How do you choose your food?

In the past month or so, we have found ourselves eating out quite a bit. Whether it is busy schedules or special days, our meals at home have been fewer than they probably should be. One day when I was ordering, it struck me that I change how I choose my food based on where I am eating. For example, last night, Wanda and I went to Culvers. When I went in, I was looking for something that “looked good”. I choose the Pot Roast dinner. I have had good pot roast and not so good pot roast. While I know what it was supposed to taste like, this one exceeded my expectations of a pot roast from a “Fast Food” place. Still, I went in looking for something that I wanted.

There are some restaurants that are more creative. I am talking about eateries like Panera or those that use unique combinations of ingredients. When I go into those establishments, I am looking to challenge myself, to see how far the chef is willing to push me. Sometimes, you get something that you do not care for too much. Sometimes, it blows your mind with how good it is. I remember going to someone’s house for dinner and they served a vegetable dish with corn, summer squash and zucchini. I normally do not care for summer squash and zucchini but this dish was delicious. If I was at a restaurant, I would not have ordered that because it would not have appealed to me. But, I was glad that they served it so I could appreciate the dish and the flavors that can come out of those often-times bland and strangely-textured veggies.

When I am at home and I am watching TV, there is a better than 50/50 chance that I am either watching sports or a show about food. In both of those environments, they talk about pushing yourself, expanding your horizons, seeing how far you can go. I fully agree with expanding your world for a purpose (pushing the envelope just to push the envelope is for another post). When we talk about sports, it is pushing yourself so in the heat of the moment or a game, you can perform better. When we talk about food, we push ourselves to appreciate the wide varieties of food that God has provided us.

Pushing our limits is not just for food and sports. Too often, we approach God the way we approach a fast food joint or a familiar restaurant: what looks good. We come to church wanting something familiar to satisfy our wants. We expect to know what it should be like and critique it on how it did or did not live up to our expectations. We spend time in our quiet times reading safe or familiar passages, books, genres. I am not saying that this is entirely wrong. Sometimes we need to be refreshed and reminded of good familiar truths from God just like a good bowl of ice cream. Sometimes we are beat up and need something refreshing like a fresh, crisp BLT sandwich or good old comfort food like pot roast with potatoes.

But there are times that we should challenge ourselves spiritually. Paul in 1 Corinthians 3 is encouraging the church in Corinth to push their limits. He wanted to expand their horizons about God but they were not ready. For me, this came when I finished my reading and study of 1 & 2 Thessalonians. For my personal studies, I have spent 90% of my time in the New Testament and probably 75% of that time in the epistles. Again, not that it was not fruitful but I was doing the familiar. So, I then went to Ezra and Nehemiah. While they were in the Old Testament, they were still safe for me because they were historical books. To me, the prophecy books were like summer squash and zucchini. I had it growing up and it never tasted good to me. So I tried to avoid it as much as possible. Thankfully, God prompted me to see where I needed to expand my horizon and also see the connection between the last three books in the Old Testament (Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi) and Ezra and Nehemiah. I am through Haggai and working through Zechariah now. I would not say that I have fully appreciated this new “food” but I am starting to.

While my tastes are not at adventurous as Andrew Zimmer (Bizarre Foods), as a Christian, I affirm the whole council of the Word and the inspiration of all of the Bible. Thus, I should be willing and able to taste and appreciate all parts of the Bible for what God intended. Of course, this means I need to get out of my comfort zone and challenge myself. What new areas of Himself is God wanting to show you today?