My grandmother was a member of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, the WCTU. Growing up, I never saw a bottle or a can of an alcoholic beverage of any kind in our house. But my father had a curious habit of calling us children up the stairs, “What’ll you have?’, for us to respond, “Pabst Blue Ribbon!” What’ll you have?” “Pabst Blue Ribbon !” “What’ll you have?” “Pabst Blue Ribbon BEEER!” after which, my grandmother would quietly retire to her room, shaking her head. It was great fun for us children, followed by a lot of giggling. We didn’t even know the meaning of the words.

Today I think that Dad was somehow re-asserting his leadership in the house when our grandmother was staying with us. Nana was a devoted Christian, but was also intolerant when we didn’t always share her views.

“One person’s faith allows him to eat anything, but another eats only vegetables. The one who eats anything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them.” (Romans 14:2-3)

The judgmentalism that Paul describes is a turning away from the loving acceptance of God. From the earliest days God expresses His abundant love, and makes clear that it is the motive behind His every action. He describes His hope for His people through Moses: This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses. . . that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him. ( Deuteronomy 30:19)

It’s not easy to love an invisible God, but that is what He clearly wants of us, and what He makes possible Himself to us, even more today since we have such a “cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1)

My mother made herself scarce when Dad shouted up the stairwell and we answered, but I never heard her complain about the event. My grandmother never mentioned it to me, though she may have said something to her daughter; and Dad did his performance until we were too old to appreciate it. He didn’t need Nana’s presence to do the “yell.”

I believe that there is only one glue that is holding us together:

We love because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

Love in Him,

Prue