A few years ago, Costco redesigned the shape of its milk containers. The spout was larger and the container taller and skinnier, giving it a more cylindrical shape. They told customers the new shape allowed for easier, more efficient stocking and delivery, and was thus cost-effective. They could sell milk cheaper and with a better style with the new form. The problem came when customers took the milk home. It fit in the refrigerator nicely, but when you poured the milk into a bowl or glass it hugged the side of the container and spilled on the kitchen counter. Thousands expressed this frustration and problem online.
The outward style and design may have been significantly better for shipping, delivery, storage, and appeal, but it failed in functionality. The milk could not get in the bowl! They forgot the most important thing–it’s about the milk, not the container.
We can easily make the same mistake. Let me give you three ways we can fail to get the milk in the bowl.
We can come to believe a church’s outward structure is more important than the message. The container for a church is the building and its programing. These may look good or even be designed in the latest styles, but if they are not functional in helping deliver the milk (the gospel) then they are failing. A church should exist to be the body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23). A church should hold forth the message of the gospel to sin-sick and dying individuals in need of hope. The outward structure may be impressive, but the real substance is the message of truth sent out through those tools.
We can fail to get the milk in the bowl when it comes to how we approach marriage. We have elaborate wedding ceremonies that cost thousands. We have made the entire dating, engagement, and wedding process into a series of momentous events worthy of social media. Weddings are planned for months and hours of preparation go into their success. Yet, we can fail to actually get the milk in the bowl, if we neglect preparing for the commitment and sacrifices of marriage. Sadly, some marriages don’t last as long as the months spent preparing for the wedding. The point of a marriage is not a memorable engagement or fancy wedding, it is two people committed to loving each other til death. That’s the milk we have to get in the bowl.
Last, many are failing to get the milk in the bowl with their finances. Their outward appearance in the clothes they wear, the car they drive, and the lifestyle they keep looks good. The ease of consumer debt makes this appearance easy to get and keep up in our culture. Yet, spending more than you make will never work. That container will always spill milk! Functional finances always require you to be disciplined, budget your money, control your spending, give to worthy causes, and save for the future. These time-honored principles don’t look sleek or stylish like the latest fad or new car, but they always get the milk in the bowl.
Are you putting style over substance? Are you buying a sleek, trim container that looks good, but doesn’t get the milk into the bowl?
