BBC
Radio Leicester Thought for the Day (pre-recorded)
©
John Denney 29 July 2004
I
went into one of those hi-gloss coffee shops the other day, sat in an easy
chair with Corriere della Sera in my
hand, when the waiter came over. The
conversation went something like this:
What can I bring you, sir?
A
coffee, please.
Do you want Espresso, Macchiato, Ristretto, Americano, Cappuccino
or Latte?
Er
.. er
And is it short, tall or grande?
Er
.. er
High-octane, normal, half-caf or unleaded?
Er
.. er
Con panna, full-cream, skinny or in the buff?
J-J-Just
a regular coffee, please.
Regular? Regular? I’m sorry sir, but really, regular?
This is a prizewinning
beverage outlet and you ask for a regular
coffee!
Oh
dear! … I’ll just have a glass of water, then.
Is that millpond, crémant, foaming, effervescent or fizzy? With a twist, or citrus-free? Italian, French, Spanish, Irish, Scottish or
domestic? Half litre, litre or
two-litre? Glass or straw or glass and straw? Chilled or room temperature? Titanic or without ice? Peach, fruits of the forest, cranberry, lemon
or as nature intended?
I
decided that I wasn’t thirsty any more.
These
days we’re used to having a lot of choice, not just in coffee, but in
everything. What colour dress? What make of car? What font on my computer? Soccer or Rugby? Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter? There’s often too much choice. I get stuck with menus: if I have a choice of
say three things, I can choose easily.
When there are twenty dishes on the menu, I’m lost.
There
are more important choices we have to make though. Shall we marry or just live together? What sacrifices must we make for our
children? Is it wrong for me to pinch a
little office stationery for the children to use? Is it unethical not to give money to charity appeals? Since it’s my body, what harm is there if I
overdo the alcohol or do some drugs? Am I going to try to live according to God’s
standards, or to ones I invent for myself?
As
they say, too many people treat the Ten Commandments as if they were the ten
suggestions. It’s no good agreeing with
the “Don't murder” commandment if we ignore
the “Don't commit adultery” one. It’s no good being a good Samaritan if you
don’t love God too.
You
see, on God’s menu, there’s only one choice: are you with Him, or against Him?