"Variety"

 

“Variety”

 

In his 1785 poem “The Task” English writer William Cowper said, “Variety is the very spice of life”. (He’s also the author of two great hymns: “There Is a Fountain” and “God Moves in a Mysterious Way”.) The adage has found its way into the vernacular to describe how having diversity and new things makes life more enjoyable.

One TV genre, particularly in its early days, has been “variety shows” in which comedy skits, musical numbers and other artistic forms are featured. Familiar ones hosted by Milton Berle, Ed Sullivan, Arthur Godfrey, Carol Burnett and others provided entertainment for millions but, sadly, they’re now all but extinct. But we can relive these days of yesteryear on YouTube.

Speaking (or writing) of variety, in the New York City area in the 1950’s we had three network TV affiliates and three independent local stations broadcasting mostly sports and movies available to us. Our cable system in Lakeland now offers some 150 options covering almost every category one could imagine. The post-World War II era offered the original Cheerios—now more than 15 variations are marketed by General Mills. On your next supermarket trip check the number of kinds of pasta sauces, tomato products and other commonly purchased items staring at you from the shelves. And let’s not forget Baskin Robbins “31 Flavors” (the company has actually created more than 1400) and eateries ranging from fast food to elegant gourmet restaurants. All these choices complicate our decision making—witness a group of friends’ trying to come up with a consensus on where to go for dinner.

Someone has observed that God loves variety. Think of the world He’s created with mountains, shorelines and other topographical features. How about the myriad of colors of plants? In the words of Solomon, “(God) has made everything beautiful in its time.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11) and Paul’s statement that “…God…provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” (1 Timothy 6:17). And of the Church the Apostle says, “There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For…you are one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28, NLT, emphasis added). So let’s appreciate the variety of the body of Christ and rejoice in our common relationship with Him.

 

Grace and Blessings,

Jim McMillan