POP ROCKS

Matthew 5:14-16
You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.

Last week as the girls and I were checking out at the dollar store, I was all of a sudden taken back in time… right in front of the register was the famous Pop Rocks candy. As a kid, POP Rocks were the huge frenzy! The lady behind the counter and I had a short conversation about how exciting and cool it was as a kid to hear them crackle in your mouth. But, never forget the can of coke to make it that much funnier.

(A little background :) I vaguely remember the stories flying around about Mikey the famous kid in the classic life cereal television commercials. (“Let’s get Mikey”), noting, he hates everything. Apparently a few years after the commercials debut, an urban legend developed that the actor who had played Little Mikey had died soon afterward when his stomach exploded after consuming Pop Rocks and soda. Around 1983, enough pressure became too much and Pop Rocks were taken off the market. (That is, until recently)

When we got home, I shared a package with Kinely not telling her what she was about to experience. (I know that was a pretty brave thing to do, right?) She looked at me strangely as I poured them in her mouth and we both laughed as we couldn’t hear over what each other was saying because of all the popping that was going on in our mouth.

That night as I was discussing the event with Russell, I associated the similarity of the pop rocks with my relationship with Christ in my life. One of my continuous struggles in my life has been setting time aside for my devotional life. To be honest with you, quiet prayer time wasn’t engraved in my “muscle memory” as a child. So, when the business of motherhood came, I found it difficult to make time alone. Some of you may be stunned at such a thought. Your devotional life runs like clockwork. You find it impossible to make it through the day with out time alone with God. If that is true for you, may I tell you how blessed you are? (Even though it has taken me a couple of years to come to this discipline, it has been a gift of grace, not an accomplishment of my own making).

It wasn’t until my God mother showed me how important it was to weed out the noise in my life. Just like the pop rocks, I was consumed with the noise around me, and not on deepening my understanding with Christ. Through a 40 days devotional she wrote during lent, I began to slowly grow and thrive as the soil of my heart was tilled deep and fed by the Word of God. Her amazing study helped me realize how important it is to show Christ every part of my heart. It is not a duty. It is a delight.

What an amazing thought - that Christ wants to spend quality time with me. That he looks forward to our time together and misses me when I don't show up. Once that message started sinking into my heart, I started looking at my devotional time in a whole new way - not as a ritual, but as a relationship. And a relationship doesn't just happen. It has to be nurtured, protected, and loved.

Just as God continues to challenge me, he also challenges all of us to prune some of the unnecessary noise out of our life. I challenge you to spend time in your day taking short pit stops and spending time nourishing your spirit. He wants to invite us to sit with him and receive his abundant love. At the same time, he wants to give us energy for the work he’s called us to. May we all continue to strengthen our relationship with him so that we may go out and give away what God has given to us!

Psalm 46:10

Be still and know that I am God