Jesus is like a box of chocolates

For the past week, I’ve been here in Green Lake, Wisconsin, at a conference with many different pastors from all over the midwest. Now, this is a perfect opportunity for me because my son’s school is currently doing a fundraiser where he (really his mother and I) is supposed to sell a box of chocolate bars.

I thought to myself, Pastors love chocolate. Why don’t I try to sell this chocolate up at the conference?

Well, that is what I am doing. However, I wouldn’t want to do anything to cause problems, so I decided to ask someone first before I went through with the selling. Yesterday morning, I brought the box of chocolates with me to the first session of the day, but the person I needed to ask wasn’t there, so I just sat down with the box of chocolates next to me.

Now I know that pastors love chocolate. Doesn’t everyone? Nevertheless, I didn’t feel comfortable approaching other people about my chocolate because I thought they might get offended that I was trying to sell something to them.

So I enjoyed some chocolate for myself (and yes, I paid for it).

The session ended, and I carried the box with me until the next session. I still hadn’t seen the lady I needed to talk to, so once again I just set the box next to me.

Suddenly it dawned on me that no one had asked me about my box. Here I was walking around with a box. Surely people had noticed that there was something different about me. I was the only one carrying a box! I was smiling about my chocolate, and I knew that I had something they would want. Why weren’t they asking me about my box of chocolate? If they would only ask me… They were missing out on a great opportunity!

Then it hit me. Jesus is like a box of chocolates. I walk through my life obviously different from those around me. I’m a pastor, I attend church on a regular basis, I read my Bible. Sometimes, I even carry a Bible around. I’m obviously different. Why don’t people ask me about it?

Here’s what I realized (again). When you have chocolate, you have to ask people if they want some.

I thought I would bother other people by telling them about my chocolate, but really, they didn’t want to bother me by asking me about my box! After all, that box could have something personal in it, and they might embarass me by asking! They didn’t want to impose or ask me something that they thought might be too personal (ok, there was one pushy-minded person who asked me about my box, but no one else did). At the same time, I didn’t want to tell anyone about my chocolate because I didn’t know what they would think of me—he’s trying to sell something at the conference?

So what did I do?

I finally tracked down the lady to ask, and I asked her if I could put my box on a counter with a sign and let people buy it on the honor system. She said yes to that, so I put the box out.

Once people saw the chocolate out there, they started buying it. I only had to clearly display the chocolate that was in the box and let people know what it was for, and people started buying. But not everyone.

Some would just walk by.

One fellow walked past, and right after he passed the box, I asked him if he wanted some chocolate. Lo and behold, he said yes! He bought some right then and there. Since that time, I’ve seen how many people respond when I simply ask them.

Some people will take the initiative and ask me about what makes me different.

Some people will take the initiative and respond to an opportunity.

Most people need to be asked by another person.

I have Jesus in the box of my heart, but that’s not good enough. I need to realize the benefit and have the guts to ask someone, “Would you like to know Jesus?”