I read an opinion editorial in the LA Times today. The writer stated what I have often felt as I hear about the new diet trends hitting the airwaves. He made the argument that all food trends are more marketing than science, and that in the end they pass away. You have to admit that we do get sucked into some strange eating beliefs sometimes.
Now I am for healthy eating, don’t get me wrong. And I do understand that eating nuclear waste is not an acceptable option. But the actual difference in health outcomes between the various dietary trends is almost negligible. Unfortunately, that is the reality. I wish I could eat to a perfectly healthy life, as long as it included some bacon occasionally and a lobster or two.
To combat the error in the religious community of Jesus’ day, Jesus points out the biological cycle of food. You put it in your mouth, chew, and swallow. It gets digested and then it comes out the other end in a day or two. So no food affects your spiritual nature. That is determined by something other than food.
Now, I am not saying that food can’t affect our spiritual health. It can. But the source of our spiritual strength does not originate with food. Our spiritual health comes from the grace of God that we find in Jesus Christ, not from the food we eat or don’t eat.
My concern for some in the Body of Christ is that energy that should be or could be devoted to the central mission of the Gospel ends up getting expended on food issues. We hop from trend to trend getting fired up about this or that. I wish we could get fired up about the Gospel and stay fired up.
Our diet has some importance in our lives. If we are too overweight, then we won’t be as healthy, which then impedes our ability to be active in sharing the love of Christ for all humanity. The LORD wants us to be healthy, but that is NOT His goal. We live in a fallen world and we will all die of something. Jesus is more concerned about our hearts, the inner core of our being. He wants His presence to fill and influence that area of our lives. This can be done regardless of the diet we keep or don’t keep.
In some places, many places in fact, diet is not really a consideration, other than finding enough to eat so starvation is held off for another day. If it is edible, when you are starving, you will eat it. And in the process, if you are a Jesus-follower, you will give thanks where thanks are due.
Take a look at your energy expended on food. Is it taking the right proportion of energy from your life, or are you out of balance?
The Arnold Journey 