No One Could Know

My standard one-piece, white meat, chicken breast dinner at KFC took me by surprise today and left me stirred more thoroughly than a 40 gallon vat of coleslaw. I was no more suspecting a change in the meal that I’ve been ordering for nearly 50 years than I am suspecting to win this season’s American Idol contest.

I’ve been eating KFC since I was born, basically, so I know what to expect from my food: a moist, perfectly cooked and peppered, thick slab of meat, a veggie, and sealed with the traditional “dessert” of a biscuit, buttered evenly to its every edge and frosted with honey.

But something wasn’t right today.

The honey … well, it was runny.

I paused to determine whether or not I wanted to finish round two — the top piece of the biscuit — when I looked at the package of my sweet treat. I closed my eyes and shook my head in disbelief when I read the label of the packet shown here. “HONEY SAUCE,” it said.

Honey … sauce.

Honey. SAUCE.

I said it again, out loud, still shaking my head. Then, there in the bottom right corner in bold print were the words, “7% REAL HONEY.”

Seven. Percent. Real.

The other ingredients stunned me as well: (listed in order) HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CORN SYRUP (…uhm…???), SUGAR, HONEY, FRUCTOSE … you see the picture. Something’s just wrong with that.

After further pondering, I realized we’re seeing the same thing in today’s Christianity. Now before you start shaking your head in surprise that I’m not the Pollyanna girl you’ve come to know who’s full of optimism at every turn, hang with me as I examine Christianity in light of a high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup version of what our world is dripping with today.

It seems that the Christianity I’m seeing in the last few years is only 7% real in some places, mixed with several sugary additives, and ending with acid which all waters down the pure form. It smells and tastes close to real thing so many at the surface would never notice. But upon further examination, it’s not what we ordered — and it’s certainly not in its pure form.

The Bible’s books of Exodus, Song of Solomon, Leviticus, Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Habakkuk, Malachi, Matthew, Mark, John, Corinthians, Philippians, Timothy, Titus, Hebrews, James and Revelation all outline God’s design and passion for things that are pure. When God repeats something, He’s wanting us to take it seriously, as in this case. Mainly, addressing, of course, His Word, worship, and our relationship with Him. And as it says in Titus 2:5, that we are ” … to be self-controlled and pure.”

1 Peter 2:1-3 in the New International Version says, “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.“

Purity brings maturity.

I have tasted and seen, indeed, that the Lord is good — and that His promises to me are pure. I want to cling to the purity of His Word, grow spiritually and guard against worldy, tainted, watered-down and acidic versions of what its pure intent actually states. I’m challenged today to continue to be ever-more faithful to know what His Word actually says and not let ideas of men diminish the pure and good truth found in His Holy Bible.

Sure, “honey sauce” blended with … some percentage of “butter” … was tasty on the biscuit, but I’m not satisfied with 7% honey, and I’m not satisfied with 7% Christianity. I’ve tasted and I’ve seen, and I want the real thing, baby, and I pray that you too dig in deep for the pure, unadulterated truth of Jesus Christ that really satisfies, and is oh, so much healthier.