How does one go about to destroy something? Well, it's quite easy . . . you just demolish what was there and there remains nothing left. How then does one destroy a concept? A belief? A truth? The same way . . . you demolish what is there and there remains nothing left. However, with a concept, belief, and/or truth, there is always something left . . . it is never fully destroyed! Even while the Christian church went through the Dark Ages . . . truth, the Bible, God's word, was never fully extinguished.
I can't stand raisins. Why? Because being raised in Queens, NY, they reminded me too much of bugs that inhabited our home. Just the sight of raisins bothers me. That destroyed the benefit of raisins in my diet. A comparison of experience. Noted . . . my comparison of experience is drastic. There is no comparison between raisins and bugs from NY. However, in my mind, that compassion of experience destroyed any desire for me to ever eat raisins.
That is until . . . a recent date night with my wife at Phoumey's Restaurant in Walla Walla. We arrived at the restaurant right when they opened. There was only one employee at our arrival. I had to go into the kitchen to get the employees attention. He shared with me that the other employees were late because they had car trouble. Although he was alone, he was willing tot take our order. He was the chef!!!
Taking our order, I ordered a fried rice and pineapple meal. Honestly, I was nervous. He was running around, answering calls, attending to other customers who came in after my wife and I, and cooking our meal all at the same time! I was certain that our food would be burnt or at the very least, not to the standard of what we have experienced before. When my meal came, I took one look at it and shuddered. It was filled with . . . raisins! There were way too many raisins to pluck them out, so I decided to eat them.
Facing my distaste of raisins, I realized something that day . . . my comparison of experience about raisins was wrong! They provided a sweet taste to the already wonderful meal I was having. I didn't even notice them as I ate. i just enjoyed the taste I was experiencing. What if a concept, belief, and/or truth about something can be destroyed by a comparison of experience? And what if it can be changed by introducing another experience?
May we, this Sabbath, learn how Adventism is destroying the Spirit of Prophet . . . and may we seek to provide a different experience to those around us . . . so that they see, feel, and live a different experience that they have never thought possible. So, until the next time, this is Pastor Tello reminding you that thoughts do change lives!
Pastor Howard Tello