Muffin Mafia Princess

Muffin Mafia Princess

I was eating at a local restaurant when two adorable little girls who were about 4-5-ish came in with their mothers.  Holding hands, they skipped in both dressed in complete cute-ness with matching blue ballerina costumes.  

They were seated at their table when one little girl's mom excused herself for a potty break and maybe for some time away from the energetic little ballerina princess ;)  At that moment, the other mother/daughter team's food arrived.  The Mommy-less young girl eyed their food and noticed that the other "couple" both had muffins.  

The little girl immediately, and loudly I might add, shared of her love for muffins as she looked longingly at the pair sitting on the table that were not available to her. Think whiney and picture her tiny hand on her hip, as she then looked at her dear friend and asked, "Can I have your muffin?"  Her friend shook her head, "No, this is my muffin."  That’s when the Little Ballerina Princess went to her alter ego: Muffin Mafia Princess.   If this little girl had, in fact, been recruited at this tender age into the mafia, she would have put a hit out on this tutu wearing traitor that she had once called friend.  I think Muffin Mafia Princess (MMP) would have settled for half of the muffin but tutu wasn’t giving it up.  You find out who your real friends are in situations like these ;)

She looked at her friend's mommy and this time changed her tone to demure, "Could I have your muffin please?" Her bestie's  mommy responded with a "No, you have your own food coming."  "But I didn't order a muffin," she said in distress. She kept repeating how much she liked muffins and this went on for several minutes while momma was taking her siesta in the baño.  She looked around several times for her mom as if she knew mom could somehow make this muffin thing happen for her. Others looked on with disapproval at the spectacle that MMP was making.  I could almost hear their thoughts:  demanding, selfish, be quiet,  you’re a loud little girl, you don't deserve a muffin acting like that.

Mom decided to return and MMP started quizzing her about the muffin quandary.  Finally, the owner of the store came over and apparently after overhearing the little girl’s not so quiet pleas said, "I found a muffin for you!" I didn’t get the impression that she was trying to quiet her.  No, this was a grandmotherly type who probably would want someone to have mercy on her own grandchild in the same situation. The other little girl, sensing a loss of superiority said, "But she didn't order a muffin so she shouldn't get one." Some best friend you are ;) The owner of the restaurant then explained that she could give her a muffin as a GIFT.  The parable of the workers in Matthew 20 mentions that people get jealous when others receive something as a gift instead of working like they did for it.  In verse 20 the owner says "Don't I have a right to do what I want with my own money?  or are you jealous that I'm generous?"  

At the site of her desire fulfilled, the  distraught little Muffin Mafia Princess was suddenly transformed back into Happy Ballerina Princess.  She beamed and said thank you as if the muffin placed before her was a golden crown and maybe it was.  She had her muffin injustice made right. She realized she wasn’t a muffin pauper but a muffin princess.    

Some might say that muffin girl should be happy with what she ordered but what if she  didn't realize a muffin was available to her until she saw that her so called friend had one?  ;)

Some could argue that her attitude was all wrong, she might have been considered petulant, manipulating, begging, badgering, indignant and she was even demanding to have what she was missing out on but available to others.  As for me, I was laughing and secretly trying to video ;) I was also thinking of the persistent widow mentioned in Luke.  Talk about a pit bull.  This lady threatened this judge so much it was making him physically ILL! 

Luke 18: 1-8 Then Jesus taught the followers that they should always pray and never lose hope.  He used this story to teach them: "Once there was a judge in a town. He did not care about God. He also did not care what people thought about him. In that same town there was a woman whose husband had died. She came many times to this judge and said, ‘There is a man who is doing bad things to me. Give me my rights!’ But the judge did not want to help the woman. After a long time, the judge thought to himself, ‘I don’t care about God. And I don’t care about what people think. But this woman is bothering me. If I give her what she wants, then she will leave me alone. But if I don’t give her what she wants, she will bother me until I am sick.’ The Lord said, “Listen, there is meaning in what the bad judge said. God’s people shout to him night and day, and he will always give them what is right. He will not be slow to answer them.I tell you, God will help his people quickly. But when the Son of Man comes again, will he find people on earth who believe in him?”

Other people are not the answer.  We cannot and must not look to them for our help.  Where does our help come from?  Our help comes from The Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.  We can't have an expectation that our bestie or her mom are going to give up their muffins to feed our hunger.  The owner of the muffins on a thousand plates (Psalm 50:10) has what we need and if we ask Him then we can trust that He will answer us.  

 I think the store owner represents the heart of Father God and He doesn't think the way that we do.  God's in charge and when He hears his children cry, by God, He answers.  People who don't know this about God have a hard time understanding generosity.  Gifts must be earned, you must be patient discouraging persistence asking even though that is contrary to what God says about asking. What we don't understand is that kids who have their needs met can then CHOOSE to give and be generous knowing that they will be provided for.  Being a parent takes wisdom and kids who know they are loved and don't feel like they have to earn love and provision by being good, can proactively give out of a spirit of abundance and not reacting to life out of a spirit of poverty. 

 I can’t see God responding to our needs the world’s way.  He would be cruel and unkind if He did.  Sometimes He does say no and we trust Him but don’t stop asking Him.  Be persistent.  I was praying for my daughter to get a job in the field that she desired to work in.  She had a job offer but it wasn’t where she wanted to be.  Some advised her to take what she could get.  Sadly, without hearing from the Holy Spirit, I did too because I didn't understand this concept and was motivated by fear that another opportunity might not come.  When she followed our earthly wisdom, she was miserable.   In faith, she left that job and God miraculously opened the door for a job.   When I prayed, I felt God said, “My answer to Monica is always yes.  I have to put some things together for her but the answer is yes.”  He wasn’t teaching her patience that would come regardless.  He was teaching her persistence and believing that He wanted to give her the desires of her heart.  She didn’t have to take a job that didn’t line up with her dreams...that she doesn’t have to marry someone that she doesn’t like.  He’s a good Dad and every GOOD and PERFECT gift comes from Him.  Sometimes we settle when we should be asking our Father for what we want. Hope deferred makes the heart sick but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. (Proverbs 13:12)  

The passage below shows how God is the greatest Dad and we can ASK HIM FOR WHAT WE WANT.  He doesn’t give us lettuce when we ask for a muffin just like the owner didn’t rush her non-muffin food plate out to quiet her.  The owner brought her what she asked for.  If we really want something, He will get it. I’m taking God at His word when He says:

Matthew 7:7-11 “Continue to ask, and God will give to you…Yes, whoever continues to ask will receive. Do any of you have a son? If he asked for bread (a muffin), would you give him a rock. You people are so bad, but you still know how to give good things to your children. So surely your heavenly Father will give good things to those who ask him."

Earthly wisdom's moral of the story:  You snooze, you lose.  You get what you get and you like it.  Too bad so sad. Sucks to be you but I got a muffin, Sucker.

Poverty mentality moral of the story:  Get it while you can because there may not be any more.  Your needs and desires are irrelevant.  You are unimportant and should be wantless and needless.  You are selfish if you have needs.  God's holding out on you because you haven't been good enough.  He gives everyone else the best but not you. 

God's moral of the story:  

He loves to give His children good gifts and he's not judging us. When you have faith that He loves you as His child, you look to Him to meet every need and aren't afraid to ask.  He wants to give us the desires of our heart...even if it's a muffin. ASK HIM!