Ark Valley News - Hope and hilarity

Hope and hilarity
By Chuck Terrill
Last Updated: May 23, 2013

Own up to choices

A man in Brazil recently won a lawsuit against the hamburger giant McDonalds. His award was $17,500. Why? He claimed that eating Big Macs for 12 years forced him to gain 65 pounds! When McDonalds appealed the verdict, the award, thankfully, was thrown out.

Have you heard of Nutella? Our teenaged granddaughters love it. Nutella is a chocolate hazelnut spread that you can buy at the grocery store, on the shelf, right next to peanut butter. The label is plain: the product is made out of nuts. It is called Nutella, for crying out loud! Yet Ferrero, the company that manufactures Nutella, settled a $3 million lawsuit filed by a San Diego mom. She believed Nutella was to blame for her daughter's allergic reaction. A jury agreed.

McDonalds does not force people to eat Big Macs. Nutella didn't make a mom buy their product and give it to her daughter without reading the label.

These are just two examples of a widespread "victim mentality" that puts the blame for anything and everything in our lives on someone or something else.

Fat? Who went through the drive-thru at least 50 times last year, did not read any nutrition labels, and completely failed to exercise? Yet, it is McDonalds' fault that I am fat.

Struggling with debt? You can blame your credit card company, and not your lack of financial planning or frequent impulsive buying. It is not your fault that you have to file for bankruptcy.

Maybe your kids are out of control. It's obviously the school system's fault. Video games and TV programs are too violent. It's certainly not poor parenting!

Take responsibility. A word that many Americans shy away from is the word "responsible." When the question is asked, "Who is going to take responsibility for this?" many people quickly reply, "Not me!"

The best answer is "I will take responsibility." This week we honor those who said, "I will take responsibility: for America. I will take responsibility for freedom. No matter what happens to me, I will not neglect my responsibility to protect life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Hundreds of thousands of American men and women did not hesitate to give their lives for the freedom of our nation. May God bless them for being responsible for us.

And may God help all of us to be worthy of their sacrifice.

Chuck Terrill is pastor of Valley Center Christian Church. He can be reached at chuck@ valleycenterchristianchurch.org or 755-1233.