TALK ABOUT A SWEET DEAL ON THE HIGHWAY!

EVER SINCE I FIRST READ THE BOOK 35+ YEARS AGO, there has always been a part of me that secretly desired a chocolate river in my life much as I found in Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Alas, the closest I have ever come to such a glorious thing is a chocolate fountain at various social events over the years.

Motorists out in Arizona got a glimpse of what such a scene might look like this past Monday, as a tanker filled with liquid chocolate detached from its hauler and dumped a river of the chocolate across the westbound lanes of I-40. I must admit I was a little heartbroken to hear that 40,000 gallons went to waste as it had to be drained so as to haul away the detached trailer.

I've always dreamt of what a river full of chocolate might look like, but never thought of it coming to pass as a result of an unfortunate incident involving a trailer on a highway. I have a feeling that if I had seen it in person, I would have been most disappointed.

Thinking about this incident has gotten me to think about the hope we have in the Christ child, and how my reaction to this unfortunate accident reflects a great deal about why we sometimes struggle in our journey with Christ. I wonder sometimes if we miss some of Christ's grace and peace in our world and in our lives because we have never allowed for the unexpected to occur. Are we too busy looking for and dreaming about what we expect of Christ's presence that we either miss where Christ is or wind up profoundly disappointed that Christ is not working in or through what we think are appropriate channels?

Yes, the story of the chocolate tanker is sweet. May it also be another way to remember that we worship a God who shows up in the most unexpected of ways. After all, the world got to see a river of chocolate, but who would have thought it would come as the result of a most unfortunate highway accident?

Grace and Peace, Lamar