Monday, October 26, 2009

Free Fries with a Side of Grace


So, I am a guilty participant in a sordid love affair with...fast food. I know, I know, it is full of horrible, terrible, life-threatening fats,calories and sodium. Not too mention it lacks the all-important vitamins and minerals! But, I can't help myself. Offer me a greasy burger and fries and all willpower seeps out of me. I think that there are support groups but I am not ready to admit that I have a problem! Anyway, I was going to try to behave tonight. We were going grocery shopping at Costco (I love that store!) and we were going to be frugal and have dinner there. Still not healthy, but cheap. However, a trap had been set for me. We were passing right by...Jack-in-the-Box. I love french fries pretty much anywhere, but theirs just take the cake. Teeny bit of skin, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, fried to perfection and then you add the magic: the ranch. Not from the pump! Icky! No, the perfectly chilled, conveniently portioned sides of "Buttermilk Ranch Sauce". Oooh, I wax poetic just thinking about it! Joel, as usual, read my mind. "Do you want to stop at Jack's?", he says. Does a flower want sun? Does a child want candy? Yes!Yes!

So we turned around. I have realized that as much as I like their burgers (love me a Sourdough Jack)in my quest to be (somewhat) cheap I decided to just have tacos (they would require a whole other blog post) and fries. We ordered and our food was brought promptly. We dug in, me savoring every bite. Except that I had to share with Carson. Neither of us like curly fries, which are Josie's favorite, and Joel didn't order fries. So, I was stuck sharing with the fry monster. No fun and I was trying not to be selfish. It is especially difficult when after every bite he would say, "I wanna fry!". Too hard to resist! So we shared but I have to say, he got the bigger half. Anyway, our meal was drawing to a close when a Jack employee appeared with a tray. He stood there for half a second and then said, "Oh, they made your order twice. Well, here you go, just have this!"

What? He was like a large black-shirted magical fry fairy! Just when I had given Carson the remainder of my precious potatoes he appears with more! What bliss, and I still had ranch to spare! And, that is not to mention that everything else was also on the tray like a magical, grease-fried episode of deja vu! Things like that make me so happy. Just little things.

And of course, being the strange creature that I am, it made me think about God. How He doesn't obey the law that if you give it all away you have nothing left. Just when I thought I was out of fries, giving them away, more appeared out of nowhere. I didn't ask for them, I didn't even need them, but I got them anyway. Isn't that just the definition of grace? (I know, you are thinking, only Clare could turn fried potatoes into a spiritual experience, but you do have to remember that they were from Jack-in-the-Box.) But really, I think sometimes God just does things like that to tickle us. He also does it on a much larger scale. Like the little check that arrived today when I was thinking that payday was forever away. Like when I think I am the worst mom/wife/cook/blogger/fill in the blank_________ in the world and someone reminds me that "God made you special and He loves you very much." Like when Jesus continues to bless me and work in my life even when I am not paying attention. But especially when I feel like I have given until I have nothing left. In God's economy it is always "time a little something", always a widow's jar of oil. There is always an extra order of fries waiting in the back...

4 comments:

  1. Yes, only you could turn fries into a devotional, but I loved it. Especially the "black shirted fry fairy". Hilarious!

    I had a similar moment today though, as I was silently 'worrying' about my finances, I drive past a home with a for sale sign and underneath it a sign reading "bank owned." And it made me realize how I might not have money for frivolity right now, but I (I mean God) is paying all my bills and taking EXCELLENT care of us! He is good.....ALL THE TIME!!!

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  2. Lara only you could make me tear up over fries! Please if you don't want to make a published devotional, maybe for a special present just for me you could do a journal:) I am glad Jack was such a spiritual experience for you, wish I could have been there. You know I would have gladly given everylast fry bit to your fry monster!

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  3. Never been to Jack in the Box, but if they have THAT good of fries, I might just have to go. Coke and fries.... lunch of champions. =)


    ~Jen

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  4. Could you please clarify your request for a query related to "Supernatural: Jack in the Box" with the inclusion of the keyword "click here"? Are you looking for information, a summary, or something else?

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