The Ice Cream Cone
By Brita Crouse
“This is love: not
that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning
sacrifice for our sins.”
1
John 4:10 (NIV)
It was a hot
and humid day; sunny skies with the threat of a summer storm in the distance. I
was in a different country, surrounded by a group of chatty teenage girls, and
I was feeling overwhelmed by my new surroundings. But, mostly I was just
feeling hot. We were making the mile walk to a nearby pond to go swimming and
escape the heat.
One bold
girl in the group held my hand and walked in step with me as we made our way
toward the relief of the cool water. I distracted myself from the temperature
by asking her lots of questions about her favorite things, to which she
politely responded. We discovered that one thing in particular we had in common
was our love of ice cream. A few minutes into our walk, she ran to another
adult in the group and, in her native language, insisted we make a stop at a
local convenience store. The girl ran inside the small shop and a few minutes
later emerged with two strawberry ice cream cones. One for her, one for me.
I was
praying for a better understanding of Christ’s sacrifice for us during this
Easter season when God brought to mind this sacrificial moment. This girl, who
had very few material possessions, used her limited spending money on me, a
virtual stranger. She had no idea what her impact on me would be. It was the
best ice cream I’ve ever had (and I really love ice cream). She demonstrated
Christ’s love by giving, even when she had very little to give. And it got me
thinking, do I live my life like this?
In my own
little world, I collect more “stuff” with each passing birthday and holiday.
Rarely do I give away what I have. It’s not very often I use what I can offer
to bless others. There is always an excuse, a reason why “I can’t.” There will
always be excuses, but I am wondering what life would look like if we put the
excuses aside and lived sacrificially?
Jesus showed
us the greatest example of sacrifice by giving up His life for us. In our
lives, we have the chance to tell others about this sacrifice, not only through
words, but through our actions as well.
Living
sacrificially is not an easy task, but there is much joy in it. Sometimes all
it takes is sharing an ice cream cone.
GOING
DEEPER:
1. When have
you been shown sacrificial love?
2. How can
you live more sacrificially?
FURTHER
READING:
Brita is
currently working toward her Master’s in Counseling at the University of
Minnesota-Twin Cities. She has called Oakwood her home church for the past
seventeen years.
