"How ‘bout Them Cookies?"

The first word that comes to my mind when I hear “Girl Scouts” is cookies. The Girl Scouts and their cookies are already famous, but this year, they are changing things up so that all will be able to experience their cookies. They are adding three new flavors to their list of goodies.  Those flavors include the debut of Rah Raisin, which includes oatmeal, raisins and Greek yogurt-flavored chunks. The other two additions are Toffee-tastic, a buttery cookie with pieces of toffee, and Trios, which is peanut butter, chocolate chips, and oats.

What caught my attention is that two of the new cookies are gluten free. Gluten is a protein found mostly in wheat but also in other types of food. It doesn’t bother most of us, but it can play havoc on your immune system if you are gluten intolerant. It is for that reason that we offer gluten free communion wafers at Sardis.

It is a great thing when we can be flexible and accommodating. In this case, more people will be able to enjoy the sacrament of communion without fear of aggravating their illness. As for the Girl Scouts, a wider audience can enjoy their yearly treats! Not all cases are so “win-win”. Being flexible and accommodating may come with sacrifices. 

Think of how many nights you gave up sleep to accommodate your newborn’s needs. You will have trouble surviving parenthood if you don’t have a lot of flexibility during those turbulent teenage years. How many times have you had to be flexible to accommodate your spouse and not allow something like your pride spoil the relationship?  

I think all our lives would be a little happier if we were more flexible and accommodating to the needs of others. Come to think about it, that might be at the heart of what Jesus meant when he said, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”   

Flexibility and accommodation go a long way in this world, and not just with cookies and communion wafers.