My wife, Sally, has recently been trying to track down some banana-flavoured chews. She remembered enjoying them as a child and has been disappointed not to be able to find any in sweet shops. She was quite pleased, then, when she came across a goodie bag by Swizzels Matlow that contained some Banana and Toffee Chews. She bought a bag and opened it in anticipation only to find…

… there were no banana sweets in the bag.

Boo.

She was disappointed. So she wrote to Swizzels Matlow and expressed her disappointment that in a whole bag there was not one banana and toffee sweet, and that they are very difficult to find in shops.

Yesterday a package arrived from Swizzels Matlow with a letter expressing their regret that Sally had not had any banana sweets. In order to make up for her they did not send her a voucher (she might have had a repeat of the no-banana sweets in goodie bag disappointment) they sent her some banana and toffee sweets.

10?

Nope

20?

Nope

30?

Nope

40?

Nope

50?

Nope

(you get the idea)

They sent her a box with 100 banana and toffee sweets!!! Wow!

That is way beyond what might be considered a reasonable response. That is what you call generosity. In our house all meals have now been cancelled so we can eat banana and toffee sweets.

(Only joking)

Our children have taken handfuls of sweets to share with their friends and the box still looks full.

And, in the best traditions of cheesy children’s talks, God’s like that. He is generous to us beyond what we deserve or can expect. He gives and gives and gives. And it’s not sweets that he gives, he gives of himself. He gives us grace, forgiveness, peace, joy, inspiration, encouragement… He gives us Jesus. He gives us his Spirit.

We can’t ever out-give God.

Postscript – Sally has written a ‘thank you’ letter to Swizzels Matlow.

When did you last thank God?


A woman went to a sweet shop to buy some sweets (unsurprisingly).

The boy behind the counter said “Gosh, you’re old aren’t you? I’ve never seen anyone as old as you come into this shop before. You’re too old to be buying sweets. Are you sure your false teeth can cope?”

“Young man,” she replied, “I didn’t come in here to be insulted.”

“Really”, he said, “Where do you usually go?”