Sanctification via sushi! Can I get an amen!

My neighbor and I both work out of our houses.  To keep from going nuts we walk into town every Tuesday for sushi. We've got an Umi less than a mile away and every plate on the conveyor belt is two bucks. This breaks down to fifty cents per piece so we can justify our weekly gluttony by praising ourselves for only spending eight bucks for sixteen pieces of sushi.

We've both become huge fans of the Rainbow Roll and this has caused a few issues;

Issue #1 We have found that we are not the only people to have found this hidden treasure of cheap raw fish delights.

Issue #2  We are not the only people who crave the Rainbow Roll.

Issue #3  Not every dinner abides by the unwritten rules of Umi Sushi;
    Rule 3a) Do not reach over the outer belt to get to the inner belt
    Rule 3b) Do not take more than one plate of a particular type of sushi
    Rule 3c) Do not, EVER use one hand to take a new plate off the belt
                    while the other is putting a piece of sushi in your mouth

Issue #4 There are two guys in particular who commit 3a-3c weekly
(we made up the rules to justify our haughty disdain.)

Issue # 5 Sometimes people take our seats which we have found is the optimal
position for capturing Rainbow Rolls 

Yesterday I found myself getting worked up over all this cr*p and the Rainbow Roll began to take on a sour taste in my mouth. It was no longer about enjoying my friend and our talks about being dads, wives and neighbors I was caught up in the game. I was about the rules and missing the joy.

God's process of sanctification worked itself out through my sushi wars;

"Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the 

next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. 

Saving is all his idea, and all his work.

 All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It's God's gift from start to finish! 

We don't play the major role. 

If we did, we'd probably go around bragging that we'd done the whole thing! 

No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. 

He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing."

So I walked into Umi looking forward to trying something new I must have missed because I got so hung up on. God had shown me I do this to him so I said sorry and he forgave me. 

He's good like that.

I do this to God often. I want what I think is best and miss the grace and beauty in front of me. The process of being formed into a beautiful pearl. He sends grains of sand in me to do the work. He uses my frustrations to point out how I frustrate him, and others. He exposes my lack of grace and self-righteousness by sending me Rainbow Roll Poachers. He does this gently at times over sushi. He has done this with a strong hand during the Exodus. Both times God who's character is faithfulness and mercy took the dopes back. 

At times I am so much like Sheldon I freak myself out. But even he yells out "thank you Jesus"