Don’t just eat the marshmallows!

Feb 22


“DON’T JUST EAT THE MARSHMALLOWS!”  I print this on a banner and wave it madly over the breakfast table.  Every time I buy Lucky Charms, it’s the same.  The kids beg to eat it and then pick out the fluffy sugary sweetness and leave the cute oat shapes floating aimlessly in the bowl.  You would think that I’d wise up and quit buying it.  But as I decidedly march down the cereal aisle looking for healthy, low-sugar, proves-I’m-a-good-mom cereal, there he is.  His cute little leprechaun  face luring me in – promising gold at the end of the rainbow and before I know it I’m in the check out line with yet another box of Lucky Charms.  

The next morning, I stand perched over the breakfast table, banner in hand, chanting, “Don’t just eat the marshmallows.  The little oat shapes are good for you.  They’re oat.  And that makes them – good for you.”  The cereal is meant to be eaten with sugary-sweet and good-for-you-to-eat together.  It’s a partnership.  You can’t have one without the other.  
Just like…us with God.  We always want to eat the marshmallows or blessings but want to leave the oat shapes or growing in the Word in the bowl of life.  Sometime we are unwilling to partake of the things God gives us that are good for us and help us to grow.  We only want the marshmallow mountaintop.  We’d prefer to leap from mountaintop to mountaintop munching on marshmallows.  But, friends, I’ve learned we can’t always be on the mountaintop.  We have to spend some time munching on that which makes us healthy.  We have to spend time in God’s word, listen for His voice, and allow Him to grow us.  
When we do that, we will get to eat the marshmallows.  But we’ll eat them together with the crunchy oat shapes – the way God intended.  So, next time you find yourself hovering over a bowl of Lucky Charms, enjoy the goodness in all of it.  You’ll be glad you did!

You Might Also Like

  • DeAnna Feb 22 at 3:22 pm

    Great correlation! I find myself chanting the very same thing each and every time that a bowl is eaten in our house as well. Somehow I find comfort in the fact that the box at least SAYS that it is a whole grain cereal. Which has GOT to mean that it IS good for you, right?! Hee! Hee!!

  • kmom3 Feb 22 at 5:21 pm

    I never knew Lucky Charms could be so inspiring! 🙂
    We had to quit buying those yogurt Cheerios. The girls just went through and picked out all of the pink ones. So glad the phenomenon occurs in other houses! 🙂
    It’s one of those flesh issues we are born with, huh? We like what tastes good. We like what is easy.
    Great post!
    Now I’m just wondering, can I eat M&Ms with something like, I don’t know…carrots or broccoli? Is that like marshmallows and oats? Does the veggie goodness then still count? 🙂 Actually, nevermind. That sounds pretty gross. I’ll just eat the M&Ms.
    Love ya’,
    K

  • Cheri Feb 22 at 7:50 pm

    I’ll never look at Lucky Charms the same way again!!

  • BethAnne Feb 22 at 10:17 pm

    My kids know that I will not buy Lucky Charms anymore because they always eat the charms and leave the ‘lucky’!

  • MaryLu Feb 23 at 12:41 am

    We want just the sweet don’t we? Thanks for the great reminder to take it all, the good for our health and the good for our tastebuds.

  • %d bloggers like this: