Water, please.

It always amazes me when my family goes out to eat how we all ask our dad the same question. Picture this. My family of six goes out to eat, maybe, 3-4 times a week. Whether it's fast food or a "sit-down" restaurant, we always ask my dad the same question. Before we order, the four of us all look at my dad with nervousness, because we don't want to keep the waiter...well, waiting. You should see the looks on our faces. It's like four little deer in the headlights. It seems like forever before my dad answers the question...(you'd think he'd know it's coming by now, since we've been asking since we got off the kids' menu).

The question we always ask my dad isn't some big, huge, life-changing question. It's not even an embarrassing question to ask. It's "Dad...soda or water?" Except, it comes out like..."*nervous scanning* Dad...dad...DAD...DAD!!!! *open eyes really wide*" You'd literally think it's the end of the world. Would the waiter care if we asked the question aloud? No, probably not. Would anyone else at the table care? No...we're all in the same "Water or soda" boat.

What's the point? What does this have to do with anything spiritual? Well, you'd be surprised. So many people wait to pray until they have a "really big" issue. You know...finals week, death of a family member, car accident, job interview. We so often forget that God is interested in the little details of our lives. It's okay to talk to God about something as little as "God, can you give me some peace today?" or "God, let me sleep well." God cares. He wants you to live life not like a deer in the headlights, but assured in what His Word says. Unlike my dad's answer, God's Word never changes. Sometimes my dad will say, "Go ahead and order a soda!" and sometimes he'll say, "I think water is good, right?" But either way...we don't resent him. We're not the ones paying for the meal - He is. We're not the ones who worked to earn the money to pay for the meal - He did. More often than not, we're not the ones who asked him to take us out - He's the one who wanted to give us that gift.

My dad loves taking us out to dinner. He loves going to Sonic at midnight and getting the newest Sonic blast flavor. He loves going to Walmart with me on a moment's notice, just because I NEED puff paint to decorate my graduation cap with. He cares about the little stuff. He cares about making sure we're happy, even if it's just watching a TV show with us after a long day at work. God is the same way. He cares about whether we're happy. He cares about whether you sleep in or stay up late. He cares about your health and anger and bitterness. He just wants to make it better. (1 Peter 5:7) (Psalm 55:22)

It's crazy, isn't it? Kinda unbelievable. When there is so much going on in the world...God cares about whether you order soda or water.