Free Ice Cream

Five gallons of homemade ice cream is all it took. I sent out an e-mail and took a walk around the neighborhood. I invited everyone that I talked with that day to come by for a free bowl. I was clear, nothing for sale, and no time limit on how long you stayed.

A good number of people came, but not near all that had been asked. Probably many of those that I asked had other things they were doing. Some likely didn’t like ice cream (as hard as that is to believe). Maybe a few didn’t like me!

Something free just doesn’t draw the crowd that you would expect. We are a suspicious people perhaps because we used to be gullible, but free is often not free, and freedom is not something we always want as much as we claim.

 One reason why is because deep within us there is a kind of pride that says, “Nobody needs to pay my way!” This pride can taint us from being able to see we need help. This kind of pride can make us sour toward even ice cream. Worse yet this kind of pride can make us sore toward a God that puts His Son in our place on a cross of punishment.

“I’m not that bad that he had to die in my place!” Not to make you mad, but we were that bad, and still are if we haven’t taken up His offer of forgiveness that leads to freedom. The story Jesus tells is about a wedding where the food and the party were free, but the guests didn’t have the time. There will be a lot of people in heaven, and you’re invited too.