Vomit-Green

I am eating a Peanut-Butter and Jelly Sandwich right now and it is glorious, made even more so by the Black Raspberry and Blackberry Jelly that is inside. When I was a 1^st Grader I always wanted, or rather, I needed my mom to pack a PB&J sandwich in my lunch. Every. Day.  One time she didn’t, opting instead for the much inferior Tuna Salad sandwich. She happened to be volunteering at the school and was nearby. I went in and asked her why she didn’t make me a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich! I wasn’t throwing a fit or anything, it simply crushed my young spirit that I didn’t get to eat a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich that day. I remember tears filling my eyes at the realization. I liked Tuna, but PB&J was PB&J, and Tuna was not PB&J. PB&J is what I had been wishing for all morning. I was weird.

            This odd sentimentality didn’t limit itself to PB&J Sandwiches. You see I grew in a 70s
era double-wide mobile home. On its own it would’ve been a trash heap, but due to the work and expert care of my mother it always had grace and charm. However, my mother’s expert care could do nothing about its vomit-green carpet. It was disgusting. No one knew what the previous occupants had done in the house but all of their wonderful residue resided safely in its confines. For years my parents lived with it awaiting the day that they could afford a change.  Finally the day arrived, the carpet guys came, the vomit-green carpet was torn out, and new carpet and linoleum was installed. The process took a few days. One night I remember walking outside to where the old, vomit-green carpet was and crying. I was really gonna miss that old carpet with who-knows-what living inside it. My parents came out and saw that I was crying and when I told them why, they took me into my bedroom and showed me where a patch of the old green stuff was, right inside my closet. Evidently that satisfied me.  I was a strange little boy. I think Jesus is just as strange.

This has been a crazy week with ups and downs, victories and defeats. Yet here we are, minutes from closing the Sabbath, from starting a brand new week.  As the second hand draws us closer to its end, think about this. You and I are the vomit-green carpet. So often we made the stupid choice and each time we got a stain and turned a little further from God. Pretty soon we were worn and toxic. But the good news is that Jesus didn’t just stand there looking on, not even with tears in his eyes. “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:8) When I realize that the maker of stars and galaxies and all things bright and beautiful, came to this world to save us I am overcome. All the time I have wasted, all the mistakes I have knowingly made, when the king of all gave up everything for me. How could he care for this vomit-green mess of a person? But he does and even though it doesn't make sense that he would rescue us he did because God is very definite in his opinions, and when saw that you were lost he saved you, even though he has a Universe. He likes the Universe, but you are you, and the Universe is not you. You are what God is wishing for.

 You see God is weird. A little sentimental. He’s just crazy enough to love a strange little kid like me, and strong enough to save a vomit-green world.

Photo Credit:

http://www.bbb.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/1.png