Come to the Table

I have some wonderful memories with food. Growing up, nothing said Sunday dinner like chicken fried in lard in a cast iron skillet, mashed potatoes and gravy. Bacon grease stored in a Folger’s coffee can on the stove made everything taste better. And little pink raspberry Zingers wrapped in plastic made any day special. Once upon a time, I enjoyed these and lots of other foods without hesitation.

Then came the ‘80s, puberty and actress Jane Fonda inciting a national health craze and launching her exercise videos! Before I knew it, I was either worried about or ashamed of every bite I put in my mouth. Even today, I have to frequently remind myself that God gave us food as a gift to be enjoyed.

Think about it for a minute. He could have made us self-sustaining beings. (Which would mean a world without eating, drinking and bodily fluids - just imagine the time we’d save if we didn’t have to stop to use the bathroom!) But that isn’t how He made us. Our need for food points to our reliance on Him as the Giver of all good things, including both physical and spiritual nourishment. Jesus reminds us of this in John 6:35, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” Our physical hunger helps us make sense and understand our spiritual hunger.

And His desire for us to enjoy food is evidenced by the gifts of taste buds and other senses. He didn’t have to give us those either! Yet He did and this is why we love a beautifully-plated meal. It’s why the tannins of grapes make our tongue feel the wine long after we swallow it. It’s why the smell of coffee gets us out of bed. Food was designed to connect us to our Creator, our Giver, our bodies and others.

Nothing signifies this more than how Jesus himself often ate with his friends, disciples and even those marginalized by society. He even chose bread and wine served at The Last Supper to symbolize that His death conquering the chaos created by sin - the sin that was all started with what? Food!

While it is sometimes easy to be disheartened about my relationship with food, I’m encouraged when I remember that food, like all good and perfect gifts, comes from Him. It reminds me of my need for Him, His gifts to me, and His willingness to die to set me free from the chains of shame in my life. I hope it also encourages you or someone you know who battles to have a healthy relationship with food.