A Burger King Life

In our family there is something of a debate presently raging. To be honest, it is a disagreement of the utmost importance, an intense dialogue over which fast food joint to patronize. Both of our kids argue that we should bask in the pulsating brilliance of the golden arches, while my wife and I counter that we would best pay our homage to the King of burgerdom. We each have our reasons, it just so happens that our reasons have allowed us to create alliances, alliances which might be perceived as dividing evenly between those who have the power (i.e. the car keys) and those who do not (i.e. those who still have to sit in booster seats).

For our son, the toys create the gravitation pull of the McOrbit. Our daughter is lovin’ it when she is sitting with a meal that includes apples with caramel sauce. My wife posits that the burgers simply taste better flame-broiled, while I just like having it my way. Since I like to have it my way and since I am often the one driving, guess where we go?

 I am not really sure the burgers are better over at the King’s place. I just like the thought of having it my way. Double onions? No problem. Extra pickles? You got it. No ketchup? Get that stuff outta here! I like having it my way. As I think about it, I like having it my way in just about every way. I don’t like to be forced into a ready-made box, a predetermined path. I am, after all, an individual with unique needs and desires. My every whim and fancy should find fulfillment should I desire it. You too? I thought so.

It seems that most of us like having it our way. Dare I say it, we prefer a Burger King life. Here’s a great truth about life. We can have it our way. We can go through life doing things on our terms. Life can be Burger King. A Burger King life feels great. It feels right. It feels like I am getting somewhere until I stumble across Paul’s words in Romans 1 and discover that he knew about Burger King a long time ago and he didn’t think it was all that great. In fact, Paul equates Burger King with God’s wrath. I don’t know about you, but that elicits a huge “Whatchoo talkin ‘bout Willis!” from me.

How can having it my way be anything but great? When I dig into what Paul says, I begin to get the sense that living a Burger King life may not be what I thought it was. I can have it my own way, but in so doing I get further and further from the one who made me, further and further from the one who gives me life, further and further from the life I was designed to live. It seems that a Burger King life leads to a life in which the wheels come off, at least that is what it appears to be at first. It seems like God simply says, “Have it your way” and we destroy ourselves. Every time I read Paul’s words I wonder what hope there is for people living in a Burger King world. Then again, I suppose we don’t have to choose simply to have it our way. God does let us live as we choose. What if we chose differently? What if we choose to say we didn’t want it our way? What if we bellied up to the counter and looked God in the eye and simply said, “My way is that I don’t want to have it my way”? What then? I wonder if we might just see God smile and say, “You just got an automatic upsize!”

A fellow traveler,

Blake Shipp

Spiritual Formation Pastor

What is my next step?

I encourage you to consider the following as a way of handing off faith to your family. . .

Practice submission: Learning to live on God’s terms involves submission and dependence. The practice of submission is actually an outgrowth of our character and not simply an action we can choose to exemplify. Character development takes time and intentional work on our part and God’s part. This month, as a family, practice submitting to one another. As far as possible, allow your fellow family members to guide and lead rather than seeking to have your own way. As you submit to them, ask God to mold your heart so that you can submit to him. Talk as a family about what you are learning and how God is shaping your heart.

I encourage you to consider the following as a way of nurturing your own faith. . .

Look for God in the ordinary: Learning to say “yes” to God rather than living life on our own terms begins by recognizing that God is involved and present in every aspect of our lives. This week, try to pause in each conversation or with each experience and simply pray, “Lord where are you and what are you trying to teach me in this moment?” At the end of the day, reflect and journal about your experience. Where was God? What did he say? In what ways, if any, did he lead you to follow him rather than have it your way?