Who do you love?

Can I risk the embarrassment of confessing some childhood TV crushes?

The first crush I can remember was on Albert, the adopted son on Little House on the Prairie. Why did I like him? Easy. He was cuter than Willy and not as rotten.

From there I moved on pretty quickly to characters on Happy Days, Growing Pains, Magnum P.I., Wiseguy, Moonlighting, Cheers, and Wings. My reasons for crushing on these guys matured. They were cute, yes. But also smart, brave, funny, and had darling dimples. Yes it’s true. As I’ve looked back over the heartthrobs of my youth, they all seem to share that trait. 

And of course when I eventually met the love of my life he had all that and more: Godly character, patience, thoughtfulness, loyalty, and yes, great dimples.

When I was growing up, I had been learning to love the admirable traits of a bunch of different fictional characters, waiting and hoping to meet someone who embodied them in real life.

Who do you love? Or, actually, what traits do you love in a person?  

Seriously, think about it, maybe make a list.  

You have all these imperfect people in your life who still exemplify beautiful virtues galore. And they don’t all share the same ones. 

• My dad was a hard worker, a great storyteller and he loved to laugh.
• My mom is generous. She is delighted by her children. She cares for those who are suffering.
• I have a child who is fiercely loyal and remarkably thoughtful. I have another whose heart breaks for the lost and broken. And another who is resilient and contented.

If we were to list all of the best traits in the best of people it would be a long list indeed.

And if we were to finally find one friend who embodied every single awe-inspiring, respectable, admirable, enjoyable, attractive quality on that list, we’d have

Jesus.

When the Bible says he lived a perfect life, it doesn’t just mean that he never fibbed or sassed his parents or lifted a fig from the market without paying. He obviously didn’t sin. But he is so much more than that. He is the perfect person. Everything you love about everyone you love–embodied in this one dear friend, Lord, and King, without failure, weakness or exception.

Here’s an excerpt from my Wednesday morning’s devotion:

“In all other beings we see some lack, in him there is all perfection. The best even of his favoured saints have had blots upon their garments and wrinkles upon their brows; he is nothing but loveliness. All earthly suns have their spots: the fair world itself hath its wilderness; we cannot love the whole of the most lovely thing; but Christ Jesus is gold without alloy–light without darkness–glory without cloud–“Yea, he is altogether lovely” (Song of Solomon 5:16). –Charles Spurgeon, Morning and Evening, March 9th.

My friend Andrew, who also happens to be the Family Life Director here at New Covenant Bible Church has a saying that I love:

“Follow the sunbeam up to the sun.”

It means, when you enjoy something, trace it to its source and give thanks there. When you love someone, and all the lovely somethings about that someone, follow those virtues up to the Son, the embodiment of everything lovely. And give Him the thanks and love and worship He deserves.

In everything He has supremacy…”For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him” (Colossians 1:19).

With love,