Pinata Candy

Children love pinatas. The entire experience of being blindfolded, spun around, and given a large stick is exhilarating to a child.

Depending on how many kids are waiting in line to take their turn, you'll see a wide range of expression. The children toward the front of the line are really excited, even giddy. It's almost their turn, and they are hoping really hard that they will be the one to smash the pinata to pieces, showering candy across the room. The kids in the back of the line are in a battle between excitement and nervousness. What if the pinata breaks before they even get a turn? What if the other kids race to the candy first, scooping up the good stuff before they can get there?

As each child takes his or her turn, the pinata starts giving in. First the nose might be knocked off, dropping a tootsie roll and a peppermint. Then, the leg flies to the floor, ten or eleven hard butterscotch candies and cellophane wrapped caramels scattering among the crowd. Finally, a child walks up and with one hard thump breaks open the pinata, which explodes in a shower of sweetness. The kids throw their hands in the air and cheer as the candy rains down upon them. Then the madness truly begins as everyone pushes into each other to insure the best spot for looting.

We don't realize it, but we involve ourselves in society's pinata process. I recently saw a little girl wearing a shirt that proudly stated, "Someday I'm going to be famous." That common childhood dream to be an actress, a rock star, or a nationally known sports player is a real life illustration of the desire to be under that candy shower.

That yearning doesn't end with our childhood. We long to be recognized. We crave the respect of our peers. We fantasize about having someone we look up to place his or her hand on our shoulder and say, "You've made it. Well done."

And so we beat on that pinata. We ride that roller coaster of emotion that comes with working really hard only to receive a passing nod, of giving our best swing and sometimes missing completely. Always longing for that perfect moment where our hands are the ones that cause the shower of accolades that, in society, symbolizes success.

We get so caught up in the desire to be recognized that we forget to take off the blindfold and really look at the target we're trying to hit. Have you ever looked closely at a pinata? Sure, they look pretty, but they aren't made with quality in mind. In fact, they're built to be disposed of fifteen minutes after their used. That shower of candy that the entire anticipation is built around? No one puts expensive candy in a pinata.

These are the rewards of men. This is frequently what we measure the quality of our life against. But God has promised so much more for those who follow Him.

If society's reward is pinata candy, then God's reward is the entire contents of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory.

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians, "Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you might win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified." (1 Cor. 9:24-27)

Those things we do on earth that gain us moments of recognition are not without worth. Just as a runner self-disciplines to train for a race, hard work results in positive rewards. But society's ultimate rewards of fame and fortune are rare and temporary.

We need to aim instead for the ultimate reward, which is eternity in heaven. We need to keep our eyes focused on the moment when He will say to us, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" That is the only recognition that we should build our identity around.

If we act for the response of man, then the response of man is our reward. "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full." (Matthew 6:2)

Society's rewards may feel really good, but they are pinata candy compared to the promised rewards of God.

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(I want to talk about how I have personally struggled with this, but since the entry has gotten pretty long, I will save it for tomorrow. So if you're interested, please stay tuned. :) )