Hard as a rock...

Dear Friend,

Growing up I loved candy, as I am sure most kids did but I think I was a candy connoisseur. I had to have different kinds of candy, and I had only certain candy I would eat. I didn’t think that all candy was good candy. We lived in California until I was around 9, and my mom didn’t allow me to have a lot of candy because she didn’t want us to have cavities. However, when we moved to Arkansas, my love for candy grew intense because two of my aunts were junk food junkies. When my mom was not around they allowed me to have all the candy I wanted. I was always in heaven with them and tried to spend every weekend with them if I could. Although I had this intense love for candy, I really didn’t like hard candy. It just didn’t seem to serve a purpose. It got stuck in your teeth and it often took too long to eat or you felt like you were going to break a tooth. One of my favorite candies was banana now and later. I couldn’t resist these.

Now I know you are thinking these are hard, they were made that way at first but I think as their consumers began to demand more the product changed. When I would go into the store, I would go to the now and later and began to squeeze the package to see if they were soft (almost like bread). When I would find soft one’s I would buy several packages at one time. The soft ones, while still chewy were much more pleasurable and enjoyable. They could be consumed quickly and brought me so much more delight.

Actually I thought about them, as I was examining the condition of a hardened heart (I knowww candy compared to a hardened heart) but I was thinking if our hearts are hardened then we aren’t pleasurable and able to be enjoyed, why because we lack love in them (see Matthew 24:12 and 2 Corinthians 6:11-13). We can't spiritually perceive God's very best for us.

When our hearts are hardened we are unable to experience the sweet spot in life.

In the sweet spot,

LMJ