Life Is Like A Box Of Chocolate...

Life is like a box of chocolates...

I woke up this morning to a text message, relaying these immortal words. The concept that was trying to be expressed was that in life, you do not always know what you will get.

When you lift a piece of chocolate from a box, there is always a moment of anticipation. Will I like this piece? Will it be light chocolate? Or will it be dark? Will it be my favorite piece? Or will it taste like it looks...?

Though it is of very little significance, our minds always wonder what this piece of chocolate will taste like...what type of experience we are about to have.

The same is true in life! With every choice we make, a risk is taken. Regardless of whether or not the risk was an intelligent one, it is a risk nevertheless. We decide to go to Church, knowing that we will grow in some fashion; but we have no control over what we will learn, or whether the worship will hit home for us or not. We don't know if our fellow Christians will be pleasant, or whether we will get into a disagreement, or even if we will feel as though our time was wasted in elementary teaching or passionless assembly. We take a risk every time we go to church.

With every decision we make, and every move we make, we risk the unknown.

However, as my frequent chocolate eaters will know, time lessens the risk of every decision. For those who make it a habit to eat chocolate from a box, there comes a time when they can lift the lid and immediately pick out the pieces they will most enjoy, and the pieces that are worthy of nothing more than being tossed in the trash! They might know that the small square piece with the dark rose on the top is their favorite cherry chocolate, and that the long piece of lightly browned chocolate is a nasty coconut one! The point I am making is: The more frequently you eat chocolates, the easier it becomes to distinguish what experience each piece of chocolate will bring...

Forest Gump is once again found to be a philosophical genius! In life, we begin with little understanding of what experiences our choices will produce; but as time goes by, and life is lived, we find that life is consistent for the most part. If we make certain choices, certain consequences will result.

Over time, we learn to look at the choices before us and discern which choices will lead to joy and fruitfulness and which choices will lead to a bitter end.

My point, in the broadest of senses is, wisdom is the fruit of age just as surely as it is the fruit of grace.

Live life, and live life well. Pursue the glory of God at all costs, and in the meantime, do not be afraid of failing or making mistakes in your pursuit. Sometimes, the only way to find your favorite piece of chocolate is to first taste every other piece.

Do not fear failure...fear never tasting.