No drunk midget jokes please…

I had an interesting conversation with a fellow teacher the other day.  It started out as a conversation about music, since we had similar tastes (ok so we’re both music snobs).  After music came spirituality, where he shared the common belief that if you lead a “good life” God will reward it after you die regardless of what you believe.  Maybe missing the point, but at least he thinks about it.

But that led into the subject of substance abuse.  He shared with me that he used to drink much more than he does currently, mainly do to his girlfriend who he had been dating for over a year.  He said that after they had been dating a while she told him that if they were to continue, he needed to reign in his drinking.  So he did.  No more crazy partying, no more passing out.

Now this isn’t so unusual of out of the ordinary.  Many girlfriends and wives make similar ultimatums.  But was memorable was what he said next.

“It’s nice to love someone so much that you want to change and make yourself better.”

As I thought about what he said I realized that it was the most spiritually profound thing I have actually heard someone say in a long while.  How great it is to love, to experience our capacity to love.  As Christians we spend a lot of time and energy speaking, writing and singing about being loved by God.  When we do talk about loving, it’s generally just lip service.  But if we really think about it, loving is how we are changed.  Just like this teacher was willing to change himself out of his love for his girlfriend, our love for God should have the same effect.

Maybe this guy wasn’t so far off after all.

(note:  Toulouse-Lautrec wasnt’ a midget, it was another genetic disorder that prevented his legs from healing after a childhood injury.  Thus, they stopped growing.  He was normal sized from the waist up.  The disorder is cause by inbreeding in his ancestry.)