Saturday, November 21, 2015

What change is needed? Food part 2

As I begin my journey into discovering and implementing God's design for food and the human body, I am finding the need to sort out my presuppositions and experiences from actual fact. It is my desire to look to the Word of God, which I believe is sufficient for all things pertaining to life and godliness, for my answers. It amazes me how difficult it can be to honestly weed through one's own beliefs, get beyond how long I have believed them, and get to the business of seeing the purpose and plan of the Creator for the human body from a purely Biblical perspective.

We will begin with the assumption that the world was created perfectly self sufficient, that Adam and Eve were expected and entirely capable of living in Eden's garden forever in a healthy and happy state, but that the entrance of sin ruined that perfect place in aspects that we usually don't take the time to consider, let alone genuinely explore or apply.

I will also work upon the supposition that the Biblical account of a vegetarian diet, while the original pattern at Creation, was changed dramatically when God gave Noah freedom to eat animals. I accept that there is a difference between the commands given to a specific people and those which apply to everyone in every place at all times.



We can even look to the things God specifically gave to people for a preliminary list of acceptable and profitable foods. God gave the Israelites not only manna, but quail to eat. The Levitical priests were given orders to eat meat, grains, and oil. Jesus Himself ate and served to His disciples the Passover feast. Jesus made wine at a wedding feast, seemingly destroying the argument that alcohol is inherently sinful to consume in all circumstances. From fruits to vegetables, Old Testament to New Testament, the Bible gives us not only description of what people ate, but what they were commanded to eat and given by God to eat. There were times to abstain from eating certain things. There is no short list of do's and do not's, but there are some rules, some principles, and wisdom from the Creator and Sustainer of all things that will guide us along the way.

While there are surely lengthy books dedicated to the infinite details about who ate what when, I am going to begin with a basic look at what is and is not food. I think it is legitimate for me to state that much of what modern society brands and advertises as food is not indeed food at all. While many can (and do) debate the virtues of wheat vs. white bread, not many will argue that the preservatives added to most breads are actually beneficial as food, but rather the way our society has chosen to erect its food supply chain, and is very new in the grand scheme of things.

In my quest to weed out those things which do not bring glory to God, or inhibit me from enjoying Him, I must admit that it is not only the brain altering medications which I take that are evidently outside the scope of God's designed plan for my body, but also the obvious Swedish fish, gummy bears, jelly beans, and Twizzlers.

I will be examining things like chocolate, Kit Kats, and other yummy treats as I continue down this road. I will be removing from my diet those items such as Coca- Cola and other beverages which not only contain no nourishment, but may even rob the body of nutrients already obtained.
I will continue to sacrifice my own personal sacred cows.

I have to admit that it is freeing to apply the quest for the glory of God and enjoyment of God to my life, yet it is a lot easier to write about it than to actually apply it. As I continue, I will have to get past picking off the easy targets and challenging our current food system. I will have to press on toward what it means to be healthy, what God's design is for the human body in regard to labor, weight, nutrition, sleep, and more.

I know this will not be accomplished in short order, and I expect to find out along the way that some of my early views are incorrect or in need of fine tuning. I expect to be called a jerk more than once, and I will try to be honestly blunt without being offensive. I will also be admitting into evidence my own body changes, including results in response to medications which I currently take to help reduce seizures. I have thus far seen very bad results from the seizure medication Keppra, which presents me with previously unknown challenges in the battle that continues between my spirit and my flesh. I hope to find relief from my maladies through a return to Biblical patterns of eating, sleeping, working, resting, and more. I pray for healing through supernatural means, knowing God is able, yet accepting that He who told Paul "My grace is sufficient for you." while fully able, may not be most glorified by my healing. He may even be more glorified in my weakness!

Part of my plan involves rethinking how we acquire food, how we use the resources given to our family by God, gardening and preservation, and more. I will be pulling from resources beyond the Biblical text, but hopefully only in consistent application of Biblical principles where details or explicit commands are lacking. I will be seeking counsel from Christians whose goal is also to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. I will be submitting myself to whatever changes I believe follow from the appropriate and thoroughly tested patterns of Scripture. And I expect to see changes for the better. I expect that I will find that the more I seek God's truth and submit thereto, I will find benefits the likes of which I never before considered possible, and God will get all the glory as He is due!

Action points from this post:

  • I will begin to systematically examine what I put in my body
  • I will not willingly harm my body by feeding it those things which I know to be harmful. 
  • Jelly Beans, Gummy anything, and soda are hereby removed from my diet. 
  • As I am currently undergoing treatment from a group of medical professionals, I will accept counsel from them as I continue this journey. 
  • At this time, I am still working through how one deals with medications from a Biblical worldview. I expect to have more clarity as we proceed, by God's grace.

To be continued....