How Do You Like Your Eggs?

In the movie, "Runaway Bride", a woman became notorious for leaving bridegrooms at the altar, sometimes even dashing through swarms of guests  who valiantly tried to stop her! After four or five dashes, a reporter travels to her hometown to cover her latest intended nuptials. As he interviews all of her jilted bridegrooms, he innocently asks each,  "How does she like her eggs?"  Each man seems rather surprised at the question, but quickly answers something different, "over easy", "scrambled", "poached" and ends with, "Just like mine!"

When the reporter asked the bride- to- be the same question, she was stumped. Long story short, she runs out on the hometown bridegroom and eventually agrees to accept the reporters proposal. Yes, she runs out on him to. He returns to his home and the town settles down, accepting that their gal will never marry.

Eventually, the runaway bride is shown cooking eggs, all different kinds of dishes,carefully tasting each one. She starts to try to contact the reporter, but he will not return her calls. Finally, she is able to talk with him, and soon blurts "Eggs Benedict". He is confused, but she says it again and then he realizes  that she finally understood that she did not marry the other suitors because she tried to be what they wanted, not the person she was. Yes, happy ending, they married quietly on a hillside by a minister.

I loved that movie because it is easy to understand how relevant, "How do you like your eggs?" is for all of us. As I watched sixty young people in two parishes become confirmed this spring, I hoped that  each would discover who they were individually to God. That they would start to truly listen to the Holy Spirit and walk with him. That they would not follow their friends,their family, or even well intentioned "church people" to be someone who would 'fit' within a setting, rather than break the mold. As young apostles, they need to be confident in their calling. They need to become involved in different ministries until they find that special niche where they breathe with the Spirit. They will then become part of the church, not merely members.

And do not think that idea is not lost on me as well. I have not written on this blog for nearly two months. Yes, I was very busy working  with our staff to prepare all those young people for their confirmation, but I also was pondering, when all was said and done: "How did I like my eggs?" Was it time to specifically quiet my own heart and listen for the Spirit's call? Was it time to move where others would not have me go?  Have I been in any way  a "Runaway Bride" so to speak? Not committing to a deeper, more intimate  relationship with God, because my relationship  did not match the tastes of those close to me? The last several months have been filled with a series of spiritual taste tests and  I have quietly acknowledged lately that my taste buds have changed over the years. Now it is up to me to satisfy my palate!

New prayer routines, reading material, and slight adjustments in ministerial responsibilities, highlight a menu that will not fail to satisfy!       

How do you like your eggs?