Vending machine religion

I like vending machines. All kinds. My favorites are the ones I grew up with, specifically the soda pop variety. Remember the ones with the glass bottles all lined up vertically? Coke at the top, then Sprite, a couple of fruit flavored sodas (Cheerwine in my part of the world), and lastly Tab down at the bottom. Pepsi, Mountain Dew, and 7up were in a similar machine right beside.
I remember when I became old enough to ride my bike down the hill (this was in the Appalachians mind you, so my definition of hill might be different than yours) and go to the Mill Creek store and buy a soda and maybe a piece of candy for the long ride back. I remember standing in front of those machines, deliberating which flavor to choose, making my selection, dropping the coins in, pulling the glass bottle out, and popping the top with the machine’s built in bottle opener. What a simple treat but man was it fun.
These says we have vending machines for everything from a double espresso latte to the most recently released DVD movies. You name it, there’s a vending machine for it.
Here’s my question for you. In this world of instant gratification, do you find yourself treating God like a vending machine?
Think about it. Do you only go to him when you have a problem? “Jesus, I’ve lost my job. Need your help here.” “Father God, my child is sick, please help him” “Holy Spirit, I need some guidance on this huge decision I have to make.”
All of these are great reasons to pray and it’s exactly what we need to do. BUT, when was the last time you just thanked him for being him.
A couple of days ago, I was riding bikes with Kate & Josh. I was some distance behind them and for whatever reason, I was just overcome with how blessed I am. So right there on my bike, I just thanked God for my two incredible kids. I started to pray something else but then I just stopped and continued to praise my God for all that he has done.
Don’t know about you but I need to do that more. Just take a moment and say thanks.
Have a great day!