It was in the summer of
2015; Beverly and I stopped by a fast food chain on our way to Florida. My objective
was clear; I wanted to pull off a veni,
vidi, vici, Latin, for “I came; I saw; I conquered” [my appetite, that is].
As we walked into the store we immediately saw this large banner hanging on the
wall, “Eat like you mean it.” It seemed to speak to my appetite or wallet...
I asked Beverly what does
that mean? She only shook her head as if not wanting to waste any of her remaining battery power
laboring over its meaning. She had only two things on her mind and was content
with that: the ladies’ room and food. We had zombic-hunger pains (anything sounds
good right now), and our joints were sore exiting the car after a long leg of
our journey. I thought briefly about this slogan while standing in line before the lady
behind the counter took our order.
“Was I not aggressive enough when I ate?” I
pondered. “Was I merely pretending to eat like I mean it when I actually didn’t
mean it?” I became concerned over possible hypocrisy (Naturally, I am being
melodramatic for emphasis; write like you mean it, right?)! I feared that I was
going into some kind of existential mode and on the verge of questioning, “Is
it me? Am I the only one puzzled by that statement?” If Beverly was beside me she would whisper in my ear, “It’s you.”
Admittedly, this was getting
strange, but I was saved by the bell! The lady behind the counter asked me at the exact same
time Beverly walked up to order with me, “Are you ready for me to take your
order, sir?” I shook my head but had to point to the banner on the wall and asked,
“What is the meaning behind that slogan, “Eat like you mean it?”
I was expecting some really
cool philosophical marketing angle since I was nearly brain-dead (and I was driving!). She only shrugged her shoulders, and said, “I don’t know.”
My curiosity was up and hungered to be satisfied; I was disappointed by her
answer.” She asked again unenthusiastically but politely, “What would you like
to order, sir?” She probably was thinking about pushing the button under the
counter that alerted everyone in the back that there was a weird person
ordering, and if the customer gives her any trouble, to juke the order!
Another woman finally brought
our food to the table; it was the supervisor. I told her that I had asked one
of her employees what was the meaning of your marketing slogan, but she didn’t know. Miss Supervisor just shook her head in a predictive
disappointed kind of way as if she knew which of the two girls working behind the
counter said that to me. I told her that I wasn’t trying to get the girl into
any trouble; I just wanted to know what was the marketing angle.
Unsurprisingly, she didn’t volunteer any insight; I figured that she either didn’t know, or
she may have thought that I was really dumb; it was probably the latter. So, I quickly
commented, “I guess your business really wants us to buy a lot of food,
right? If we eat like we mean it, we would be buying more than wren portions?” She
trailed off with a “Yep, have a good day.”
What if we did anything “like
you mean it?” Would we be distancing ourselves from half-hearted or lukewarm or chilled behavior toward glorifying God in our bodies? Do we really think that God doesn’t know what is going on within our hearts at any given moment (cf. Jer 17:10)!? Are most of us so spiritually numb that we just don't get it?!?
I want to suggest a thought in
this regard today. If we are to glorify God in all that we think, say, or do, is it possible to bring
glory to Him with an effort of less than 100%? If we worshiped and served God like
we meant it, wouldn’t that suggest that we invest more time in the things of
God wholeheartedly, like hungering and thirsting after righteousness, fully throttled? Of
course, it does; love God like you mean it – with your whole heart!
Mk 12:30 AND
YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL
YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, WITH
ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH. This is the
first commandment.
Deut 10:12-13 And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God
require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the
commandments [plural, suggestive of
all] of the LORD and His statutes [plural, suggestive of
all] which I command
you today for your good?
Psa 9:1 To the Chief Musician. To The Tune of
"Death of the Son." a Psalm of David. I will praise You,
O LORD, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works.
Psa 111:1
Praise the LORD! I will praise the LORD with my whole heart,
in the assembly of the upright and in
the congregation.
Psa 119:2
Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart!
Psa 119:10 With
my whole heart I
have sought You; oh, let me not wander from Your
commandments!
Psa 119:34 Give
me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart.
Psa 119:58 I
entreated Your favor with my whole heart; be merciful to me according to Your word.
Psa 119:69 The
proud have forged a lie against me, but I will keep
Your precepts with my whole heart.
Psa 119:145 I
cry out with my whole heart; hear me, O LORD! I will keep Your statutes.
Psa 138:1 A Psalm of David. I will praise You with my whole heart;
before the gods I will sing praises
to You.
Jer 29:13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
1 Cor 10:31
Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Thot: You can always tell those who love God like they mean it. There is no trace of half-heartedness, lukewarmness, coldness, or selective obedience. <><
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