OF LOVE AND LUNCH (From the Archive)
A Dramatic Moment from TOTAL IMPACT Vol. 1 Issue 11 originally published in November 1993
I love a good potato. No. I don’t think you understand. I am in love with a delicious baked potato. I get romantic feelings when I think about steaming hot solanum tuberosum topped with butter and sour cream. I am attracted to vegetables. I LOVE them. If I could add vowels to the word "love" to describe just how much I am endeared to the common potato, I’d do it.
And, Jell-O! Boy, does my lip quiver when I imagine a good lemon Jell-O. I think the active verb here is "love." I started off as close friends with various citrus members of the Jellic host, but now I am totally and completely engrossed in gelatin. It never leaves my thoughts. If I were required to go a week without gelatin, I would probably stare at it’s picture for hours on end. I recently introduced a nice lime mold to my parents.
Oh - let’s come to our senses for a moment and acknowledge how astronomically silly all this must seem. You cannot possibly love a potato (i.e. get romantic). It simply doesn't happen. And, though Jell-O is Weeble-like and full of more primary colors than potatoes, you probably aren't going to go out and purchase ti some jewelry. Yet, somehow when food comes to mind, we have absolutely no hesitancy in stating that it is something we truly "love" (though it has a dire speech impediment and not an ounce of soul).
So, if edible plant life is not to blame for our misuse of the word, the fault must lie in our etymology. We have taken a simple yet important verb and trashed it to the point of obscurity. Love is not a preference. It is a commitment. This may all sound just a bit nit-picky, but let’s think of what happens when our vocabulary sways. Our minds follow.
We toss around the word love like it is the criteria for everything we will ever accept, when the original definition of love is our Creator Himself. A love so great that it was the only reason He died for our fragile souls. A love that craves our love in return. A love that we say we are giving back. But of course, only giving back according to the aforementioned definition.
Love is not a label term. It is not something we vote in. Love requires action, and though many of us give God passionate lip service, it is a far cry from what He requires of those who love Him: obedience.
If we are truly aiming for the will of God - and truly desire our lives to become more than accidental Christianity, then we must PROVE (eek! Is that a Christian word?!) Yes, PROVE to God that our intentions toward Him are not superficial and selfish.
In other words, put our amour where our mouth is. We must seek him ardently in study and prayer and (most importantly) in personal relationship and communication. It is the only way we will ever discover that what truly pleases God the most is what is best for us as well.
Love all you want. But, be certain that some things you throw that verb toward will never be able to throw it back. Isn't it worth dedication to an incomprehensible God to discover a definition of love that we could just as equally never fathom? Without that dedication, we’re destined to walk the rest of our life aimlessly in a deep and fervent search for the perfect potato.
Next: “Ode to a Shopping Multiplex” A Dramatic Moment from TOTAL IMPACT Vol. 1 Issue 12 originally published in December 1993