S’MORES

“So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.”

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

According to the calendar, the first day of summer is June 20. However, I like the idea that summer begins the first time you gather your loved ones around a fire and make your first s’more. Something about the crunchy crackers, gooey marshmallow, and melted chocolate screams fun and freedom. A s’more is all kinds of wonderful. Before you consume one of these delicious treats, you need to know one thing: there’s no polite way to eat a s’more—it’s an all-or-nothing sort of deal. If you don’t get chocolate on your chin and marshmallow all over your fingers, you haven’t fully embraced the experience.

Much like eating a s’more, following Christ is all-or-nothing. Too much is at stake for believers to be concerned about appearances. Wishy-washy faith is distasteful. The Lord desires and deserves much more from His followers. If we are to love as Christ loved, then we have to get our hands dirty. We must move beyond sanitary, random acts of kindness and into the realm of true servanthood, where things get sticky. We aren’t called to a sterile existence. We are called to a messy, chocolate-on-our-faces, all-in kind of life. It may be scary at times, but we’ll never look back with regret when we love people.

We don’t ever want to be lukewarm when it comes to You, Lord. Help us to choose the messiness that often comes with loving people over the seemingly sanitary but selfish life. Show us the need so that we can go head first and get our hands dirty with helping the needs of others. Help us to not miss those opportunities when we can lend a hand, be an ear to listen, and pray with the person right in front of us.

Dianna