it, I try to micro-manage what gets put on my plate in the first place. Sometimes even my prayers sound embarrassingly similar to the way I order my food.
“I’ll have the no trials, perfect children, conflict free marriage life…and oh yeah, can I get financial blessings on the side, please?”
See what I mean?
Our authentic Italian dinner made me wonder if maybe – just maybe – I might prefer an authentic God ordained life to my pitiful attempts at controlling my destiny. In other words, perhaps I should place my life in the hands of the Creator, accept what he puts on my plate and enjoy it. Sure, it may be a dish I would have never ordered on my own. But really only God knows what I need.
How much freer life would be if I lived with the attitude I had in Italy: I’ll take whatever gets put on my plate, no questions asked.
Since our trip this thought has been rambling around in my brain. And honestly, it’s made a difference in quality of my attitude and my life. Which shouldn’t surprise me since I’m the child of a God who knows what to put on my plate.
I LOVE this post Donna! In my walk through infertility I have said many times that if you had asked me when I was younger how many children I would have had, I would have said 10 before I said 1. But God knows me so much better than I know myself… who knew I would have enjoyed having an only child so much. He did, that’s who! And now, with the adoption pending and a 7 year old at home, we almost feel like we are going to have two only children, with their ages being so far apart. And you know what? I love it! God’s plate is definitely more delicious than what I would have ordered on my own. Thanks for this post!
thank you Donna for this insightful blog! God surely knows his children so well and how to care for us. I’m the kind of girl who asks my waiter too many questions about the menu, and if a particular dish is “good.” I guess sometimes that is how I approach God, asking too many questions rather than just asking “what am I suppose to learn from this” and accept and move on instead of mulling things over and over and over. Anyways, thanks so much for encouraging me dig a little deeper 🙂
Thanks for your comment Jinda. I love your insights too! 🙂