Pizza party!

Those words were always exciting to hear in school—a break from the usual grind of study and, of course, free pizza. My memory of it—no matter what grade I was in—usually involves a towering stack of pepperoni pizza and then one obligatory box of cheese pizza so there was another option, for whatever reason.

Cheese pizza was, of course, my only option. My family and I kept the dietary laws outlined in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14, meaning we didn’t eat any pork products. I never actually had a problem with this. I loved cheese pizza and, later on, the obligatory veggie pizza that was ordered sometimes—and I loved free pizza. Though young, I believed, as our Church did—and became even more convicted of it later—that those laws were there for my benefit.

I didn’t consciously want the pepperoni pizza, but there was always a nagging feeling in a distant corner of my mind convincing me that there had to be something delicioso about those circular discs of meat on a pizza that I was missing out on. There was also the risk of standing out—which can seem absolutely life threatening to a kid. Why wasn’t I eating the pepperoni pizza? Part of you always hopes no one notices.

Skip ahead to my adult life. My wife is an amazing and inventive cook, and she is always on the lookout for high-quality, healthy ingredient options. She found some pepperoni that wasn’t made out of pork, but rather what we’d call a “clean” meat. Occasionally she’d put it on pizza. I remember the excitement of eating my first pepperoni pizza. Because of that excitement, it wasn’t the last time we ate it.

Then something strange happened. I found myself not having the same reaction each time we had pepperoni pizza (it wasn’t that often, mind you—this took place over years). One day, when she was discussing future menu options for the week’s dinners, I looked at her and said, “You know what? I don’t actually like pepperoni.”

I didn’t mean it as a criticism of her cooking, and I don’t think she took it that way. I said it with a bit of surprise, as a matter of fact. I have nothing against it in general. I realize many like it. But I was realizing something about my personal taste, which I didn’t come to realize because I was so excited to be eating something I had been denied for so many years. Sure, I love meat. Sure, I love spicy food. But this particular combination of meat and spice just didn’t appeal to me.

I’ve thought about this a lot since. Pepperoni can be somewhat of a metaphor for everything that God’s laws prevent us from doing. We can see those laws as restrictive or stifling. We can see them as holding us back from great enjoyment or freedom. But who’s to say that, if we finally had a chance to try them, they would be as enjoyable as we thought?

As I said earlier, I believe those laws are there for our benefit. They protect us from harm. The “don’t walk” sign at a busy intersection is not freedom-stifling; it’s protection and safety. The more we all see that—teens and adults—the happier we will be.

‘If I Weren’t in the Church …’

For those who strive to keep God’s laws in a world that is duped by a powerfully deceptive spirit being (Revelation 12:9), it’s easy to look at what the rest of the world is doing and to think we’re missing out. It’s easy to watch them live lives of supposed excitement, thrills, maybe even glamour, and long for the same. Even if their activities or diets aren’t actually a temptation, still there’s the nagging feeling that you are missing out on something exciting.

Some look upon that world, that lifestyle, with covetous eyes and say (sometimes even out loud): “If I weren’t in the Church, I’d …” do this, that and the other. Later, those who utter that can be found outside the Church doing this, that and the other.

My point is, are they really enjoying it? They can’t be. I’ve proven for myself that God’s laws are there to protect us, to help us, to serve us, and to bless us. This is the case even for some of man’s imperfect laws or regulations.

Now, we’ve all broken those laws, or sinned (1 John 3:4). If we are building a relationship with God, we know that breaking those laws can give a temporary satisfaction or thrill (see Hebrews 11:25), but their lasting effect is destructive and painful. We know all too well from personal experience that the “temporary” satisfaction is too short-lived to even be that enjoyable—especially for the payoff of such long-term pain.

I was able to find a lawful way to eat pepperoni. But after all those years, I realized I wasn’t really missing out—not for my personal taste. What is it that you think you’re missing out on? What if you actually tried it? If it’s sinful, I’m not encouraging you to test it out. But by using this lawful example, I’m trying to convince you not to try it, because you probably won’t like it anyway—and you certainly won’t be happier because of it. It’s likely just a big deception getting you to think you will—only because it seems like you are the only one not doing it.

Yes, “if I weren’t in the Church”—because I didn’t know any better—I’d probably be doing this, that and the other, and I’d be miserable. And do you know what? I would be the one missing out!

I wasn’t missing anything at those pizza parties. Even if I ended up liking pepperoni, I’ve learned that God’s way is just that—a way of life. It’s the one way He designed human life to operate. If we go against that, we are missing out on the blessings of life that God intended for us. It is an absolute fact—even though the majority of humankind doesn’t live that way of life.

If we live by it—if it becomes our preference, our taste—then we will grow in a way of living that leads to the ultimate joy, fulfillment and thrill—the kind that lasts!