“You Are What You Eat”

Food for Thought, Day Two

Tuesday, August 27th

Years ago, one of my coworkers was attempting to lose weight. She ate so many carrots that her skin began to turn orange! “You are what you eat” became visibly true for her, as her changing skin color became obvious. All of those carrots became absorbed into her body and she began to look more and more like… a carrot.

“You are what you eat” implies that what we eat does influence who we are. We began this week (“An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away”) with thoughts about caring for our bodies with nutritious foods. The changes we make might not be as obvious as turning orange, but our healthy choices will lead us to become healthier people.

Food isn’t the only thing we ingest on a daily basis. We are presented with many other things that compete for attention throughout our waking hours, and what we absorb can influence our spirits and our bodies. Today we will consider some of the other things we choose to ingest that also have an impact on our well-being.

Breathing. Do we breathe in enough fresh air to overcome the stale recycled air of an office or retail shop? Do we breathe in enough delightful aromas of delicious foods or soft scents of essential oils to combat exhaust fumes or factory smells?

Seeing. Do we notice enough of the genuine beauty of nature beyond the landscape screensavers on our laptops? Do we read enough interesting and worthwhile books to balance our television sitcoms? Do we spend more time looking at Amazon.com than our loved ones’ faces?

Hearing. Do we listen to enough news to keep us informed and concerned, while keeping space for peaceful listening to music, podcasts, or audio books? Do we set aside time from all noise for silence before God?

Tasting. Do we take the time to taste and savor our food instead of gulping it down to get on with our day? Do we eat our meals with gratitude and joy?

Touching. Do our fingers touch a keyboard or a remote control too often? Do we spend enough time holding hands, cuddling babies, writing notes, or creating art?

Thinking. Do we fill our minds with thoughts that are of value? Do we counter our self-centered thoughts by thinking of others? Do we lessen our nagging worries with prayerful plans to solve them? Do we release our anxious concerns to our loving and powerful God? Most of all, do we follow Paul’s instruction to fill our thoughts with the qualities listed in Philippians 4:8?

Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

“We are what we eat.” It would seem that the more we fill ourselves with the beautiful gifts that God has created, the more we absorb what the Spirit is revealing, the more we take in the things that are of Christ, perhaps we might just become the very best version of ourselves. We might even begin to look a little more like Jesus.

See you tomorrow!

Photo by William Iven on Unsplash