Mmm, good!

"Getchye a sody from the cooler up front," Granddaddy said. We had just stepped into his little, corner grocery store from the humid Texas afternoon. I crossed the creaky wooden floor to the large Coca-Cola cooler and slide the heavy top to one side. Peering down into the dark depths, I let the ice cold air fan my face before I tilted several bottles and finally found what I was looking for. Ah, strawberry Nehi. I put the drink down onthe floor while I tugged the lid back in place. Then, grabbing the bottle with both hands, I worked the cap under the metal opener and carefully pressed down. My thirsty throat could hardly wait for that first, sweet, cold, fizzy swallow to arrive. When it did, a smile of pure satisfaction graced my face.

I wonder how many splendid moments like that my mama experienced in her young life. Though she was seven when the Great Depression came slamming through the nation, her family always had enough food because her daddy owned the grocery store. Willie and "Nanny," his wife, were kind to those who struggled to make ends meet, and God blessed them for it. Not only did their family not go hungry; one could say that my mama and her brother grew up "well-fed."

By the time I was born, Mama was only slightly plump, but I remember her saying often, "Everything's better with butter or cream." Mama was a smart lady, and I wholeheartedly agree with her, though I would probably add, "or cheese, or sour cream, or cream cheese." She and I certainly would have seen eye to eye with James Beard, a well-known twentieth century chef who declared, "Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts." And of course, butter comes from cream. I know this first hand because once, when I was a newlywed, I was whipping cream for strawberry shortcake, whipped it a little too long, and oops - butter.

Before the cooking light craze of recent years, people considered any recipe made with cream top notch, often saving it for special occasions. In fact, through the years, cream has symbolized the best, the richest. An old song proclaimed, "You're the cream in my coffee, ...I'd be lost without you." And we've all heard, "He's the cream of the crop." Then there's the one that even children know: "I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream."

Here's some joyful news, friends. We Christians are cream. God gave His only Son to die for us. He says that because of Jesus' sacrifice, "if we confess our sin, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Ephesians 2:4-6 tells us, "because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive in Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus." Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, God has transferred His own heart into our lives. We are reborn. It is sometimes very hard to believe, but nevertheless, it is true and as we accept His sacrifice and turn from our sin, He allows us to rise to the top as cream does on milk. Then He scoops us off and sets us apart for good works. Just as cream may be poured into hot coffee to make it delicious, we may be poured into a difficult situation to be a blessing. Furthermore, sometimes cream must be whipped in order to serve its purpose as the beautiful, tasty, finishing touch on a dessert. Similarly, we may have to undergo trials before we can attain the triumph of glorifying God with our lives.

Yes, dear Christian friends, we are cream, saved to glorify Him.

Hallelujah!