He got a love letter―
Its seven pages consuming him for a week
Until he had it practically memorized,
And had pored over each phrase to be sure
He knew what it must mean.

And he walked around in a haze,
Infatuated that there was someone else
In this beautiful-ugly world who might just
Care about him in particular.
And he taught his heart to adore her
In all things.

And he quit caring about those other girls,
Rearranging his very view of life
To accommodate her into it permanently,
If she would have him.

And he says he loves her.
And we can tell he means it,
For only an excellent actor―
Which he is not―
Could feign such affection and respect.

But I’m not writing to tell you about all this,
Except as it relates to something else―
For the same man has been saying for years
That we all have a “love letter from God”
In sixty-six perfect books, inspired
By a perfect God with a perfect love for us all.

Yet he is not consumed with the Bible
As with the letter from the girl.
He barely reads it, and has few
Of its sayings memorized.

His adoration of the Bible
Is really more a matter of
What one is supposed to say―
What would sound encouraging to others,
And properly pious, where religion is concerned.
And when he talks about it,
His eyes don’t light up,
And there’s no excitement in his voice.
And you and I both know that
If he ever talks to the girl this way,
She’ll dump him for sure.

But deep down in his heart,
The man considers God to be the needy sort,
Who is unlikely to dump him―
Being thankful to get any attention at all
From anyone, even if it’s empty lip service.

We can see that it is
His pleasure to know the girl,
And his duty to know God―
Not much at all unlike how he can be
Counted upon to take out the trash each morning.

And this man will bemoan the sad state of affairs
At his church, and how people aren’t more
Committed and dedicated and serious about it.
And right after that, he really wants to tell you
About the letter he got from the girl.