I’ve never been a fearful person. But lately, it seems that fear has been creeping into my thoughts, ever so slyly.
Maybe it’s because I’m in my mid-30s now and I’m having a hard time coming to grips with slight changes in my body and stamina.
Maybe it’s because despite my effort for our family to eat healthier, I’ve only taken baby steps. Mac & cheese and processed chicken nuggets are staples in our house. We don’t buy organic most of the time and I don’t think our removal of margarine or nitrate-laden hot dogs make up for the processed products that line our pantry shelves. I know many of the facts about the food we eat, facts that are downright frightening.
Maybe it’s because I watched my father-in-law battle and lose a fight with cancer far too young and I’m currently watching my mom battle cancer as well.
Maybe it’s because I’ve seen lives turned upside down due to an unseen diagnosis, no matter how healthy they were.
My heart vacillates between a trust that God has it all under control and a desire to make changes to ensure a healthier temple to serve Him.
And there’s the reality that if I decided for my family to eat as healthy as possible, our grocery bill would double. Surely with so many people in the world and our country and our city going hungry, God wouldn’t want us to pony up the extra money it would take to eat healthy when that money could go to helping others whose bellies are literally empty?
Yet the health crisis in our country clearly points to our diets in many cases (not all, of course). Regarding this wide scale trend, do we not reap what we sow? When we as Americans begin changing the way God made our food to grow (think: GMOs), will not the natural course of these actions produce illness? The tsunami of health issues hasn’t even come on our radar. It will be my generation and even more so my children’s generation that will bear the brunt.
It frightens me.
The New Testament has a lot, actually, to say about food. In fact, I was so riddled with this topic two years ago that I did an in-depth study on food in the New Testament myself. In skimming my notes, I realized I need to go back to the Word.
My fear is a red flag that something isn’t right. My God has not given me a spirit of fear but one of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7) That’s where I have to start, by training my mind with the timeless word of God.
Join with me over the next few weeks as I share with you my personal journey through the New Testament (and some in the Old) on what the Scripture says about food. I don’t have all the answers; in fact, my personal study included a verse or passage, application, and questions that I haven’t answered yet. I hope you’ll chime in as we explore God’s word in this difficult area together.
What about you? Do you struggle in these areas as well?