I'm guessing I'm not the only person who will now and forevermore see a box of chocolate candy and suddenly have the overwhelming desire to say, "My mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." I don't eat chocolate candy anymore, but when I did, I always hated it when I thought I was biting into a piece filled with scrumptious, ooey-gooey caramel only to discover that instead it was stuffed with that disgusting, make me want to puke, nasty jelly. Yuck, yuck, yuck, yuck, yuck. I well recall the stark feeling of shocking disappointment that would sweep through me ... I was ready for the delicious taste of caramel mixed with chocolate ... I was excited for the delicious taste of caramel mixed with chocolate ... I craved the delicious taste of caramel mixed with chocolate ... I expected the delicious taste of caramel mixed with chocolate. I expected goodness and received badness instead ... those words are worth repeating because my guess is that some of you need to read them again ... I expected goodness and received badness instead.
I'm also guessing I'm not the only person who knows that people are a whole lot like a box of chocolates ... all the chocolates in the box look pretty much the same on the outside, but they can be as different as night and day on the inside. Some may be a tad bit bigger or smaller than the others or some may differ slightly in color and texture, but there's absolutely no way of knowing what's on the inside of them until you get past the outside layer of chocolate. You can look at the outside of a piece of chocolate candy until the cows come home, but you still won't know what's inside of it until you see or taste or experience it for yourself. I could stand right smack dab in front of you with an open box of chocolates and assure you that every single piece is filled with luscious caramel, but until you tried them for yourself, you'd have absolutely no way of knowing if I was telling you the truth or lying through my teeth.
It's the same way with people, you know ... hence my premise that people are a whole lot like a box of chocolates. You can't look at the outside of a person and know what's on the inside ... no freaking way can you just assume who someone really is by their outward appearance. And I'm not talking about the clothes they wear or the kind of car they drive or where they work or how they style their hair or whether they are rich or poor ... that's not at all what I mean by "outward appearance" ... that's not even remotely close to what I mean. I'm talking about the way people behave ... the way they present themselves ... the way they want others to see them ... the way they act. Whoa ... wait a minute ... isn't acting the same thing as pretending? That's exactly the kind of outward appearance I'm talking about, friends ... I'm talking about the way a person may look and act on the outside when someone else is watching. I'm talking about a piece of chocolate filled with yucky jelly that's trying its best to appear as though it's filled with delicious caramel.
See here's the thing, friends ... the really super important thing I want you to take away from this post ... sometimes people aren't whom or what they appear to be. People can appear to be calm when they are crawling with anxiety. People can appear to be healthy when they are battling a chronic disease. People can appear to be listening when they aren't hearing a single word. People can appear to be caring when they are embracing apathy. People can appear to be forgiving when they are plotting revenge. People can appear to be loyal when they are searching for a way out. People can appear to be accepting when they are seething with judgment. People can appear to be telling the truth when they are spouting lies. People can appear to be demonstrating love when they are fueling hate.
What you see isn't always what you get ... sometimes the piece of chocolate you think contains something incredibly delightful is instead filled with something so disgustingly nasty, it makes you want to puke. But thankfully, there are also times the chocolate is filled to overflowing with exactly what you were expecting ... delicious, sweet caramel you were ready for ... caramel you were excited for ... caramel you were craving ... exactly the caramel you were expecting. But then there are those other times when you are so certain the chocolate contains the worst-ever, disgustingly gross jelly only to discover you were so very wrong. Thank God for times when you expect the badness to destroy you, but instead you are wrapped in grace, mercy, compassion, respect and love.
What you see isn't always what you get ... sometimes it's so very much better than you ever expected, friends ... sometimes it is indeed.
I'm also guessing I'm not the only person who knows that people are a whole lot like a box of chocolates ... all the chocolates in the box look pretty much the same on the outside, but they can be as different as night and day on the inside. Some may be a tad bit bigger or smaller than the others or some may differ slightly in color and texture, but there's absolutely no way of knowing what's on the inside of them until you get past the outside layer of chocolate. You can look at the outside of a piece of chocolate candy until the cows come home, but you still won't know what's inside of it until you see or taste or experience it for yourself. I could stand right smack dab in front of you with an open box of chocolates and assure you that every single piece is filled with luscious caramel, but until you tried them for yourself, you'd have absolutely no way of knowing if I was telling you the truth or lying through my teeth.
It's the same way with people, you know ... hence my premise that people are a whole lot like a box of chocolates. You can't look at the outside of a person and know what's on the inside ... no freaking way can you just assume who someone really is by their outward appearance. And I'm not talking about the clothes they wear or the kind of car they drive or where they work or how they style their hair or whether they are rich or poor ... that's not at all what I mean by "outward appearance" ... that's not even remotely close to what I mean. I'm talking about the way people behave ... the way they present themselves ... the way they want others to see them ... the way they act. Whoa ... wait a minute ... isn't acting the same thing as pretending? That's exactly the kind of outward appearance I'm talking about, friends ... I'm talking about the way a person may look and act on the outside when someone else is watching. I'm talking about a piece of chocolate filled with yucky jelly that's trying its best to appear as though it's filled with delicious caramel.
See here's the thing, friends ... the really super important thing I want you to take away from this post ... sometimes people aren't whom or what they appear to be. People can appear to be calm when they are crawling with anxiety. People can appear to be healthy when they are battling a chronic disease. People can appear to be listening when they aren't hearing a single word. People can appear to be caring when they are embracing apathy. People can appear to be forgiving when they are plotting revenge. People can appear to be loyal when they are searching for a way out. People can appear to be accepting when they are seething with judgment. People can appear to be telling the truth when they are spouting lies. People can appear to be demonstrating love when they are fueling hate.
What you see isn't always what you get ... sometimes the piece of chocolate you think contains something incredibly delightful is instead filled with something so disgustingly nasty, it makes you want to puke. But thankfully, there are also times the chocolate is filled to overflowing with exactly what you were expecting ... delicious, sweet caramel you were ready for ... caramel you were excited for ... caramel you were craving ... exactly the caramel you were expecting. But then there are those other times when you are so certain the chocolate contains the worst-ever, disgustingly gross jelly only to discover you were so very wrong. Thank God for times when you expect the badness to destroy you, but instead you are wrapped in grace, mercy, compassion, respect and love.
What you see isn't always what you get ... sometimes it's so very much better than you ever expected, friends ... sometimes it is indeed.
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