Life is Abundantly Sweet

Jul 03, 2025Melina Smith

Relationships: Teen Zine vol. 4, Chapter 6: la vida (five or take)—Sixth Commandment

Juliette Alvey

The opening image for chapter six in Relationships: Teen Zine vol. 4 is striking and reminds me of a Skittles commercial I used to see as a kid where the colorful candy was raining down from the sky. At the time, I thought it would be so cool if candy was falling out of the sky. Now that I am a mother who tries to limit the amount of sugar my children consume (and believe me, at times being the sugar “bouncer” feels like a full-time job), this image feels extravagant and maybe even irresponsible. In this artwork, the endless flow of candy is being dropped from a plane, as if it is a rescue mission sending down essentials for life to people in need. But… it’s candy.


If people were in need of basic items for survival, like food, water, or medication, it would not be very caring to shower candy on them. But because this image looks happy rather than dark or cruel, it infers that the people below already have everything they need. This candy is a gift out of abundance. The pilot is lavishing extras on people who are already well cared for.


When you think about it, God’s love can sometimes appear similarly extravagant. Picture the father in the story of the Prodigal Son: he does not make his disobedient son, who betrayed him and squandered all of his wealth, beg for mercy or earn back his love and forgiveness. He doesn’t even give him the cold shoulder or the silent treatment for one moment. Instead, he runs out to meet him on the road, making a fool of himself. Or picture Jesus turning water into the bestwine at the wedding in Cana. Or finally, imagine Jesus, the only perfect person who has ever lived, being nailed to a cross… How wasteful! How senseless! Yet, God is not in the business of sensibility, fairness, or equality. His love is unearned.

Teen Zine vol. 4  says, “Life is God’s business. He brings life where there is none, and speaks it into existence.” But it doesn’t stop there. God wants those he loves to have more than enough… to not just survive but to have abundant life! Paul says in his letter to the Ephesians, “In [Jesus Christ] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us” (Eph 1:7-8). John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”


Teen Zine vol. 4 again says, “God is all about the good life. He wants humanity to live in the freedom that comes from trusting that we are all being cared for by our Creator.” It’s from the abundant life given to us by our generous Father that we can afford to adopt a posture of generosity towards those around us.



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