“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
—Colossians 1:17 (NIV)
I have at least one kid that refuses to eat salad with dressing on it. Whenever I make salad to go with our main dinner dish, and I add dressing to it before serving, they will always complain about it. It got to the point where it was not worth the argument, so I conceded, by preparing the salad, serving that kid, then I would put dressing on it, so that the rest of us can enjoy a cohesive salad. Then I have to watch as they pick their salad up with their fingers, one or two pieces at at time, to eat it.
I almost always have to explain to them the dressing is “the glue that holds the salad together.” Without the dressing, everything is just tossed about (pun intended), and there is nothing to bring everything together. The lack of dressing even causes the heavier items in the salad to sink to the bottom of the salad bowl. So I add a light dressing, because it causes the elements of the salad – the lettuce, tomato, even the grated carrot and sliced cucumber – to blend in a way that is homogeneous and easier to pick up with the salad tongs.
This verse of Colossians has been a longtime favorite of mine, due to its brevity and loving message. It testifies to the divine nature of Christ, and that He existed before all other things were created. But in its beauty, it also strongly suggests that it is because of His existence, the Love that is His nature, that all things come together in Him. It was from Him we all came in the first place, so it makes sense that we would all become unified in Him at some distant time. It is the love of God that draws all of us to Himself (eventually), and causes all of us to participate in and experience Him, no matter how far away we think we are from Him, or what we believe about who He is. The simple truth that God is the essence of the Universe, and that that essential nature is Love, is one I hope we never forget, as long as we exist.
Prayer:
Father, I thank you that You existed before I was even born, and that you chose me to be one of Your children, and that I am appointed to do great things for Your glory (Jeremiah 1:5, Psalm 139:16, Ephesians 2:10). Lord, I am so thankful that I could never be truly lost, because I know that if I wander, You will come looking for me and find me (Luke 15:4b). Your love is vast, Lord, and it is beyond anything I can comprehend or imagine. Remind me daily, Lord, of Your love for me, so that I would never forget. I know that it is because You came before me that I have something to return to after this life, and that because You hold the universe together by Your powerful word (Hebrews 1:3a), I have nothing to fear in this life or beyond. Father, may Your perfect love cast out all my fears, that I may live the life you have called me to live to the fullest, and so I can love others with the love You give me. Your will be done, Amen.
