Preparing Our Hearts for Easter: Day 15 – Rethinking Food

An article by Frank    No Comments

In the lead up to Easter we will be putting up a new lent devotion each week day. These devotions will also be available in the discussions section of our Facebook page and will be played on New Zealand’s Rhema.

Today, let’s consider something very specific – those who do not have enough to eat.

A large portion of the world’s population live on less than is required for a healthy diet and they do so, not because they want to be slim, but because they simply cannot afford to access what they need. This predicament faces babies, children, adults and the elderly.

Our culture is wracked with extremes – overeating that leads to obesity, fad diets for those who desire to be slimmer, extremes of not eating that is defined as anorexia and even the binge and purge tendencies of bulimia. While some go hungry every day simply because they lack, our culture is so overrun with food it has distorted our approach to it in so many ways.

As we prepare our hearts for Easter, I want you to take up a challenge tomorrow. How about taking a day to change our approach and evaluate how we use food. If you can do so, take the time to identify with the poor tomorrow by eating only a small amount, as little as you can manage, and drink only water.

If you suffer from anorexia or bulimia, challenge yourself to a healthier approach to food tomorrow, just one day – eat healthy tomorrow as a recognition that the food we have access to could sustain the poorest in the world and therefore should not be abused by us – choosing to under-eat or binge and purge is an abuse of food, so you can identify with the poor by choosing to respect what they crave.

As you engage in this fast tomorrow, whether it be limiting the food you eat or eating in a healthy manner, take time during your day to pray for those who deal with hunger every day and maybe consider making a one off donation to an organisation that helps feed those who are hungry.

Pray

Jesus, as we take up the challenge to approach food differently tomorrow, give us the strength of mind to focus past the food and reflect on those in our world who hunger every day. May you increase our empathy for their plight.

Amen