Food

Sometimes when I tell people that I am allergic to wheat, dairy, and potatoes, I get some interesting responses. "Oh, my god, I am so sorry." "I could never live without cheese!" "That's so sad, I love bread."

I don't really know if these responses are supposed to comfort me. I think, usually, people are putting themselves into my position. Wheat, dairy, and potatoes constitute a large portion of the American diet, especially fast food diets. Those allergies rule a lot out. I'm forced to think out of the box. I have to go to special stores and usually pay more. It's not fun or convenient.

I think it's kind of melodramatic, though, when people say they would never live without those things. Actually, you can. Your body will survive without wheat products. Hard to wrap your mind around, I know.

I was reading Deuteronomy today and came across this verse: "He [God] humbled you, allowing you to become hungry, and then fed you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had ever known, to make you understand that a person does not live on food alone but on everything that comes from the mouth of Adonai" ~8:3.

Jesus used this verse against Satan after forty days of fasting. Satan asked him why he didn't just change the rocks into bread, and Jesus said this.

I think God made food to be pleasurable. He didn't make processed cheese puffs and mountain dew, but he made cows for their meat and milk. He made fruits that are sweet. He wanted us to enjoy his creation. But it's not the only thing we survive on.

Think about it - a large majority of people in this world have never had the chance at as much variety as we do in our society. We have pastas, cheeseburgers, quesadillas, oatmeal - I could go on and on! A lot of people, though, have meat just a few times a year. They could never dream of all the crazy things people cook these days.

Our society loves food, and I think we've come to the point where we think it's one of the centerpieces of our lives. Of course you need it to survive. Of course, God gave us certain things to enjoy. But I need to remember that wheat bread and ice cream and mashed potatoes aren't going to make my life better. I need to survive on every word from the mouth of Adonai.