Broccoli...with Cheese

Last Sunday I preached on Jesus' "new commandment" as found in John 13. In giving the Children's Sermon, I asked kids about their favorite food. The answers were as expected (most of them): pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, candy, lefsa (OK...that one caught me off guard). I then asked them why nobody said "Broccoli." Nobody, it seems, names broccoli as their favorite food.

That image obviously stuck - with kids and adults alike. I've had people this week tell me about their 'broccoli' neighbors, or people they had met during the week that they had termed 'broccoli people.' The point is that there will always be people in our lives who aren't our favorites.

But using that image gives broccoli a bad name. After all, I like broccoli. It happens to be one of my favorite vegetables. I'll eat it raw or cooked. Even our 8-year-old daughter eats broccoli. But for her, what makes it tolerable is when it is covered in cheese. It could be shredded cheese melted over the florets, or a thick cheese sauce poured over, it doesn't matter. What matters is that the broccoli is "enhanced" with cheese.

As I thought about that, I thought how many things are made tolerable with an addition or two. Heck, even lutefisk is edible when it's floating in a bowl of melted butter! The same is true with people (but keep reading, lest you try to drown your neighbor in butter). Every person who comes into our midst, everyone with whom our paths might cross is tolerable...even loveable. Sometimes it just takes a little something extra.

But I'm not suggesting that our hard-to-get-along-with neighbor will be more tolerable if they add something to their lives. No, we're the ones who need to add something - to offer them something. And that something is grace. If we can just sprinkle a little grace into our relationships, we will find that they will be a bit happier and a lot healthier.

Who are the people you find most difficult to get along with? How have you shown them love and grace? What difference has that made? Let's chat!