Help Yourself

The buffet defied imagination. Its delectable array made the mouth water with the freshly prepared and elegantly displayed offerings. Long corridors of decorative garnish formed an outline for the vibrantly colored fruits, vegetable trays, appetizers, and salads in the first station. The second tempted the diner with simmering soups, freshly baked breads, steaming vegetables and succulent finger foods. Ongoing was the next center which offered all the tender meat, savory potato dishes, rice, and potpourri offerings a hungry one could imagine. The choices continued on seemingly endlessly. The final destination: desserts!. No preference was left unindulged, no ‘favorite’ missing from this culinary collection of sweet delights.
Ah-h-h-h…if buffets had their own reality show, this one would be the end of season winner!

Yet, in the next room, just yards from the entrance, sat a hungering boy. The waiting area featured simple chairs, a few bowls with peanuts, and some magazines laid out on the small table. A big screen TV blared on a side wall.
A huge, very obvious sign beckoned: Buffet inside. All are welcome.
At first one wondered if he couldn’t read, if the obvious younger teen had issues that prevented his understanding of the invitation.
Perhaps he wasn’t really hungry?
However, it didn’t take long to notice the sidelong glances before he snatched all 3 bowls of peanuts. As time passed, the longing looks at the magazine photos of food offerings increased. He’d pace for a while, looking over at the door to the buffet, several times even coming close to entering as he looked interestingly inside, but then would settle back down to another magazine, another handful of peanuts, another blind stare at the TV’s blaring mindless message.
Finally the attendant stated the obvious, “You are welcome to enter. Help yourself. “

Help Yourself.

Yet he remained unmoved. He seemed mesmerized, clueless to the rescue so readily available. He despaired his condition, even licking his fingers in hunger as the peanuts ran out, but still made no move to change his fate.

The buffet beckons….what possibly could keep him from entering?!

As foolish as the above scenario is, I find an interesting parallel in our Christian lives. God has provided in His Word a ‘buffet’ of truth, comfort, wisdom, direction, knowledge, and inspiration that is boundless and endless.
It is THE food upon which our eternal soul was created to feast.

It is the message of Himself (glorious Jehovah!), of His Son (sacrificial Love incarnate!), of His Spirit (indwells, empowers, convicts!) His plan of our redemption (eternal life and relationship with Him!).

And as we are left on this earth with all its disappointing, pain-filled, empty offerings of sustenance, He invites and makes available the ONLY feast that truly satisfies.
His Word - - - in which we find Him.

And yet we, like the hungry boy, stand afar in denial.
Not even making the move to take the very provision for which our soul longs.
Instead,
We busy ourselves with trifle distractions, nibble on inferior fare; we allow ourselves to drift farther and farther from the rich, satisfying fulfillment.
Perhaps the feast is familiar. Perhaps we are too busy. Perhaps we find it boring.
Perhaps we’ve dulled our appetites with too many handfuls of peanuts. Oh the hunger returns, but we’ve bought the lie that the peanuts are what we want or need.
The appetite for God can be dulled, replaced with flat tasting flavors of lesser things.
Don’t let it!

Instead, establish and walk often the steady path to His ‘feast’ of provision. So we don’t grow comfortable waiting on the hard chairs of this world’s unsatisfying, yet shiny offerings.

Run to Him. Pursue His Word. Saturate your mind in all the places and at every chance you have to bask in His truth, learn of His ways, fellowship with His Body (the fellowship of other believers.)

It’s too easy to find oneself deceived by Satan and left hungry in the waiting room.
And not even recognize why you are still hungry.
And perhaps even blame God.
When you left the buffet room long ago.
While He’s always beckoned,
Help Yourself

Jer 15:16 “Your words were found, and I ate them. And your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart.”