Fruitopia or Vanilla Coke?

I know two teenage girls who are, in many ways, quite mature.  They both have 
graduated from high school…they both have jobs…they both plan to enroll in college for 
the very next semester…one of them has a car and she pays the payment and 
insurance by herself.  These, and other ways, are demonstrations of their maturity.  So I 
was surprised recently when I heard these two girls arguing quite forcefully.  Let me tell 
you what it was all about.  

It seems that they were heading home after work that day and decided to stop for a 
drink.  They had, however, only enough money between them to buy one drink.  One of 
these mature young ladies had a strong craving for a Fruitopia.  The other felt equally 
passionate about a Vanilla Coke.  An argument ensued even before they got out of the 
car.  It continued inside the store until the Vanilla Coke girl took matters into her own 
hands and paid the associated price for her heart's desire.  

Well, you can imagine how distressed our Fruitopia lover became.  The argument 
turned from their desires for a drink to a much more personal discussion about each 
other's selfish arrogance.  This battle consumed the remainder of their drive home, and 
followed them through the door to the house, and even trailed into the presence of the 
master of that peaceful home.  

I have been thinking about that incident as I watched a 19-year-old girl being rescued 
from an Iraqi imprisonment.  Jessica Lynch is the same age as our Vanilla Coke 
girl…but their worlds are far removed from each other.  While my girls are arguing over 
soft drinks, Jessica's body is healing from multiple injuries…including a gunshot wound.  
I'm not trying to be insulting about my girls' priorities, but am amazed at how little our 
typical teenagers appreciate the freedoms that they take for granted.  

I think we would do our young people a great service by sitting them down in front of the 
TV this week.  We, as a free people, should openly discuss the sacrifice that many other 
young people are making for us to keep that freedom.  Then, as a family, we should 
bow our heads and pray that God will bring every last one of those brave young soldiers 
home.  Maybe after my family has that devo time together, we'll celebrate our freedom 
with a round of Fruitopia and Vanilla Coke.  

God bless our soldiers and their families!

Stan Cunningham