Welcome back to The Gospel According to, where we connect all the books, movies, and music we all know and love with Bible verses and Biblical truths. This month, I’m re-reading the Tiger’s Curse series by Colleen Houck, and I’m absolutely loving the adorable, romantic, swoon-worthy details of Kelsey and Ren’s love story. This week, we’re focusing discussion on the radish metaphor that Kelsey uses in book one of the series. Intrigued? Stay tuned to find out what I mean!
Fandom: “…It’s like this… a starving man would gladly eat a radish, right? In fact, a radish would be a feast if that’s all he had. But if he had a buffet in front of him, the radish would never be chosen.” – Kelsey Hayes, Tiger’s Curse p. 379
“You don’t take away my choice. You are my choice.” – Ren, Tiger’s Quest (couldn’t find the page number 😅)
Verses: John 15:16, 1 Corinthians 1:27-29, Isaiah 40:28, Ephesians 2:10
Nugget: God chose us for His own, before and after we choose Him.
The Horizontal View: Rensey’s Romance
To start with, let’s talk about the “horizontal,” or human-oriented, theme of this quote. Kelsey, the female protagonist and narrator of the series, compares herself to a radish as she attempts to break up with Ren, her true love. She believes that she can never match Ren’s good looks, wealth, or charisma. At the end of book one, Kelsey believes that running away from a relationship with Ren is the best outcome for both of them. This sadly mistaken belief leads to a whole lot of unnecessary pain and wasted time, as Kelsey deals with her fear of heartbreak and low self-esteem.
As the series progresses, however, these walls start to come down. The wounds of heartbreak and loss begin to heal, and the fear that she isn’t good enough for her prince begin to fade. By the end of the series, which is five books and thousands of pages long, Kelsey finally believes that her true love will never leave her, and that she actually deserves to be with him.
This in itself is beautiful, and meaningful, and I could leave it right there and call it good. But…
The Vertical View: Chosen by the Grace of God
Here’s my favorite part of the story: the part where we take this beautiful scenario of romance and true love and look at it from a different angle, the “vertical,” God-oriented way. In this case, there are soooo many good verses about God choosing us, before and after we choose Him. So good!!
We are the radish
Before we choose salvation through Jesus, God already chose us as His own. Jesus said so Himself in John 15: “You did not choose me, but I chose you…” The rest of this chapter talks about our relationship with Jesus, which is as essential to life as roots, water, and sun are to a living plant or tree.
As essential as God is to us, we have very little to offer Him in return. Kelsey’s view of herself in relation to Ren, who clearly loves her deeply, is flawed: she has yet to realize her worth in his eyes. In the same way, although we are highly valued in God’s eyes, created in His image and called by name, we have little to give in terms of our own merits or accomplishments.
Enjoy reading about how human romance relates to our relationship with Jesus? You’ll love these posts!
- Twenty One Pilots Smithereens: For You (Good Friday 2021)
- Imagine Dragons’ Next To Me (This one made me cry a little 🤩😭💖)
- The Gospel According to Coldplay: Army of One
- The Gospel According to Maroon 5: She Will Be Loved
Chosen by Grace Alone
Just think about it with me. God’s power is immense; His knowledge is limitless (Isaiah 40:28). Compared with our finite human nature, lifespan, and abilities, the radish-to-buffet metaphor really fits. And yet, “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” 1 Corinthians 27-29
These verses talk about our life after we choose to be with God through a relationship with Jesus. He doesn’t wait for us to learn even the basics of a “holy life” in order to be with Him; He can use us right away. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10
Conclusion: Rensey’s Radish
As we begin walking in the works God has prepared for us, we begin to see how deeply He loves us. I have seen this: as I continue to follow Jesus, I become more and more convinced that He has chosen me and that I am worthy. I also become more convinced that I have nothing to offer in my own strength, and that’s a really good thing. The heartbreak and fear of never being enough have begun to fade, and through Jesus, I believe that I deserve to be where I am, made right with God and honored in His sight. Praise God!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this post about Rensey (Ren + Kelsey) and their adorable radish quote from Tiger’s Curse. If you did, please do me a solid and share with all your peeps using the graphic below. And let me know if you’ve read/are interested in the Tiger’s Curse series!
Happy fangirling!
