What to Give The King?

"If you were going to eat a late night snack, if you could eat the nastiest, most delicious thing you could get, what would it be?" My husband was setting me up for a surprise.

"A Burger King hamburger."

"A Burger King hamburger? Like, just a regular Burger King hamburger?"

"Yup."

"Cheese?"

"Nope." I'd obviously caught him off guard. I try to eat fresh. I try to eat healthy. A Burger King hamburger is neither of those things; but it is a delicious combination of sweet ketchup and tangy mustard. The soft white flour bun and flame broiled, almost crispy-coated burger are a textural contradiction worth indulging. The perfectly vile culinary treat. And while my husband may not always be cagey when it comes to surprising me, I admire his willingness to please. He wanted to get it just right.

Many of us have tried to get it just right when it comes to being a Christian. We went to church, but there was little within us that truly wanted to be there. We used all of those wonderful Christian-isms: "Praise God" and "I'll pray about it", but we never really meant any of them. We tried so hard to stop swearing or smoking or gossiping or whatever it was that made us feel sick to our stomachs each time anyone talked about the Lord "freeing them from those things." We promised -- more to ourselves than to any Higher Power -- over and over that this time we were going to change. We'd read a Book we never quite understood; we'd hang out with nice people we never really liked; we'd pray even though we felt like it was empty and pointless and nothing more than talking to the four walls. Maybe you're still doing those things. I know a man, almost seventy years old, who finds no joy in being a Christian, but tries desperately to "become" one. His struggle is intense and constant. His acting leaves casualties in his wake wherever he goes.

Being a Christian has nothing to do with doing anything, but giving Jesus all He asks: you. Your tears. Your pain. Your anger. Your bad habits. Your fear. The filthiest, most vile moments of your life; the darkest thoughts you've ever had. That is what He asks. Sure, He wants whatever else you've got there, the things He gave you in the first place: talents, joys, moments of peace; but it's the other stuff, the disgusting and awful things He wants to take from you and never give back. That is what you can give Him; He even died on the cross to have it. That is what this King -- the King of kings -- considers a precious and wonderful gift. He knows all your trying will leave you empty and frustrated; He knows all your trying cannot erase the things you've done. But He can, He did, and He wants it all.

Let go. Let Him take it. Trust Him for everything after that. And never, ever look back. That's the perfect gift for The King!