From the Top of an Oreo Cookie

           

                I have two first names, in case you didn’t notice.  That may seem like a small curse but it has taught me something recently that makes me think it isn’t just a trivial detail but something God has been trying to tell me about a pattern in humanity.  And what does that have to do with Oreos?  You will need to give me a few lengths of rope so that I can explain.  If you are intrigued continue reading; if not you might want to stop here because that’s pretty much all I’ve got in store for you.

                My name is Doug Jeffrey and every time I introduce myself to people they repeat back to me, “Good to meet you Jeff.”  At first it is a little perturbing and as an aside, why do they hear “Jeffrey” and presume they can call me “Jeff?”  Either way, the point is that 90% of people completely blank on the “Doug” part and only hear the “Jeffrey.”  Don’t cry for me, it has been happening since I can remember and I am used to it by now.  Trust me, there are bigger name catastrophes than this one but I don’t want to risk offending any readers by giving examples.  You know who you are.

                So how did this develop into a theme for a blog post?  Well I began to wonder why that always happened.  Was I saying my first name too quickly or too soft?  I even started introducing myself as “DOUG Jeffrey” but was still met with the same disappointing results.  I felt like this must be representative of a deeper human condition.  I needed answers.  To the Bible we go.  And in the Bible I started noticing that the same thing happens there.  Well, not exactly the same thing but evidence of the same human condition. 

                Example #1:  God created man and woman in His image and He blessed them.  Then when they ate the forbidden fruit He cursed them.  So what ended up being the pervading influence on man?  Genesis 6:5 “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”  Man completely skipped over the blessings and delved right into the curse.  Sin after sin until the entire world was covered in floodwaters. 

                Example #2:  God delivered the Hebrews from captivity in Egypt.  He spared their children from the Passover sacrifice.  He performed several miracles to cause them to be ordered to leave.  He opened up the Red Sea to allow them safe passage and swallow up their pursuers.  Then He caused them to walk across the dry desert to get them to their new home.  And during that walk, on what did the Israelites focus?  God’s deliverance or His making them walk in the desert?  Exodus 16:3 “The sons of Israel said to them ‘Would that we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.’”  They focused on the hunger and forgot the deliverance.  God constantly reminded them throughout the Old Testament that He was the God who delivered them out of Egypt, and yet they time after time focused on whatever menial struggle they faced in the present.   

                Example #3:  Still following this traveling band, God again provided miracles of bread, meat and water.  He defeated every enemy who dared to face them, then He brought them to the gates of the promised land and showed them the fortresses they would destroy.  Do you think that they focused on the miracles of provision which lasted them an amazing 40 years in an uninhabitable land or on what looked like a difficult task in their path?  Numbers 13:31 “But the men who had gone up with him said, ‘We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us.’”  Too strong for the miracle working God of provision?  They forgot the victories already won and consigned themselves to defeat.

                Over and over this happened throughout the Bible.  Why do we so often forget the first in lieu of the second?  And yet in all of these instances, God provides for them an additional time putting another blessing on top of the work He had already done.  Example #1:  First, He created and blessed.  Middle, He cursed them.  Last, He cleansed the world and started again.  Example #2:  First, He delivered.  Middle, He allowed them to get hungry.  Last, He rained down bread and meat and water for them continually.  Example #3:  First, He provided for their every need.  Middle, He presented them with a challenge.  Last, He defeated their enemies triumphantly.  He sandwiched two great blessings with a challenge in between.  In just these three examples we see God creating, blessing, cleansing, delivering, feeding, providing and conquering.  But all they seemed to remember (we seem to remember) is the cursing, wondering and challenge.  

                In this way, God operates a little like and Oreo cookie.  He comes on in three layers.  First He proves Himself trustworthy, then He challenges us to remember that trustworthiness, and finally after we fail He proves Himself trustworthy again.  But still, all we remember is the challenge and the failure.  Nobody really cares about the cookie part on bottom and on top; we really just focus on the double-stuffed middle.  Honestly, when you think about an Oreo that is the first thing you think of right?  In fact, many people avoid the wafers altogether and just lick out the cream.  That may seem like fun in theory but do you know what makes an Oreo so delicious?  Not the cream.  I can prove it.

                Scientifically 80% of taste is smell.  Do you know what you smell when the Oreo enters your mouth?  The top chocolate wafer as it enters just beneath your nose.  The reason you taste things as vividly as you do is because vision stimulates your brain to activate your taste buds.  Do you know the last thing you see when eating an Oreo?  The top chocolate wafer as it enters just beneath your eyes.  And finally, smell induced, taste buds activated, do you know what your taste buds hit first when eating an Oreo?  The bottom chocolate wafer plunging against the sweet receptors on the tip of your tongue.  Don’t get me wrong, the cream is gooey good and it is necessary but it is just a conduit that combines with the wafers and provides very little to that actual taste.

                Why is this relevant?  Because we do the same thing with Jesus.  First, He lived with us and loved us as brothers and sisters.  He gave us His example and taught us amazing things about His Father and the power available to us through a loving Holy Spirit.  Middle, then He sacrificed Himself on the cross and took our sins upon Himself.  Last, He rose from the grave and ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father; defeating death and making a way for us.  He intercedes for us daily and prepares a place for us in eternity.  Can you see where I am going yet? 

                Our human condition can get us so fixated on the sacrifice of Christ (middle) that we completely forget about His example to our lives, the place He is preparing for us, the relationship He has restored with our Father, the authority He gives us to overcome tribulation, the defeat of death, the life He gave us the right to live in the fullest, the power He has unlocked in our daily walk, the reliance on faith, etc.  Don’t get me wrong, the sacrifice was incredibly important but He didn’t die so we could mourn His death and dwell on our dead Savior.  He died so He could restore our relationship with God and give us life that we could live! 

                Don’t be an Israelite today; break the cycle of humanity.  Don’t focus on the middle, remember the first and the last, savor the chocolate wafers, live the life Christ died to give you, and stop calling me Jeff.