The Cracked Acorn: True Love, not turnips!

“For GOD so loved the world, HE gave us HIS only SON…”– John 3:16

It was a hot, sultry, humid, awful southern day! A report had come back from a visit to the garden, the okra was gone and most all of anything left fit to eat was having a hard time of it, one could boil the withered turnips and then add salt and pepper for taste, to fill the stomach, perish the thought, but maybe it might take form before the day ended. The two discussed searching the empty cabins to look for a piece of salted hog shoulder.

The women sat on the once stately front porch, wondering, not talking, was there anything beautiful that they could see worth punishing their dry lips to talk about. One more sweep through the land and there would be nothing left. The sound of repeating thunder was not the work of coming rain, but more devastation. The stately trees on both sides of the long entrance lane could not take any more shelling, “Please Lord, save us the trees, if you do that…we’ll swear a few words and then eat the turnips for supper.”…these outspoken few words brought forth a chuckle!” Scarlet added an acid laugh with, “I hope that no more scarecrows come through, asking for something to eat!”, Millie nodded. (from, ACORN)

“It was then that Scarlett saw a dreaded sight, a bearded man coming slowly up the road under the cedars, clad in a ragged mixture of blue and gray uniform; his head was bowed low, and he dragged his feet, very slowly. “I thought we were done with all this, and he’s probably going to ask for food!”(Scarlett knew who the crippled figure was!!) In an instant, Melanie held up her faded skirts and shot off the steps; She raced with incoherent cries and threw herself into the dirty soldier’s arms. One of the kitchen help tried to hold Scarlett back… Let me go, you fool; it’s Ashley, her husband.” (Margaret Mitchell’s GONE WITH THE WIND)

How can we older folk forget that classic film in glorious color, the 1st of its kind, 1939?

Joseph #2 in Egypt, knew his brothers, forgave them. No wonder that we often think of him as definitive of CHRIST-like virtues. Genesis 45: 15 – Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward, his brothers talked with him.

The prodigal son… Luke 15:20 – But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him, and kissed him.

And I remember… at the Springfield Church of CHRIST… the father in the pew in front of us, begin to hug his little daughter, and squeeze her tightly until she called out, Dad, Stop, I can’t breathe!

May the good LORD squeeze you tightly until we meet again!