Food for Thought

Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.

– Genesis 9:3

If you’re like a lot of people, food plays a role in many of your fondest memories about home and family. For example, you might always remember Thanksgiving with your grandparents whenever you smell the rich aroma of roast turkey and sweet potatoes. The unmistakable odor of hotdogs and popcorn could take you back 20 years when your parents took you to your first State Fair or baseball game. Even the sight of a homemade apple pie might remind you of how your aunt would faithfully guard her award-winning recipe.

Food holds a powerful place in our lives, but it’s not just because we need it to survive. There’s just something special — even joyful — about sharing a good meal with family and friends. Likewise, Christ-followers have a time-honored recipe for cooking up a joy-filled, God-centered family life. The Bible tells us that it’s one part unity with other Christ-followers mixed with a measure of regular prayer. Then blend it well with a heaping helping of discernment — the ongoing intentional functions of living, thinking and acting constructively. It’s all about habitually looking for the good and dwelling on the positive.

But the key ingredient is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. That’s because knowing him is enough to bring joy — regardless of our circumstances. Then add a Christ-centered marriage: one that invites Jesus to live through and guide it during good times and bad. And the final element is dependence on him for raising children who understand their purpose in life. Kids must know that they’re loved. But they must also know that it’s not all about them. After all, we’re all put on Earth to bring glory to God. And he’ll shape and use our children accordingly if we let him.

If you haven’t done so already, invite Jesus into your life as your personal Lord and Savior. Those who take this momentous step become the ones he calls the salt of the earth: those special people who make all the difference in the world by bringing joy to others — and all while experiencing it themselves. 

That’s real food for thought.