Cotton Candy

The following story was inspired by a sermon illustration I heard several years ago...

The sun was beaming through the puffy white clouds as the Mills family pulled their blue Grand Caravan into the parking lot at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. This was a day they had been looking forward to for the past month. As they waited in line for their tickets the kids were discussing which ride they would go on first. Emily wanted to go on the Log Ride. Her father, John, suggested they wait until the warmer part of the day so they would be able to dry off without getting too cold in the process. Their mom, Karen, suggested they could hit the Log Ride just before lunch so they could dry off as they ate. The two younger ones, Cathryn and Andrew, wanted to go on Tsunami first. They loved spinning in their cars and Andrew especially enjoyed it when the ride went backwards at the end. So, Tsunami it was.

Throughout the day the kids got to go on any ride they wanted, play any of the carnival-type games, and they even got $5 for tokens at the Arcade. For lunch they could choose to eat whatever they wanted at any of the different restaurants or food carts. This was a day for family fun and enjoyment. The kids laughed and played all day. They had the time of their lives.

As the sun was slipping down into the Pacific Ocean, the family began their walk back to the car, hand in hand, recalling the exciting moments of the day.
"Remember when we went down the last hill on the Log Ride and Dad ducked right as the water splashed up and it hit me right in the face?!" said Cathryn, "that was fun!"
"My favorite part was when the guy on the bumper cars let me stay on three times in a row!" Andrew recalled with a smile on his face. "Hey, look Dad, cotton candy! Can I pleeease have some?"
John thought about it for a second--they were on their way to the car, Andrew probably wouldn't finish the cotton candy by the time they drove away, and even if he did his hands would be sticky and most likely get the candy's stickiness all over the seat, belt buckle and anything else Andrew touched.
"No, son, no cotton candy tonight."
They continued on and made it to their van as the parking lot lights were flickering on.
"Well, kids, did you enjoy your day?"
"Yeah, dad, thanks for taking us!" Emily said.
Cathryn was quick to follow, "Thanks, Dad! It was great!"
"How about you, Andrew, did you have a good time?"
"Well....no," came the response.
"No? Well, why not? Didn't we go on Tsunami first like you wanted? It looked like you enjoyed your corn dog and funnel cake you had for lunch. And you beat me four times on that car racing game! Why didn't you have a good time?"
"'Cause I didn't get any cotton candy," Andrew said, pouting.

"Son, I did not withhold anything from you all day long. I let you do anything you asked during all of the eight hours we were here today. You did politely ask for the cotton candy, but son, cotton candy is very sticky and we need to take good care of our car. Having sticky cotton candy hands inside the car would not be a good thing."

"But Dad! I could have cleaned them off!"

"Son, that is not the point. The point is that I wanted you to have a fun day. That is why we came here as a family. Your mother and I planned this day especially for the three of you because we know how much you like to come here. But if you choose to focus on the one thing you did not get, and you ignore all the many pleasures you enjoyed throughout the day, then of course you will not have a good time. Son, in life so often we experience many many blessings that are gifts from God, but if we ignore His blessings and instead spend our time complaining about the problems that we encounter and the things we do not get, we will miss out on rejoicing for all the good God has given to us in our lives. In the same way, Andrew, you have decided that your day was not a good day simply because you did not get cotton candy in the last few minutes of an otherwise exciting day. Son, when you have all these things, why do you complain about not having cotton candy?"