What If God Asks Me to Eat the Donut??

We have all heard stories about the missionary being given fish eyeballs, or some other local delicacy, and choking it down in order not to offend the natives.

James Herriot wrote one of my favorite tales of this genre. Herriot was an English countryside vet, with a “pathological loathing of fat.” During one visit, a farmwife proudly presented him with two large slices of cold, boiled bacon, “one hundred per cent fat without a strip of lean anywhere.” According to Herriot, “My position was desperate. I could not possibly offend this sweet old person but on the other hand I knew beyond all doubt that there was no way I could eat what lay in front of me.” (All Things Bright and Beautiful, Chapter 29).

In desperation, Herriot smothers the fatty slabs with pickle relish, chews and swallows – over and over. He ends with the statement, “Looking back, I realize it was one of the bravest things I have ever done.”

We live in an age of balkanized food choices. Some diets ban carbs, some ban refined sugars, and some require believers to eat an apple before every meal. Traditional wisdom tells us to limit fat, but the Keto Diet says we can “eat fat to lose fat,” (a concept which would surely disturb our friend James Herriot). Some families SuperSize their meals at McDonalds, while some spend their whole paychecks at Whole Foods. And dare I mention gluten-free, locally sourced, and vegan diets?

How do we choose among such eating extremes? The wise teacher of Ecclesiastes tells us “There is a time for everything,” and “The man who fears God will avoid all extremes.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7:18). The New Testament makes clear that no foods are categorically off-limits. God created all foods to be received with thanksgiving (1 Timothy 4:3-5). We should not let anyone judge us by what we eat or drink (Colossians 2:16), since God has given us freedom (Galatians 5:13).

Yet there is another principle at work here. Galatians 5:13 goes on to tell us, “But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.” Even though God has declared all food to be clean, “it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.” (Romans 14:20-21)

So how do we make wise food choices? How can we tell what God has provided? A good starting point is to ask the question, what will best encourage those around us?

If your secretary is trying to lose weight, don’t eat chocolate chip cookies at her desk. But if your secretary has made chocolate chip cookies special for you, you should eat them with gusto (at least one!), even if you are trying to lose weight.

As another example, I enjoy eating brown rice. However, my husband and four boys hate brown rice. They can sniff it out even when I mix it 50/50 with white. Thus, for the sake of harmony in our family, I have made the choice to cook white rice at home. But when I eat out, especially with health-conscious friends, I choose the brown rice option.

The goal of healthy eating is a good one. But it should not take priority over the goal of serving each other. Jesus humbled himself to serve us, and it is (or should be) a hallmark of Christians that we serve others. (Matthew 20:25-28; Philippians 2:5-8). Just this morning, our pastor talked about how the early church experienced community. “They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts. . .” (Acts 2:46). Our pastor encouraged us to open our homes and eat together regularly. To accomplish this, we will have to be flexible in our food choices – both in what we serve, and in what we eat.

Going back to Brother Yun, we know that there is sinful about mantou (Chinese steamed bread). Yun was not on a gluten-free diet; in fact, he was starving! Yet, for the sake of the prisoners around him, God asked Yun to give up the mantou. And Yun turned food into something sacred.

More to come.