Cheese Sarmies

DAILY BYTE

A man had a life-long dream to go on an ocean cruise. For years he saved the little money he could until finally he had enough to take a seven day cruise. However, he only had enough money to pay for the cruise itself, not for any of the meals on board. But that didn’t worry him. Because he loved cheese sandwiches. And so he packed a big Tupperware container full of cheese sarmies to last him the duration of his trip.

The cruise began and for the first couple of days it was fantastic. At mealtimes, others would go off to the dining room, but he’d head back to his cabin to tuck into his cheese sarmies with relish. They were delicious and life had never been this good.

By the third day he was getting a bit tired of his cheese sarmies, but he reminded himself that it was a small price to pay to be on his dream cruise. On the 4th day he found himself looking through the windows of the dining room at meal times, fantasizing what it would be like to be inside. By the 5th day he couldn’t stomach another cheese sarmie, and by the 6th day the incredible aromas that would waft out of the dining room were enough to make him think about jumping overboard.

On the final morning of the cruise, just before the liner returned to port, he could take it no more. He found a crew member, and pleaded with him to bring him something from the breakfast buffet – a rasher of bacon, a muffin, a piece of fruit, anything. The crew member looked at him and said, ‘But sir, all the meals are included in the price of your ticket.’

How does that story make you feel? It hits me in the gut – ahhh, what a waste! That poor guy, he could have been in the dining-room all along, feasting to his heart’s content. Instead, he’s missing out – eating cheese sarmies. What a pity! What a disappointment! What an idiot!

It’s a made-up story, but the sad and tragic truth is that it happens in the real world all the time. Yes, even in our own lives. We end up missing out on so much abundance that’s freely available, settling for cheese sarmies when in fact we could be feasting on the most sumptuous fare.

This week we’ll explore this theme, as we consider how we can live juicier, richer, more soulful lives.

PRAY-AS-YOU-GO

Lord Jesus Christ, you came that we might have life, and have it more abundantly. Forgive us the many ways in which we settle for so much less than what you intend for us. Help us to see the ways in which this is true in our lives, and give us the courage to take hold of the fuller, freer lives that you hold out to us. Amen.

SCRIPTURE READING
John 10:10
Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly.”