Hold The Peanut Butter

This morning I learned something from my son. We were getting ready this morning, and I was making his sandwich. I asked him the usual, meat (or meap would be more accurate) and cheese or PB&J? This morning he asked for Peanut Butter and Jelly. I got the necessary items from the fridge, laid out the bread, grabbed the knife, and Jacob yelled, "wait!". I couldn't imagine that I had done something wrong already, but he wouldn't let me finish. He went on to tell me that I couldn't put peanut butter on his sandwich because one of his classmates was allergic to it.

I was impressed with his desire to put his friend's needs before his own. Jacob insisted that I make his sandwich without peanut butter. Jelly only on his sandwich today. I offered to make a meat and cheese, but he chose jelly only. I thought it was a beautiful picture of missional living. He chose to live like his friend had to live. He could've chosen something different, something better, but he chose to do without.

If we could learn to live with an awareness of the limitations that others have to live with, we would be a lot more like Jesus. If we were more aware of poverty, starvation, disease, we would be noticing the things that Jesus noticed. If we could learn to do without and think about how what we're entitled to could possible affect other people, we would be closer to the heart of God. I hope that I can learn to hold the peanut butter in many different ways.