Dr. Pepper

 My path to becoming a fireman took many twists and turns before I finally found my purpose. I tried my hand at being an electrician, served in the military, and explored various jobs, all in search of what truly fulfilled me. But perhaps that’s a story for another blog. Like many guys fresh out of high school, I gave college a shot. I attended for a semester or two but quickly realized it wasn’t for me. 

I don’t remember much from my college experience but, one memory from that time still sticks with me is my bizarre logic class taught by a professor named George Knight. I don't recall his exact appearance, but in my mind, is a caricature of  what Karl Marx would look like if he was training for the Tour de France. The concepts we discussed, particularly symbolic logic, were perplexing. I remember struggling to understand rules I only  remember the names of like modus ponens and modus tollens. Essentially we spent a lot of time making simple conditional statements: "If it’s raining, then it’s cloudy," but "If it’s cloudy, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s raining." While I still don't fully grasp the practical application of those concepts, they surprisingly became handy when writing this blog.

Now, let’s imagine a bottle of Dr. Pepper (Zero, because we’re watching our calories). If I pour it into a glass, it’s still Dr. Pepper. The essence of what it is remains unchanged, regardless of the container. Remove the drink from the bottle, and what’s left? Just an empty bottle. 

This is about as useful as the rain clouds,  but stay with me. I’m going to apply it to something much deeper: love. 

Like the complex flavor of Dr. Pepper, love is challenging to define. To grasp its essence, we can turn to the Bible. Just as Dr. Pepper has its 23 flavors, Scripture outlines the many attributes of love. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 sums it up: 

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."

Take away any one of those qualities, and what you have left is not love, just as removing a key ingredient from Dr. Pepper means it’s no longer the pop we know and love.

So, using my (perhaps flawed) understanding from that Logic 102 class, if you have all these attributes, doesn’t that equal love? Not quite. Just like having all 23 flavors doesn’t automatically make it Dr. Pepper, we need a broader definition. What is Dr. Pepper? It’s a pop (or soda for you non-Idahoans). How do we further define love? Conveniently, 1 John 4:8 tells us, "God is love." The verse, also goes on to state, "Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love."

You might think, "I know plenty of people who don’t know God yet experience love." This brings us back to those attributes of love. If they don’t know God, can they truly embody every quality listed? I’d argue not. They might experience something similar to love, but according to the Bible, it’s a knockoff. It could be more like Dr. Thunder or Mr. Pibb but not authentic Dr. Pepper.

For love to be genuine, God must be at its core. Without patience, kindness, trust, and hope, relationships don’t actually have love they have the off-band versions called lust, attachment, or codependency.

Back to that empty bottle. Without God, that’s us, empty and without love. Being in this state is dangerous; empty bottles are discarded and, well, let’s not bring up truck-drivers. The good news? God promises never to leave us or forsake us. When we turn back to Him, love returns to us because His love is unconditional. By inviting Him back into our lives, we are not only, no longer empty bottles but we unlock the 23 flavors of love, allowing them to transform and renew our relationships. So, let’s pour out the love we receive from God, ensuring it overflows into every aspect of our lives, enriching our connections and guiding us toward our true calling.

Maybe it doesn’t take passing a 100 level Logic class to understand that Gods love is like enjoying refreshing bottle of Dr. Pepper.