Have It Your Way?

 

I imagine that the success of a commercial jingle could be assessed by the number of people who can recall the tune years down the road. If that statement holds any truth to it then two such jingles from my youth would rank right up there at the top of chart. Back in the 70's and 80's the battle for hamburger dominance between McDonald's and Burger King was intense. Looking back, they may have been in a market share war, but to the kids growing up in that era it was more about which one did I want on any particular day, a Big Mac or a Whopper? I suppose that is where the commercial jingles entered the picture, each attempting to garner an appeal for their flagship burger creation. 

 

Honestly, these two commercial jingles linger in my mind today more than a lot of the music I have sung along with on my FM radio. Depending on your generational era you may find yourself chanting or singing along, for me this is all from memory, here we go. McDonald's ode to the Big Mac goes like this: "Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun." McDonald's had us battling to see who could correctly recite their jingle the fastest, it was a fun challenge. On the other hand, Burger King took more of the sing-a-long approach with their memorable lyric. "Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce, special orders don't upset us, all we ask is that you let us serve it your way, have it your way!" For those of us that lived out the burger battles of those two decades which one were you? A Big Mac kind of guy, or was the Whopper king in your belly? 

 

So, what does any of this have to do with motivating and inspiring us this week? Well, as I was walking down Hamburglar Lane, a thought came to mind, which of these two mentalities reflect our walk with God? Should we be more of a structured Big Mac or do we tend to drift towards the "Have it your way" Whopper mind frame? A Big Mac isn't a Big Mac if it isn't served the exact way it was designed. That was the way it was introduced and that is what made the Big Mac the signature sandwich for McDonald's. The fickle people that we became as more and more options presented themselves in all aspects of life, brought on the whole "Have it your way" shift in people's attitudes. If you don't like it the way it comes, we will accommodate you. This way of thinking wasn't and isn't reserved to hamburgers then and even more so today. Today, the you can customize pretty much anything from the food we eat to the color and accessories of the cars we drive. 

 

Don't get me wrong, having options is a good thing, but when it comes to our relationship with the Creator of Heaven and earth, the Burger King option of having it your way just doesn't fit. Our walk with Jesus has a design and picking and choosing which parts we want to follow just doesn't work. Moses didn't proclaim God's basic commandments with options on the table. You shall have no other Gods (Exodus 20:3) was the message, not you can pick and choose which gods you want to worship. From there the rules for how we should live were not provided in an optional format. God's commandments for our life throughout the Bible were given to us in more of a Big Mac manner. We must realize the laws by which God has directed us to live are not optional where we can leave off the "pickles of life" that we don't like, the Bible is holy and complete, the words and the guidance they share are eternal and without change (II Timothy 3:16). Sorry, no Whoppers here. 

 

Today I encourage you to reflect on your own personal relationship with God. Do you pick and choose which parts of the Bible you adhere to? Do you know the laws and commands that are shared with us in God's word? Regardless of where you are on the continuum of adhering to God's word, the good news is we can always learn more and move closer. We can still choose how we want our Whopper served today, and we can choose to serve God or not, but we can't choose which parts of God's laws and commands we will honor and obey. My prayer is that you choose God our Creator, our Redeemer, and our Eternal Savior! Amen. 

 

"But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15

Coach Carter