Blueberries

Monday, 21. July 2008 by Dan Ryan

I think our journey with God is a lot like a blueberry.
True story: I’m sitting at my computer and I feel like writing, but I have no idea where to start. I got nothing. I’m grazing on this clear tub of blueberries just to my right when it hit me: if you want some insight into God, just look to the blueberry.
Growing up, I have to say I detested blueberries. To me, blueberries were nothing more than a navy nuisance, conspiring to ruin otherwise perfectly tasty pancakes and muffins.
When you go off to college or move out on your own, you take ownership of a lot of things in your life. For example, I now had the first and last say when it comes to what I eat. If I wanted another slice of pizza or a cookie, no longer did I have to finish my blueberries. For a while, this freedom was intoxicating.

In my 4 years at Illinois, I didn’t eat one blueberry. I’m sure I kept my streak going for a couple years after that. Before long, however, I began to evolve and became one of those dreaded label-watchers, buying foods that were nutritional and good for you.

Much to my chagrin, I discovered that blueberries were atop the list of the best fruits for you. Who would’ve guessed that these tiny blue pellets were packed with several vitamins and antioxidants? I’m not sure what an antioxidant is, but I do know they are good for you.
So I reluctantly began to buy cartons of blueberries—just when they were on sale, mind you. I still didn’t like the taste, but I had to admit blueberries weren’t as bitter as I remember from my childhood.
I used to believe “acquired tastes” were a myth, but blueberries were about to prove me wrong. Within a year, I found myself not only tolerating blueberries, but actually loving the taste. Now I was buying them on a regular basis, sale or not. Last week, I actually doubled up and bought two pints of blueberries. Who am I anymore?!
As I mentioned at the top, my journey with blueberries parallels mine with God.
Growing up, I don’t know that I detested God, but I will say I was largely indifferent toward Him. I went to church and CCD class, which seemed to ruin otherwise perfectly glorious Sunday mornings and Monday nights.
Many of us go through a phase where we hang around God and/or church only because of edicts from our parents. We don’t like it, and if it were honestly up to us, maybe blueberries and God wouldn’t be a part of our life.

But I’ve found the Bible to be one long story of how God pulls us back into relationship with Him. Guys, our lives are no different—they are one long personal story in which God pulls us back into relationship with Him, even if we have less than the best of intentions. So if you’re anything like me, then at some point, you’ve found yourself hanging around God because that’s the nutritional thing to do. He’s good for you, so you do it.
Right around the corner, however, is our evolution from hanging around God for the benefits to hanging around God because He’s fun, has our best interests in mind and we couldn’t imagine life without Him.
When we begin to regularly associate God with freedom, exhilaration, as the generous Giver of the most adrenaline-packed memories and experiences of our lives—when He stands for all this and more, then we are acquiring a taste for who God is. Is that what you think of when you think of God?
Or let me ask you this: how many people do you know who are visibly excited about God? They are modern-day Jeremiahs, unable to keep it all in, bubbling with energy and gratitude. To them, God is deep-dish pizza, not asparagus.

“But if I say, ‘I will not mention Him or speak any more in his name,’ His word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.”
–Jeremiah 20:9

So for all you action-point people out there (of which I’m one), here we go. One day, a well-intentioned Pharisee (yes, they existed!) approached Jesus with a question: which was the greatest commandment? The Teacher quickly gave Him a familiar four-pronged answer.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”  —Mark 12:30

Familiar because every morning and evening, Jews would recite what was called the Shema. Every day began and ended with the Shema. What’s the Shema, you ask? Actually, you just read it. How many of those four does God own?
Notice Jesus gave the Pharisee more than he had requested by adding that the above was the first and greatest commandment. Please, please don’t miss that. I believe this is Jesus’ way of saying, “Hey, if you’re struggling, then this is your starting point.”
When we love God with a genuine heart rather than a synthetic, manufactured version of love, when we love Him as our humble attempt at acknowledging who He is and what He does, when our love for Him flows simply as a natural response, then we are on the verge of fulfilling the first and greatest commandment.
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b>“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”  —Psalm 37:4

God will not only be good for you, He will become delightful and delicious. He will be your…nah, too lame.