Yuck

I looked at the menu, and I wasn’t thrilled by the choices. I don’t like steak, really, so there went a whole page. I don’t like going to a sit down restaurant and ordering a sandwich or a hamburger, so there went another whole page. I don’t eat fish unless it’s Captain D’s. By this process of elimination, the only food remaining was chicken, and the pickings were slim since I don’t like mushrooms, onions, or peppers. So I ordered the chicken fingers and loaded mashed potatoes and a house salad with ranch dressing.

The salad was okay, but I had to pick out the itty-bitty diced tomatoes. Giving my tomatoes to my mother meant that I had given her about half of my salad dressing, too. There were no croutons, either. This salad was just blah.

When my food finally arrived, it wasn’t even warm. It was as if they had fixed my plate before they even threw my parents’ steaks on the grill. I mean, what good is a big hunk of butter on top of the loaded mashed potatoes when the loaded mashed potatoes weren’t warm enough to melt the big hunk of butter? It was disgusting. And the chicken fingers weren’t anything special. I didn’t even eat half of my food. I got a to-go box and figured at least if I ate it for lunch the next day, the microwave would make the food hot.

We read what Jesus had to say to the church at Laodicea: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I would vomit you out of My mouth” (Revelation 3:15-16.) There is nothing worse than being lukewarm – when it comes to both food and people. I know you’ve met those people who were fired up for the Lord. And if you’re like me, you sometimes use their enthusiasm as a benchmark for your own life.

I realize that comparing my own self to someone else has the potential for danger, but sometimes it has its good points. If I am able to realize a quality I lack, then I can become a better person. For example, I am annoyed by people who interrupt conversations, and then I think: “Do I ever interrupt others?” Then I can monitor my behavior and realize the potential for change.

Back to the idea of being lukewarm; I don’t like lukewarm food or people. Am I lukewarm? Or am I energized for Christ – ready to serve others and spread the Gospel?