Life's Parfait.

This morning, after a doctor's appt. and on my way to work, I decided to grab a quick bite. While waiting in the drive-through I decided on the parfait. Yogurt is good for you, essential nutrients and plenty of protein, and when has fruit ever been a bad thing? I was quite pleased with my decision, and so was my wallet. We felt good about it, and headed in to work.

While munching my delicious breakfast, I came to the middle layer of fruit, which to my surprise, was frozen. Apparently this parfait had been made a few hours earlier, and just removed from the freezer before being handed out the drive-through window. I could eat the frozen fruit, sure. But then I'm crunching through ice, making my teeth go crazy with the sensitivity, and not enjoying anything about it. I chose to let the parfait sit for 20 minutes, and then I'd pick it back up and devour it in a display, nothing short of pure awesomeness.

Ever had a bad parfait? I have... It's not cool at all. Bad yogurt, or rotten fruit, regardless of which, it's just bad. Ever feel like life is like a bad parfait? I have. Sometimes you have this awesome layer of creamy smooth yogurt, covering up a layer of nasty rottenness. Often times, our fruit is disgusting and we do everything we can to cover it up with layers of creamy goodness. The problem is, if your fruit is rotten, your creamy covering will soon show it.

Ever hear the cliche "it's what's on the inside that counts"...? Yeah, me too. I hate that cliche. Mostly because it's lame, but it's also true. Jesus said this:

(Mat 12:33 MKJV) Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree corrupt and its fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by its fruit.

Allow me to paraphrase for my analogy, but the parfait is also known by it's fruit. Sometimes, I feel like the worst parfait in history. Sure, I can cover it up and gloss over my nasty fruit, and most people are none the wiser. But those who know me, who really know me, are there to keep me accountable. I truly appreciate those people in my life, as they don't allow me to let my fruit become rotten. They challenge me, they force me to grow spiritually, they encourage my walk with the Lord. If it weren't for these types of friends and mentors in my life, I'd be a nasty parfait, permanently. Luckily, God allows us to refresh our ingredients all the time. It's a matter of the heart.

What type of parfait are you?