Years ago, before transatlantic flight was common, a man wanted to travel to the United States from Europe. The man knew that he was the master of his own destiny, so he worked really hard, and saved every extra penny he could muster, and finally had just enough money and he managed to purchase a ticket aboard a cruise ship. The trip at that time required about two or three weeks to navigate the ocean. He went out and bought a suitcase and stuffed it full of cheese and crackers. That’s all that he could afford.
Once on board, all the other passengers went to the large, ornate dining room to eat their sumptuous meals. Meanwhile, the poor man would go over in the corner and eat his cheese and crackers. This went on day after day. He could smell the delicious food being served in the dining room. He heard the other passengers speak of it in glowing terms as they rubbed their bellies and complained about how full they were, and how they would have to go on a diet after this trip. The poor traveler wanted to join the other guests in the dining room, but he remembered that he had no extra money.
Sometimes he’d lie awake at night, dreaming of the rich meals the other guests described to him. Toward the end of the trip, a particular man came up to him and said, “Sir, I can’t help but notice that you are always over there eating those cheese and crackers at mealtimes. Why don’t you come into the banquet hall and eat with us?” The traveler’s face flushed with embarrassment. “Well, to tell you the truth, I had only enough money to buy the ticket. I don’t have any extra money to purchase fancy meals.”
The other passenger raised his eyebrows in surprise. He shook his head and said, “Sir, don’t you realize the meals are included in the price of the ticket? Your meals have already been paid for!” Wow, What a story! One couldn’t help but think of how many of us are similar to that naive traveler. We are missing out on God’s best because we don’t realize that the good things in life have already been paid for. Most believers may be on their way to heaven, but they don’t know what has been included in the price of their ticket. Every moment that we go around with that ‘weak worm of the dust’ mentality, we’re feeding on more cheese and crackers.
Every time we shrink back and say, “Well, I can’t do it; I don’t have what it takes,” we’re eating more cheese and crackers. Every time we go around full of fear, worry, anxiety, or we are uptight about something, we’re over there eating more cheese and crackers. Friend, aint you tired of those cheese and crackers! It’s time to step up to God’s dining table. God has prepared a fabulous banquet for you, complete with every good thing imaginable. And it has already been paid for. God has arranged for everything you need there – joy, forgiveness, restoration, peace, prosperity, healing – whatever you need, it’s waiting for you at God’s banquet table if you’ll reposition yourself and pull up your chair and take the place He has prepared for you.
You may have gone through some great disappointments in life or faced some serious setbacks. Welcome to the real world! But you must remember, you are a child of the Most High God. Just because something didn’t work out as desired or somebody disappointed you, that does not change who you are. If one dream dies, you can dream another dream. If you get knocked down, get back up and go again. When one door closes, God will always open up a bigger and better door. Hold your head high, and be on the lookout for the new thing that God wants to do in your life. But don’t go off in the corner of life and start eating cheese and crackers.
You may have gotten off to a rough start in life. Perhaps you experienced terrible poverty, despair, abuse, or other horrible things during childhood. You may be tempted to let those negative experiences set the course for the rest of your life. Just because you started life that way doesn’t mean you have to finish that way. A typical soccer game consists of the first and second halves and this mirrors our lives as well. The first half may not have been pleasant, but surely, the second half can be way better. You need to get a fresh vision of what God can do in your life and develop a prosperous mindset.
No eye has seen; no ear has heard; no heart has yet perceived the things which God has in store for those who love Him. God is bigger than our description or comprehension. It is very gladdening that we have access to such a gigantic God through His Son. As we relate to God, we see and realize that there is a dimension that is higher and deeper than we’ve ever attained. He is greater than our biggest imagination and wider than our widest horizon. His Wisdom fetches and stretches beyond the scope and sagacity of all the sages throughout the ages. The best and the bravest of aspirations breathlessly collapses on the flat platform of futility as it duly requires the whole of eternity to suitably grasp and progressively fathom an eternally everlasting Father! Expectedly so, you’re always welcome on board as you diligently brace up for the periodic voyage that takes you to a higher plane in God!
Written By: Demola Adeniran
