Baskin Robbins: The Decision Maker's Paradise

Last week I was sitting in my Advanced Human Growth and Development class and we were discussing the importance of decision-making in the psychological development of children. My professor, who is incredibly prone to ramblings and tangents (more so than anyone I have ever met), began to recount a scene he witnessed when he was taking his grandson for ice cream one summer day.

As they walked out of the store, a Volvo station wagon pulled up with “so many children inside there were arms and legs flailing out of every possible window”. As the father opened the door, my professor could hear them all screaming, “I want chocolate! I want rocky road! I want strawberry! Can I have a milkshake? I want a cone, not a cup!” As he slammed the door, the dad exclaimed, “Enough, you’re all getting vanilla!” It really bothered my professor to hear this. After all, they were at Baskin Robbins. Over 40 flavors to choose from—it’s the decision maker’s paradise! If a kid can’t make a decision about what kind of ice cream he’s going to eat, what can he make a decision about?

This story made me think of a really important message that I heard at the end of my Fellows year. One of our speakers compared our relationship with God to the relationship between a father and his child at Baskin Robbins.

One day, a father walks into Baskin Robbins with his daughter. She looks up at him and says, “Daddy, what flavor am I going to have today?” He replies, “What flavor do you want?” She gives him a confused look. “I don’t know, which one will I like the best?” The father reaches down and picks up the little girl so she can see different flavors. “You can have butter pecan, or chocolate chip cookie dough, or you could even pick rainbow if you’d like. They are all good choices.” The little girl taps the glass. “What about caramel? Is that one the one I want to choose? Or maybe fudge swirl?” The father sets her down and says, “Either is a good choice, so is vanilla. It’s entirely up to you. You can’t go wrong, they all taste delicious. And, well, if you don’t really like the one you pick, we’ll come back and try some more until you find the one that’s the perfect flavor for you!”

So often I find myself in this situation with God. We walk into the hypothetical Baskin Robbins that is a figment of my imagination. I look up at him and say, “Ok, God, which flavor do you have picked out for me? I’d like something that is sweet but not too sweet, I’m always up for something with chocolate, maybe fruit as well. And what do you think, sugar cone or cake cone? One scoop or two? Or do I just want a cup? Ooh, or maybe even a milkshake? You know what, this is all too much for me to decide, I’ll just go sit on the bench and wait for you to bring me what you have picked out for me. Thanks.” And then God looks down at me and starts laughing. Can you imagine? I just want him to take care of it and pick out my flavor and tell me which one is the right one for me. His response? “I know it's a hard choice, but you’re a big girl. You can make a decision, I’m not going to pick out your flavor. Whatever choice you make will be a good one. And well, if it’s not such a good fit, then you can keep trying until you find the right one. You decide, I’m right here to back you up.”

And so, for now, this is my new philosophy on life. As much as I would like it to happen, God isn’t going to hand me a silver platter with a one-way direct ticket to my final destination of whatever it is he’s calling me to do with my life. I personally think I get a little memo that says something to the effect of, “Hey! Congratulations! I’ve given you amazing talents and abilities. So, now what are you going to do with that? Go pick a flavor and try it.” It is up to me to take what I have been given and take the steps down the winding path of life in a direction that is most useful of my God-given talents. I need to get out those tasting spoons, take a bite, and try a flavor or two. And if one flavor doesn’t taste so good, I can always taste different things along the way. After all, those cute pink spoons are pretty little…I could try lots of flavors before I got too full.