God’s Preferences For Our Lives

• Our education

• Our political persuasion

• Our gifts

• Our race

• Our opportunities and etc.

However, another thing that distinguishes us from each other are our LIKES AND DISLIKES. Such as:

(1) OUR TASTE FOR FOOD

Illus: Because of the differences we have, when we go into an ice cream parlor they have many different kinds of flavors.

Illus: Speaking of ice cream flavors, let me tell you a true story. A complaint was received by the Pontiac Division of General Motors:

"This is the second time I have written you, and I don't blame you for not answering me, because I kind of sounded crazy, but it is a fact that we have a tradition in our family of ice cream for dessert after dinner each night. But the kind of ice cream varies, so every night, after we've eaten, the whole family votes on which kind of ice cream we should have and I drive down to the store to get it. It's also a fact that I recently purchased a new Pontiac and since then my trips to the store have created a problem. You see, every time I buy vanilla ice cream, when I start back from the store my car won't start. If I get any other kind of ice cream, the car starts just fine. I want you to know I'm serious about this question, no matter how silly it sounds: 'What is there about a Pontiac that makes it not start when I get vanilla ice cream, and easy to start whenever I get any other kind?'"

The Pontiac President was understandably skeptical about the letter, but sent an engineer to check it out anyway. The letter was surprised to be greeted by a successful, obviously well educated man in a fine neighborhood. He had arranged to meet the man just after dinner time, so the two hopped into the car and drove to the ice cream store. It was vanilla ice cream that night and, sure enough, after they came back to the car, it wouldn't start. The engineer returned for three more nights. The first night, the man got chocolate. The car started. The second night, he got strawberry. The car started. The third night he ordered vanilla. The car failed to start. Now the engineer, being a logical man, refused to believe that this man's car was allergic to vanilla ice cream. He arranged, therefore, to continue his visits for as long as it took to solve the problem. And toward this end he began to take notes: he jotted down all sorts of data, time of day, type of gas used, time to drive back and forth, etc. In a short time, he had a clue: the man took less time to buy vanilla than any other flavor. Why? The answer was in the layout of the store. Vanilla, being the most popular flavor, was in a separate case at the front of the store for quick pickup. All the other flavors were kept in the back of the store at a different counter where it took considerably longer to find the flavor and get checked out.

Now the question for the engineer was why the car wouldn't start when it took less time. Once time became the problem -- not the vanilla ice cream -- the engineer quickly came up with the answer: vapor lock. It was happening every night, but the extra time taken to get the other flavors allowed the engine to cool down sufficiently to start. When the man got vanilla, the engine was still too hot for the vapor lock to dissipate.

The moral of the story is: chocolate ice cream cures vapor lock!

It is because of our differences that the Ice Cream companies produce all kinds of flavors.

Also, our differences can be seen in the-

(2) CAR INDUSTRY

For example, the car industry manufactures cars in different colors. I for one am glad they paint cars different colors.

Illus: Can you imagine coming out of Walmart during the Christmas Season and the parking lot is filled with cars and all the cars are white…you never would find your car!

Illus: One lady pulled into a crowded parking lot and rolled down the car windows to make sure her Labrador retriever had fresh air. The dog was stretched out on the back seat, and she wanted to impress upon this dog that she must remain there. She walked to the curb backward, pointing her finger at the car and saying emphatically, "Now you stay. Do you hear me? Stay!" The driver of a nearby car gave her a startled look and he said, “Lady, I don't know about you, but I just put my car in park and it stays in place.”