Good Eggs

For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” ~ Romans 10:12-13 NIV

Since Easter is approaching, one of the things on my mind is eggs (aside from the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ, of course). I usually buy white eggs, but there’s always that little ditty, that was part of an ad campaign years ago, playing in the back of my mind as I approach the dairy case,

“♫ ♪ ♫ Brown eggs are local eggs and local eggs are fresh! ♪ ♫ ♪ ♫”

Gosh, that’s a catchy song…

I never buy white bread (even though my children clamor for it), so why do I buy white eggs? Well, for the very simple reason that white eggs are usually less expensive. (And during this time of year, they’re easier to dye.)

Besides, aren’t eggs the same on the inside? I decided I’d look into that a little deeper.

According to the American Egg Board, shell color is determined by the breed of hen and is not related to quality, nutrients, flavor or cooking characteristics.

The Egg Nutrition Center, in Washington, DC reiterates that brown and white eggs have the same nutritional value, and adds, “White hens produce white eggs and brown hens produce brown eggs. Generally, brown hens are larger and require more feed and therefore their eggs may be slightly higher priced.”

Mr. Breakfast, at MrBreakfast.com, states “Most of the eggs in your supermarket come from the White Leghorn, the Rhode Island Red, the New Hampshire, and the Plymouth Rock.

“White Leghorn chickens are white and lay white eggs. Rhode Island Red, New Hampshire and Plymouth Rock chickens are all reddish brown and lay brown or brown-speckled eggs.”

One of my friends who raises chickens has what she calls an Easter Egg Chicken, so I decided to Google that. I read on the website of the Department of Animal Science at Oklahoma State University about Araucana chickens, which are sometimes called the "Easter Egg" chicken because of their blue-green colored eggs. At one time it was believed that these eggs contain little or no cholesterol, however, research indicates that there is some variation in eggs, but that the difference is not of practical value. An egg is an egg no matter what color the shell.

And what’s true for eggs is also true for people: no matter what color we are on the outside, or how dressed up, dyed, and decorated we get, we’re all made up of the same colored blood and guts on the inside.

So let’s be “good eggs” – instead of looking for what makes us different from one another, let’s look for what we have in common. Let’s concern ourselves less with what kind of religion our neighbor has or doesn’t have than whether or not we can show our neighbor the true love of God.

One more thing about eggs: if you live in New England, brown eggs might be local, but wouldn’t you rather go by the “best by” date on the carton to know if they’re fresh?