*** We interrupt this blog post with an important message... ***
Haha, did I sound like those radio alerts? I just thought I'd remind those in our church (and even those not a part of our church) that this is conference week. The elders are meeting today to discuss some very important issues, among them, doctrinal ones that seem to be tearing our church apart. After a night of rest and meditation in the Word and listening to the Spirit, they will meet tomorrow to make some decisions. Please be prayerful for discernment, that God's Word will be held as the only standard and source of truth, that He will be glorified in the outcome and that any tactics the devil might have to destroy godly holiness will be thwarted. If I, a simple mother and housewife is burdened by current events, how much more are those that pastor the flocks for the Great Shepherd? Let Him convict and expose any pride and sin within us, cleansing us so that we might be revived to live holy lives.
Thank you!
*** We now return to our regularly scheduled blog post ***
Well, sorta.
Did you know that people don't know where the phrase "the real McCoy" originated? It is widely believed to have either been in reference to a boxer, Kid McCoy, who feigned weariness before knocking out his opponent, or Elijah McCoy, who revolutionized an oil lubrication system for locomotive engines. Other copies were inferior, so train engineers always asked for the "real McCoy". Problem is, neither of their dates precede the first use of the phrase in the late 1800s. Some speculate it is a derivative of the Scottish phrase, "the real MacKay", dealing with an advertising slogan for a whiskey distillery.
Anyhow, enough of my etymological tangent...
So... I like
nutella.
A lot.
Although I'm a dark chocolate aficionado, I love the smooth, creamy texture of nutella smeared on anything from toasted homemade bread, to apples, to a spoonful (
or three) straight from the jar (don't worry, I don't double dip!).
My son has adopted my love for nutella.
And yes, he double dips.
Spoons.
And fingers.
But that's not the point of this story.
So, recently we were in Trader Joe's, and I discovered a pseudo-nutella spread. Not trying to compete directly with this Italian delight, good ole' Joe had chosen to make a cocoa
almond spread. And it was a decent amount cheaper. So I bought it, since I knew my nutella jar was almost empty. I figured being Trader Joe's, it had to be healthy (no preservatives, hydrogenated oils, etc etc)... and almonds are healthier then hazelnuts, right???
Anyhow, I took it home, and tested it out soon thereafter. Not as creamy, nor as smooth, but still tasty. It definitely wasn't better, nor was it necessarily worse. Just different.
And when Liam saw me scooping some out one day, he of course asked for some. I noted curiously that he didn't call it nutella, although
that word is
definitely in his vocabulary. I figured it was due to his post-nap delirium. So I gave him a spoonful. He smiled, said thank you and walked away.
Five minutes later, I saw him standing in the living room, still holding the spoon of the TJ chocolate-y spread, unscathed. He looked up from critiquing it and said to me...
"Mommy, did you give me dog poop?"
Say What?!?!?!
Maybe I didn't hear him right. So I asked him to kindly repeat himself.
"Did you give me dog poop, Mommy? Is this dog poop?"
Ummm... no.
And I emphatically told him I didn't.
"Yeah, 'cause that would be kinda yucky, huh?"
Ummm, yeah, I would sure think so.
And gross.
And disgusting.
And a move like that would put me on the CPS speed dial.
Is my child
seriously asking me this?! All the love, affection, sleepless nights, bedtime stories, and everything else motherhood entails (not to mention sharing
my nutella) and I'm reduced down to a mom that serves her son "dog poop". Sheesh.
So I told him it was like nutella. To which he told me it wasn't. I told him to just take a bite to see. He said no, but after I asked him again, he ever so gingerly stuck out his tongue and barely touched it, before pulling his tongue back in, saying it was yummy, but he was full and didn't want it anymore.
"Here Mommy, you can have it. Isn't Liam a nice boy? Thank you for sharing!"
Uh, yeah. Thanks for sharing what you think is
dog poop.
Apparently, my 3 year old is already turning into a food snob. For him, it was "the real McCoy" or bust.
... which leads me to my blog title. I was thinking about it that night. As Christians, we are not to settle for a imitation of Christ, whether seemingly better (which by the way, comparing ingredients and nutrition labels, they are about equal) or an alternative. There are so many things that distract us from the real deal, and instead, we need to focus our eyes on Him, pursuing Him alone.
The Olympics are going on right now. As a distance runner, I enjoy watching the track and field events. But I love the focus of the sprinters. Running down that 100m stretch, you will not see them looking this way or that. To do that would cost them precious tenths or hundredths of a second. And that amount wins and loses races. We are called to run in such a way as to win a prize. So our focus needs to be on Christ alone. But we also need to know Who and what is our goal. And the only way to do that is to train. And the best way to train is to be in the Word and to have communion with God. And if we are in the Word, we will recognize the voice of our Shepherd and will not be led astray... nor will we be fooled by counterfeits.
It's amazing the lesson that a 3 year old and a jar of nutella will teach you. ;)
