What Forrest Gump Had Right
Remember when Forrest Gump told us that life was like a box of chocolates? I think he was on to something.
I am that person who gets a box of chocolate and wants to pierce the bottom of each one, testing to see if the flavor is a favorite. Or, one that I don’t want to eat.
My life is a beautiful ornate box, delicate details carved into the case. Filled with the sweetest treats.
Like every variety box, there does remain a few pieces that I would rather toss out.
Yesterday brought a bite into a piece that about gagged me. No time to carefully test it, I had to bite right in. A flavor I hate.
A situation was thrown into my life box I did not want to taste.
It was bitter, leaving an aftertaste I might not be able to wash out. I am not the only one who got that flavor. Boxes of loved ones housed the contaminated piece as well. Our stomachs sharing the roiling of emotions that only we can taste.
It was hard to swallow
Even as I swallow, gag, and force it down- I ask God to show me the sweetness in it. That I would take note of the almost imperceptible notes of sweetness surrounding the icky middle.
I will eat this piece, and then I will not fear taking another.
Those pieces of life that are so distasteful to us, with time, often show us another layer we missed the first time.
Those pieces of life that gag us, will surely give us a greater appreciation for the ones we hold onto tightly. Greedily.
Used to be that I would just toss those pieces in the garbage. Unwilling to partake.
I still don’t savor them, but I wait. For the forthcoming flavors, the ones that remind me how precious and beautiful and overflowing with sensory delight all the other pieces are.
This is my box. Every piece
You can choose many of the flavors in life, but not all.
We all have a custom-designed package. It will contain a variety of experiences. If the next one is difficult to swallow, don’t stop chewing.
The next one might just be the sweetest one you’ll ever know.
Romans 8:28 Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.
Beautifully written, Christa! I have had a lot of those pieces in my life box. But those pieces are the ones that make the rest of the box taste so much sweeter. Now to remember that next time I have to swallow a bitter piece.
Sometimes I throw the chocolate out. Thank you for the reminder that I can’t always choose what chocolates are placed in my box, but I can choose what I do with them.
“Life is like a box of chocolates,” I never thought that was particularly profound until you broke it down like that. I want to pick and choose my chocolates too, but I have to be grateful for the whole box and learn to like all the flavors, instead of playing it safe all the time with plain old chocolate.
Great post, Christa! A wonderful reminder that our blessings are even sweeter and more precious when we learn to endure the bitter moments as well. Love you, my friend!
Beautiful post, Christa!
Those chocolates in the picture look beautiful!
Being a chocolate aficionado, I only choose to eat the ones I make…unless I am desparate. My preference? Bittersweet chocolate truffles! Unfortunately, just like you said, I cannot choose what Life serves me and I too have to take the bitter along with the sweet.
Grateful, the great Master blends the ingredients in just the perfect proportion, most of the time, so that I get both the bitter and the sweet in one bite. The more bitter Life gets, the more I learn to appreciate its beauty and sweetness.
Great post, Christa. And the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. I had to swallow something bitter yesterday. Funny thing. I wouldn’t spit it out. I just kept experiencing the bitter. Not that it was comfortable, but it was familiar.
I also learned something after reading your post and the comments given. As a girl, my great uncle George owned a candy store. Cunis Candies. Each holiday we would be given a 5 pound box of chocolates. After unsuccessfully biting into jelly ones I learned which ones the vanilla creams were and those and a couple others I liked were the only ones I would pick. I learned to play it safe with the chocolates by restricting myself. Sadly, I have done that in my life as well. Just reach for what you know.
And yet being a Triber has stretched me, and now I let myself try things. Still not enough, but I’m moving towards it at least.
Thank you Christa for a great post!