Jelly Side Up

My family has long practiced “The Three Second Rule;” If you drop food on the floor—-and retrieve it within three seconds, it is OK to eat. The caution was to be sure it landed “Jelly side up!” I think even that rule was often broken. OK. No judgement! you KNOW, you have done the same, or some version of it!! Like that lucious Cinnamon Bun you were salivating for!!

Actually, a scientific study was done on “The Three Second Rule;”  Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) studied five commonly eaten food items at various increments of time on the floor; 3, 5, and 10 seconds each. Food with higher salt content was safe longer; processed foods, of course proved lowest risk. Cooked pasta, fruit, etc., picked up harmful bacteria within three seconds. Biscuits, not only survived three seconds, but also five, and in some cases ten seconds. I coulda told ’em that! I grew up in Deepstep, GA. You don’t waste good food!

But I digress. I find “Jelly Side Up” a term of hope. It can have plenteous positive meanings. For example; you go for a job interview and find stiff competition. Later you get the call that you are hired; you tell your family “I landed “Jelly side up!” You see blue lights flashing behind you: Immediately you pull over, knowing you were over the speed limit. After checking your documentation, the officer says, “This is just a warning; you were going too fast. Please slow down now!” You landed “Jelly side up!”

“Jelly side up!” is Grace. You didn’t deserve it; you messed up, or were careless. You didn’t earn it, you took shortcuts. Grace opens new possibilities that you are sure were beyond your reach. A caring family, a true friend, a supportive colleague, “Jelly side up” occasions happen often. You notice these, because at some point you thought all was lost (remember that Cinnamon Bun?), but there is still hope, and you cling to it. You are grateful for “Jelly Side Up!”

The Gospel of Luke tells the story of a sorry son. He was selfish, wagered his way, lost his way, and hitting bottom, looked up. “Dad!” he thought. He got up out of the muck, strapped on his hiking sandals, and staggered homeward, rehearsing his anguished apology. His dad was again this day, keeping vigil on a little knoll near the homestead. He recognized a long way off, this waif coming down the path. This father hitched up his galluses, ran to meet this son, and hugging him, wept “Welcome home son.” (Luke 15: 11-23 RWV The Revised Willis Version). The boy landed “Jelly Side Up!”

The Human Condition is that we all are flawed. We need Grace. Like that sorry son, we long to land “Jelly Side Up!” We need to land Jelly Side Up. Grace is on our side. We will land “Jelly Side Up!”.