Have you seen the viral orange peel TikTok test? To try this at home, ask your spouse, flatmate, or alternative significant other to bring you an orange. If they remove the rind first, it’s true love. But if they bring it to you whole, you’re in trouble.

It sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? But then I remembered the iconic fruit platters of my childhood, a genius parent hack to help me get my five-a-day where classic fruit bowl fruits (think bananas, oranges, apples) were peeled, segmented, and arranged on a plate. And you know what, these platters always made me feel loved. So, perhaps there is something in the orange peel theory?

When you peel back the layers – pardon the pun – of this psychological test, I think it reveals something far more profound. We were made for intimacy, connection, and all-consuming love in the image of the one who is love (1 John 4:16). But because we live in a broken world, we have an insatiable desire to be reassured that the love we experience is real. Deep down, we all fear rejection, either because we experienced abandonment earlier in life or are pained by the broken relationships we see around us.

But wonderfully, we trust in a God who will never leave or forsake us, who long ago said, ‘I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love, I have drawn you to myself’ (Jeremiah 31:3, NLT). These words of assurance were spoken to the Israelites when they were far from God – they were given, not earned. And for us, they’re supremely fulfilled in the person of Jesus, who gave his own life that we might be eternally loved by God. It might sound trite, but this is far better evidence of love than a perfectly peeled orange!

Anchored in the unconditional, unswerving love of God, let’s be those who demonstrate love to those around us in concrete, committed, and compassionate ways. Let’s ‘not merely say we love each other’ but rather ‘show the truth by our actions’ (1 John 3:18). And this extends to non-romantic relationships, too. From going the extra mile for your spouse and peeling their orange to inviting a colleague who’s going through a painful divorce round for pizza every Friday night, fostering a child whose parents have abandoned them, or offering to babysit for a single parent who has experienced abuse and is exploring a new relationship, we can be a glimmer of Jesus’ perfect love to those around us.

Sophie Sanders
Sophie is Marketing & Communications Lead at  LICC