Two months ago I was in Orlando, Florida on our annual Disney Invasion trip. We had finished the day up at Magic Kingdom and were on our way to UNO’s Pizza, the best deep dish pizza out there. My favorite dish at UNO’s is their famous Numero Uno, the pizza that put UNO’s on the map. The pizza can be described as a deep dish pizza with croissant-like crust. In the middle of this warm, delicious crust is homemade sausage, fresh, ripe tomatoes, fresh, crisp green peppers, red peppers, onions, handmade pepperoni, along with mushrooms and Italian herb tomato sauce. Every bite is one swallow closer to heaven. On top of this delicious taste, it is all organically grown (no pesticides, no MSG, no sugar, no junk to leave you feeling like a sorry piece of disaster).
So, here I am ready for my Numero Uno, anticipating heaven to be one step closer when I get my pizza. The waitress comes out and asks, “What would you like?” “I’ll have the Numero Uno!!! (Oh, sorry. I said that loud).” “Okay, we’ll work on getting that out to you.”
The Numero Uno was on it’s way and boy was I starving! A whole day at Magic Kingdom, nibbling on what I call rabbit lettuce (we got burgers and I made sure to load up with condiments to cut costs). As I waited one pizza came out—pepperoni: “Ha! Pepperoni!? I’m getting a Numero Uno, suckers!” Then a few more pizzas came out, some BBQ flat bread crusts, which were good, but didn’t compare to the Numero Uno. I was going to wait. It would be worth it!
Before I knew it over twenty kids were standing in line getting their BBQ and pepperoni (Ha! I’m getting the Numero Uno!) Then the inevitable happened. Fate took over. The empty pizzas had been replaced by the Numero Uno.
“Oh no! Uno!” I jumped out of my chair just in time to grab a small, warm bite of heaven, “How delicious! I want more!” At this moment my stomach had taken command and was commanding me, “Eat, or die!”
The waitress came back out and asked if everything was okay. I told her I didn’t get enough Numero Uno. She looked at me and said, “We’ll try but I can’t promise you anything.” “Oh, no! please!”
Pizza continued coming out. This time a buffalo wing pizza that looked really good. Time was ticking away. No way was I going to get my Numero Uno. My stomach started fighting with me: “Eat, fool!”
Finally, at the precipice I gave in. I succumbed to my stupid stomach and ate the buffalo pizza. It was filling but it was nothing like Numero Uno. As I was stuffing my body like a mounted deer with my last bite, the inevitable occured again! “Sir, thank you for coming tonight, we have an entire Numero Uno for you!” “What!? Yes! Ah man, I’m stuffed. If I eat another bite someone’s going to mount me to the wall with the rest of those animals.”
At that moment God spoke to me, “Ryan, you chose 2nd best rather than the best simply because you weren’t willing to wait. Don’t do this with your life. Don’t choose BBQ when Numero Uno is on its way!”
God’s promises are on the way! I had the choice of a lifetime—eating a free Numero Uno! But I gave in and chose second best and for the rest of that night slept in agony. There is nothing worse than forfeiting God’s best for your life and looking back in agony.
Why do we choose second best over best? Simply because we don’t trust God has something better. There are so many “good” things we are tempted with; therefore, it doesn’t seem like the wrong choice. For example, just like there are so many good pizzas, there are so many good guys, good girls, good jobs, good grades, good life, good athletes, good artists… It is easy to settle for just “good” and not “great.”
Trusting God takes patience, especially when all the good things are presenting themselves to us and we are saying “no” to them never able to get them back. You may never get that opportunity to have those friends again. You may never get that girl you admire, that guy you dream of. You may lose your popularity. You may lose your athletic dreams. You may pass up an offer to be the most looked up to guy on campus or the girl with the most…(you fill in the blank); all because you decided to wait for Numero Uno!
Always, at the precipice it feels like it is not worth it! Temptation screams at you, “Eat or die! You’ll never get another chance! This is your last!” But what we must understand is that just on the other side of temptation for second best is a future career anointed by God, a marriage to someone greater than you ever dreamed of, friends that never leave you, a scholarship completely unexpected, friends coming into God’s Kingdom, a leader used to accomplish God’s will, joy that cannot be explained, love that reaches into the depths of your soul, passion that guides your every step, peace that guards your heart, success beyond measure and satisfaction of the inmost being.
There is nothing greater than choosing God’s best!
The reason why we succumb to second is simply because we don’t trust God. We don’t trust God because we don’t know who He is. He is our creator, our prince of peace, the anointed one, the holy one, He is our satisfaction, our delight. He is the one who fashioned and formed us in our mother’s womb. He is love. He is joy. He is indescribable. He is infinite yet intimate. He is bound by nothing. He is our Rock, a mighty fortress. He is our joy. He is our light. He is our provider, our healer, our everything.
In the Bible Job is faced with a trial that turns his life upside down. He loses everthing—family, friends, health, wealth, etc. At the end of Job’s trial God comes to Job and begins to explain to Job who He is, how He is all-powerful, the Creator, the One who holds everything together. After God gives this revelation to him, Job in humility says, “I know that you can do all things, no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things too wonderful for me to know. You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’ My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore, I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”
In the midst of Job’s temptation and trial he was faced with the temptation to trust God is who He says He is or not… “Does God really care about me? Is He really going to give me a perfect mate? Am I going to lose my dreams of sports? Will I have to sacrifice fun? Is God in control, I mean…look at my life? I’m losing everything! Is God going to satisfy my needs?”
This is the test we all face when temptation is presented before us. Is God going to do what He says He will do? Like Job, we are confronted with how much we trust God.
At the end of the trial, as you look back and remember all those times of your “ears hearing of God” and how he will provide and take care of the righteous, you will then “see God.” The truth that you always wondered deep down inside if it was true will be revealed. My question to you is this, “What will God say when you stand face to face with Him? Job received his reward because he never lost trust in God. Will you?
Ryan Austin
VYM Youth Director
