When we think of God as a Cosmic Vending Machine, we think of him sitting and waiting to supply our wants when we want them. If we don’t feel like going to the machine, we stay away, hardly noticing it. When we want something, we rush to it, hungrily grab what it spits out, and continue on our way.
One byproduct of this approach is that we actually see God as someone we control. We want, we get, we “eat.” Amazingly, God still chooses to bless us when our thinking is amiss. He is a Good Father.
But this isn’t optimal. We can do better. A more fulfilling opportunity awaits.
God’s blessings are served family style. We are called to share, to testify, to declare the goodness of God. Tell our stories, our parables, our experiences. It is the fuel for the body of Christ.
We are not just consumers in the Kingdom of God. We are participants, co-heirs. When we share, we are much more likely to see God as He truly is. As God, not Santa.
It takes courage to share what God is doing. The stories we choose to tell open us up to ridicule and rejection. We’d rather just digest them internally for what they can do for us. To share them with others is a whole new level of faithful living.
God’s blessings are served family-style. The choices God has given us to steward are for the benefit of both us and the communities to which we belong. The glory of Christ shines within us.