“Aspen, do you want macaroni and cheese for lunch?”  I had ulterior motives when I asked her that.  I knew there was a small tupperware bowl in the fridge that contained left over macaroni and cheese from the day before and I could just pull it out and warm it up, saving myself the extra work of starting at the beginning of the task.

 Aspen does not like to eat left overs, so I was surprised to hear her say, “Yes, I want macaroni and cheese.”  But, my delight soon vanished when I heard the rest of her reply.  “But, I don’t want the left over macaroni and cheese in the fridge, I want a different box of macaroni and cheese!”  Most of the time when I ask Aspen if she wants something to eat that she just had the day before she will say, “No, I just ate that yesterday, I don’t want to eat it again.”  I’m pretty sure one of the only meals she would be thrilled to eat daily would be a McDonald’s Happy Meal.

I think I know a little how God felt when the Israelites complained about eating the manna He provided for them in the wilderness.  They missed the good old days of eating meat, onions, and garlic in Egypt.  What they  forgot was that in order to be eating the meat and spices they missed so much, they were in slavery to the Egyptians.

God provides everything we need.  His spiritual manna contains all the faith living, spiritual muscle growing nutrients we need for a healthy spiritual life.  But, something will come along and remind us of the  ‘good old days’ when we did as we pleased and suddenly we miss that life and complain to God about what He hasn’t done for us.  But, what we forget is that along with the ‘good old days’ came a life of living in slavery to sin.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.  Galatians 5:1

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.  Galatians 5:13