Sugar Babe

DateLine (8/23/06 – San Juan, Puerto Rico)

When I was a kid there was a program on TV called The Real McCoys. The program ran in prime time from 1957 to 1963 and in reruns forever. Even though the program is old as dirt you might find it today in reruns on TV Land or the Nashville Network. The premise of the program was a family that picks up stakes from West Virginia and seeks their fortune in the rich farming country of California. Google “The Real McCoys” for additional trivia if you’re interested.

The storylines revolved around the patriarch of the family, Grandpa Amos and his son Luke, Luke’s wife Kate, their two children Hassie and Little Luke, and their hired hand Pepino. It was classic late 50’s early 60’s television comedy; good clean family oriented entertainment. One of the aspects of the show that still sticks in my mind was the term of affection that Luke had for his wife Kate; Sugar Babe. This show emanated from a time in history when monogamous marriage was still celebrated in the culture, and the pet name Sugar Babe captured the essence of this fact. The manner in which the nick name rolled off of Luke’s lips and the twinkle in his eye left no doubt that Kate was the love of his life.

There is a real (as compared to television) affectionate community that I’ve been exposed to from an early age; the Church. The church is encouraged to greet each other with a holy kiss, refer to each other as brothers and sisters, refer to God as our Father and Jesus as our brother. There was and is this strange phenomenon in the church such that some people who claim an intimate relationship with God do not give evidence of such a relationship in their manner of speaking. I have heard God referred to as “the Man upstairs”, “the Good Lord, “the Man in charge,” and many more. I have witnessed people who claim a personal relationship with God who struggle just to mention His name; appearing to scramble to know how to refer to God, and the chosen name haltingly slipping from their lips as they make reference to their Savior.

Now let’s compare the two situations. The fictional Luke in The Real McCoys” convincingly and effortlessly uses the term of endearment for his wife. He revels in the moment to express his inward feelings for his mate and the moment reeks of genuiness. On the other hand my observation of some Christians who do not seem practiced in making reference to the Lord of the Universe leaves one unconvinced that they know God or have an intimate relationship with Him. Now my intent here is not to imply that we should use disrespectful terms for God, after all He is God. But I am insinuating that people should get a sense from our speech that we know Him personally and that God is approachable. Intimacy with God is a powerful dynamic in our life and one of the most effective means for us to introduce others to Him. I’m convinced that our manner of speaking to and about Him is a reflection of the quality of the relationship.

There’s no doubt in my mind that that “world” will look to us to have the question answered that was posed to Moses by the Children of Israel in Exodus 3:13, “And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?”

His name is Yahweh, but you can call Him Daddy.