Wonder Women

Your Own This Holiday

Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years are nearly upon us and I am remembering what a difficult time the holidays can be. As much press as the turkey, the gifts, and the alcohol get on these special days, I think most of us would be content with one thing--a loving family. It doesn't seem like much to ask, does it? Yet so many of us face separation from those we love at the holidays by death, divorce, or distance. Even more of us know that while we will be with our family members this year, we will endure the pain of disassociation. In other words, our presence at the family gathering won't be celebrated by some of our family members. 

There are so many ways people can choose not to celebrate us this year--by drinking too much, smiling too little, criticizing, leaving early, not contributing, not talking, or just not showing up. As much as some of us try to place the blame for this rejection squarely with the one behaving badly, it's all too easy for us to wonder, 'What's wrong with me?'

I read John 1:11 recently and was struck by the realization that Jesus knows the pain of not being celebrated by His family: He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Many times I have heard the cries of the broken heart begin with "my own." How could my own husband, my own mother, my own father, my own brother, my own in-laws treat me this way? And family members are hard to exchange, aren't they? Once we've been rejected once, we may find little hope for a loving family celebration in the future.

But there is hope for our holidays this year. We can find hope in knowing that Jesus is acquainted with our sorrow. He knows how it feels to be rejected, not only as a human being on earth, but as God Himself. As a culture, we continue to reject Him by trying to remove Him and His name from our holiday celebrations, yet He does not reject us.  Because God knows our pain from personal experience, He can comfort us like so many others cannot.

Comfort is good, but sometimes the only thing that will satisfy our aching heart is to be with a loving family. No matter who or where you are and no matter who you're related to, I have good news. This year, you can spend the holidays with those who cherish you. You have a Father and a Brother who long to spend time with you. Will you come away from the busyness of the season to visit with your heavenly Father and Christ, your brother? I hope you will. If you do, rather than lament how your earthly family hasn't received you, you will be ready to celebrate the richness of what your own God has given you. After all, that's what holy days are all about.

When She Loved Me

I woke up this morning feeling sad. And I had Jesse’s song from Toy Story 2 playing in my head. When I can’t get a song out of my mind and there’s no explanation for it, I usually find that God is my DJ. This morning was no exception.

I have had a lot of people in my life who loved me once, but don’t anymore. Or at least it seems like they loved me at one time. I know I’m not alone in that experience. I spoke with a woman at length this week who wanted to know why her husband didn’t love her anymore. She didn’t say it quite that way. Instead she said, “Why do you think he…?” and “If I did that, do you think he’d…?” I told her we could spend all day talking about the why’s and what if’s and still the ache in her heart would be there.

I know my heart still aches. I’ve been going to the Lord with the same kind of questions that woman had. Why? What if? I told my husband about the Jesse song and he being not a particularly emotional guy said, “Oh, that song is soooooo sad.” It sure is. And why is it so sad? Surely it’s not sad because we feel badly for a make-believe toy that has no feelings?

Most likely the song tugs on our heart strings because we identify with Jesse. We are the toy that has been cast aside in relationships that once meant so much to us. Jesse knew why she was under the bed. Her owner was growing up; she was changing. But the explanation didn’t make life without her any easier for Jesse.

As I often do with songs that keep playing in my head, I looked up the lyrics. Reading them as though I were Jesse made me feel the sadness more acutely. But as I sat before the Lord looking for His wisdom for dealing with my broken heart, He told me that I wasn’t the one who’d been cast away. He was. God was singing these words over me as written by Sarah McLachlan:

When somebody loved me, everything was beautiful
Every hour we spent together, lives within my heart
And when she was sad, I was there to dry her tears
And when she was happy, so was I, when she loved me.

Through the summer and the fall, we had each other, that was all
Just she and I together, like it was meant to be
And when she was lonely, I was there to comfort her
And I knew that she loved me.

So the years went by, I stayed the same
And she began to drift away, I was left alone
Still I waited for the day, when she’d say "I will always love you."

Unlike a doll, God does have feelings. He longs to have me come to Him for comfort when I feel rejected and alone. I don’t want to throw Him under the bed. Instead I want to tell Him I will always love Him by how I relate to Him and others—even those who don’t love me.

"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5b)

Scientists are People, Too

Last night Dr. Carl Werner presented his evolution research at my church. Please check out his website! His writing and video production are superb. If you click on the video in the teacher/curriculum section, you'll see my testimonial about his books. One of the best lessons Carl taught me is that scientists are people, too.

I continue to be surprised by the number of people who have complete faith in science. It's as though science is fact, devoid of human error. I confess to sharing that viewpoint at one time, especially since I was trained in the sciences. Yet that very training should have convinced me that science is not immune to humanity.

We can all laugh about the people who thought the earth was flat, that the earth was the center of the universe, and that blood-letting cured disease. But for some reason, we readily believe that the days of scientific error are over. We comfort ourselves with the notion that if the majority of scientists are convinced of the veracity of something, it must be true. I direct you to the aforementioned scientific "truths" and countless others like them which the majority of scientists believed at one time.

Scientists may be smarter than most of us, but they aren't less human. Scientists have opinions about their area of study, the origins of the universe, and politics. Try though they might to remain neutral, it simply isn't possible. And neither are scientists immune to the desire for money, fame, and power that plagues the rest of us. We've sadly decided within my lifetime that clergy are not completely trustworthy, yet we continue to cling to the idea that scientists are.

Having worked with scientists, I can tell you that they are fully human. They can be lazy, foolish, disorganized, selfish, biased, and prideful just like you and me. Of course, they can also be hard-working, wise, orderly, generous, open-minded and humble just like you and me. I understand this longing we have to find at least one kind of person we can really trust. Sadly, there is no one on earth worthy of that kind of faith. As a Christian, I am so thankful that I can trust God without reservation. If you don't share my faith in God, at least consider the idea that scientists aren't worthy of your faith either. Remain skeptical, even when you hear that 'all leading scientists' believe thus and so. Be willing, as I am, to be called a fool for refusing to trust something just because a scientist says it's so. If we are fools in this, we are certainly in good company as many of the greatest advances were made by men and women courageous enough to say, "I am willing to stand alone in my beliefs."

Malnourished

               
Some of you may remember my post on diving for pearls this summer in which I alluded to some health problems I was having. I have been blessed to have many people inquire about how I’m feeling now that it’s Fall. I struggle to answer that question succinctly—a problem that isn’t new to me! But the simplest answer I can give is that I was malnourished , but am now well fed by the grace of God.  I want to tell you more in the hope that God will use my experience to help you or someone you love.

At the age of 17, I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. I wasn’t put on medication, but was told to avoid milk products and alcohol. I dealt with what were actually mild symptoms compared to most UC sufferers until I was 34. That was when I had yet another week-long episode of abdominal pain and a complete inability to eat. The symptoms of the disease weren’t anything I relished sharing with others, but on one Fall Sunday, I shared my burden with two dear sisters in the Lord at church. They prayed for me and I returned home certain that I would have to go to the hospital and submit to either medication or surgery. I had seen the devastating effects of drugs on a friend who had UC and greatly feared having a colostomy.

When I returned home from church, I prayed fervently and told the Lord that if He didn’t do something, I would go to the hospital. I was lying down and felt a warm tingling sensation go through my whole body. I fell asleep and when I woke up, the pain was gone. Not long after, an online friend told me about the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD). It was an incredibly stringent diet, promoted by Elaine Gottschall, a woman who I do not believe was a Christian. I assumed that God’s healing was only for my current crisis and started the SCD. My symptoms went into complete remission and I gave the glory for my healing to my diet.

The abdominal pain came back a few times during that eight-year period. At one point, I appeared to be developing more food allergies. My husband and I were in Cancun and I had no idea what to eat between the restrictive SCD and the new allergies. I prayed and then read Matthew 6:25 in my Bible, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?" I knew the Lord had given me freedom to eat while in Cancun and I enjoyed eating what I was served. But I assumed that this freedom was only for my vacation. When I came home, I continued to eat according to the SCD.

A year ago last spring, a new troubling symptom cropped up. I was having numbness and weakness in my right leg. My mother has MS so I knew what it was. I was certain that the chocolate I had been eating (that was prohibited by the SCD) was responsible. I was stringent about my diet and the symptom became less and less noticeable until last May. The numbness spread to the entire right side of my body. At the same time, GI symptoms I hadn’t had for eight years returned with a vengeance. I also began experiencing severe heartburn, indigestion, and nasal allergy symptoms. The heartburn was so bad that at times I was unable to speak or swallow.  I was determined to find the solution.

Why didn’t I just go to a doctor, you may ask? I hadn’t had good experiences with doctors up to that point. I won’t detail them here, but suffice to say I didn’t trust them. Instead of seeking medical attention, I sought answers from the world of natural health. What I read convinced me that I had food allergies. I drastically changed my diet in order to determine what was at the root of my symptoms. As a result, some of my symptoms disappeared. Suddenly, I no longer needed Zyrtec for nasal allergies—something I’d suffered with for decades. My year-long battle with increasingly severe hormonal symptoms was also over. I felt I was on the right track!

But the heartburn, indigestion, and neurological symptoms continued. In addition to trying different stringent diets, I added a huge number of expensive natural supplements to my regimen. I learned about nutrition and the dangers of eating chemically and genetically altered foods as well as too much sugar. I told everyone who would listen about the health I’d regained as a result of my diet change and what I believed diet and supplements could do for me and for them.

After several months, I had lost more than 20 pounds and the digestive and neurological symptoms were no better. I finally saw a gastroenterologist. Her initial prescription did not stop the heartburn and her second prescription of a med that had serious neurological side effects gave me no hope that she could help me. Despite the love and prayer support of so many, I was depressed and terrified. It was at that time that I found a book on Amazon called A More Excellent Way.

When I received A More Excellent Way, I had read at least a dozen books on health and nutrition. None had been the definitive answer for me. I prayed and asked the Lord to show me whether this was what He wanted me to read. I’m sure He thought, “Finally!” The daily devotional I was reading (and continue to read) for that day actually used the phrase, “A More Excellent Way.” I wonder sometimes if I get these dramatic answers to prayer because I am too dense to pick up more subtle answers! I began reading the book and become convinced that the Lord wanted me to fast for three days (I should note that this conviction I should fast had nothing to do with the book). I was afraid to fast because of the amount of weight I’d lost up to that point, but my dh agreed that I should do it.

I spent three days being purged. I learned that there was a good chance my illness had spiritual and emotional roots. I shed a lot of tears and let go of unforgiveness, hurt, and fear. I learned that I hadn’t been trusting God. Instead, I felt I was responsible to heal myself and fix everyone and everything around me. I had also been trusting in everything BUT God. I didn’t give Him the glory for the healing I’d already experienced. As I read about people who had been healed of multiple allergies, autoimmune disorders, and cancer, I believed that God wanted to heal me, too. When the fast was over, I began eating normally. Not only did I eat normally, but I began eating foods I hadn’t eaten for eight years. Then I began eating foods I hadn’t had since I was 17. And I was okay!

At first, nearly every meal required that I repeat Scripture and God’s promises so I wouldn’t panic. At times, I felt that I would have to run to the bathroom and could feel mouth sores developing, but as I prayed and trusted God, the symptoms disappeared. My children and husband rejoice with me that I can now eat anything! I no longer feel like an outsider with my family. I can eat popcorn with them while we watch a movie! I can eat the daily bread I pray for in the Lord’s Prayer!

I have waited all this time to share what is an absolute miracle in my life because I am not 100% healed. I still have mild heartburn and mild neurological symptoms. I have had a return of a few hormonal symptoms and even a return of the desire to overeat—something I haven’t had for more than a decade. But these symptoms and the fear they generate drive me to pray and to read His Word as I’ve never done before. I’ve experienced miraculous physical healing, but even more, I have experienced  spiritual and emotional healing. The spirit of anger and fear that I’ve lived with all my life have been overcome by the Holy Spirit. I have peace and joy and my faith in God has grown by leaps and bounds.

This spring I was certain I was malnourished. I believed the food allergies I had gave rise to damage to my digestive tract which in turn gave rise to malnutrition. That malnutrition was responsible for the many physical symptoms I was experiencing. You wouldn’t think that a person who was eating every day could be malnourished, but I learned that it was very possible. Whether I was physically malnourished or not, I don’t know. But I know I was spiritually malnourished. Though I prayed and read God’s Word most days, I rarely had a full meal. I now understand that I “picked at” my spiritual food because I had a problem in my relationship with God. Deep down, I felt He was the hard master described in Luke 19:21, not a loving Father who longed to care for me.

Of course, I would like to have complete physical healing. I would love your prayers for this. But more importantly, pray that I will continue to be spiritually healthy. If the symptoms I have are what is necessary to keep me hungry for God, let me keep them forever.

I am very sorrowful that I have not given God the glory for health and healing He’s given me and sorrier still that I have encouraged others to look to anything other than Him for help. I cannot tell you not to see a doctor, not to take a medication, or not to change your diet. But I can tell you not to neglect your spiritual nourishment. Spend time with Him today in prayer and reading His Word. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5).

Keep on Shining

This morning began another dreary, cold weather day. Despite the long period of similar weather, my spirits have been sunny. This morning, though, I began to feel discouraged. It wasn’t the weather that threatened to spoil my day, but a darkness inside of me. Doubts and fear crept into my mind like thick clouds. I sat on my love seat, where I usually go to meet with God, and asked Him for encouragement. I opened my favorite devotional that has become daily medicine for what ails me, Streams in the Desert. After completing today’s reading on treating doubt and discouragement as the enemy—something to be avoided as much as sin itself—I found my spirits soaring. I was praising God for giving me just what I needed to take on the day with the right attitude. At that moment, the thick dark clouds behind me parted and I was enveloped in the bright warmth of the sun shining through my window. I was astonished as I realized that the light had come right as I was giving thanks and it only illuminated the place where I was sitting.

As I gazed toward that bright light, I noticed that except for that one opening, the sky remained shrouded in darkness. After a few minutes, the light was obscured by the cold, gray clouds once again. But the light kept shining in me. I have been smiling all day. Though we are living in dark times, the light of His hope still remains.

One of my favorite songs is Natalie Grant’s Keep on Shining. The chorus is:

Keep on shining
Let Love light up the darkest sky
And you'll be flying
Rise above all the hardest times
So hold on (Hold On)
Be strong (Be Strong)
Come on (Come on, come on)
Keep on shining.

Keep on shining, girl. If it’s dark where you are, may 2 Corinthians 4:6 brighten your day:

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

Why is Simple Living So Complicated?

As I’ve continued to enjoy living without a to-do list, I keep looking for others online who share my practice. I’ve been able to find precious few people who’ve discovered the peace that is possible when you toss out your to-do list.

At first I thought this paucity of like-minded souls suggested that I had such a novel idea that I should write a book about it. It took me about a minute to determine that the book would be rather short. “Just do stuff. No list.” When I Google the subject, I pull up countless websites that tell me that what I am experiencing just isn’t possible; success requires a to-do list, say the experts.  As I read through many simple living blogs, I have to wonder why it takes so long to explain how to do things “simply.”

If I sound mocking, know that I mock myself as well. How many hours have I spent reading and researching how to simplify my life? I would be horrified to know how much of that time has been devoted to reading about cleaning and organizing rather than cleaning and organizing. Does a woman with a Ph.D. really have to be told:

If you don’t use it, need it, or love it, get rid of it.

Yet, I continue to read this advice repackaged in numerous books and websites and act like it’s news to me. “Oooooohhhhh, I see. That’s what I need to do.” All my list-making, software searching, and reading hasn’t helped me live simply, but has certainly convinced me that I’m a simpleton. Why do so many of us behave this way? Why do we have to invest so much of our time and money into learning to do things we already know how to do? Are we really a bunch of people who are so slow that we need to endlessly be instructed about parenting, health, and productivity? Apparently.

So why are we so learning disabled when it comes to simple living and life change for that matter? In A Thomas Jefferson Education, Oliver DeMille argues that all education is self-education. In other words, unless you WANT to learn something, you won’t. And when you DO want to learn something, you won’t even need an instructor. You’ll just learn it. If you don’t really want to declutter your house, you won’t—even if FLYLady makes a personal visit. If you really DO want to declutter, you will. You won’t waste any time waiting for your special FLYLady timer to arrive before you get started.

Don’t get me wrong. Some of us really do need an instructor. But when it comes to most of the changes we need to make, what we really need is the want-to. Here are some signs that you might not have the want-to you need:

·         You’ll get started after some future event (the wedding, the baby, the retirement)

·         You often talk about why something didn’t work (FLYLady, GTD, Love & Logic)

·         You can produce lots of great reasons why you can’t do it (health problem, family member, money, too tired)

·         You’d much rather spend time reading about or researching that which you should be doing

·         If you suddenly had a free day, you wouldn’t spend time on whatever you “want” to do

·         If you knew you were going to be dead in six months, you still wouldn’t do it

 

If any of those statements sound like you, you aren’t ready to learn and do. Because you aren’t, you’ll make things that are very simple very complicated. But, you may ask, why would any reasonable person behave this way? Here are some reasons to consider:

 

You are trying to live up to someone else’s standard. It isn’t your standard. Deep down you just don’t care, but you keep thinking you “should.”

 

You feel guilty when you aren’t doing. Guilt makes you spend more time doing nothing, not less.

 

You’re afraid of the consequences of doing. Will people expect more of you than you can deliver? Will you lose a relationship or gain one? Will your opinion of yourself change for the worse?

 

You’re angry at someone or at God. You don’t feel you should have to do something or subconsciously you get back at someone by not doing it.

 

You’ve believed lies. You think perfection is possible or that you’re hopeless.

 

If any of these reasons apply to you, how then can you find the want-to you need to get things done? First, be brutally honest with yourself. Second, confess any guilt, fear, apathy, or willingness to believe lies to God and receive His forgiveness. Third, ask Him to give you the want-to. Philippians 2:13 says “It is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose." Fourth, tell someone you trust why you don’t have the want-to and check in with them regularly to talk about how you’re doing. Finally, memorize  Scriptures related to the reasons behind your unwillingness and meditate on them as often as necessary.

 

As each day goes by without the use of a to-do list, I have found that I wonder when my life will fall apart. This simple living just seems too...simple. I sometimes don’t know what to do with all my free time (that’s why I decided to write this post). I miss some of the people I met while trying to make my life more complicated. But simple living works. Try it! If you want to…

 

 

 

Agreeing With God

I've had disagreements with my parents, my friends, my bosses, pastor, husband, and kids. But until today, I didn't realize that I've had disagreements with God, too. Sure I've had disappointments with God. I'll even admit to being peeved at Him. But I have never thought of them as disagreements.

Disappointments have to be grieved. I remember pitching the biggest fit when I was eight years old about not being able to stay overnight at the new farmhouse we'd purchased as planned. Fortunately, after many tears and a few weeks, I got over it.

Anger has to be soothed. My mother was a master at soothing my anger. She would pretend like I wasn't mad and would try to make me laugh. I almost always did.

I've always thought that heaven would provide me with the ultimate relief from my disappointment and anger. Perhaps I would be so distracted by the glories of heaven that I would forget all about the troubles I'd had on earth. Perhaps God's presence would be so soothing that I wouldn't feel hurt and angry about everything that went on before. But an email I got today from a Bible Question of the Week gave me a completely different perspective. The question the email answered was whether pets go to heaven. The we-don't-know answer was familiar to me, but the last sentence of the answer wasn't:

We do know that God is just and that when we get to heaven we will find ourselves in complete agreement with His decision on this issue, whatever it may be.

In our disagreements with others, we are doing well just to get beyond the disappointment and anger. I once had a serious disagreement with my husband. I am no longer disappointed and angry about it, but I still don't agree.

How different is our relationship with our Heavenly Father. Not only will He wipe away every tear; not only will He fill us with His joy, but we will find ourselves in complete agreement with Him. Every illness, trial, and unanswered prayer we've endured will evoke, "You were right." 

My husband can testify to the fact that those words seldom make their way from my lips! But knowing that they will one day be the words I use to praise our awesome God enables me to trust Him when my flesh cries out in disappointment in anger. May we be like Joseph who held no grudge against God for his unjust treatment:

But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good..." Genesis 50:19-20a

Church in a Waffle House Kind of Way

On Saturday morning, my 7-year-old son and I had breakfast at Waffle House so we could enjoy some special one-on-one time. I shared with him fond memories of my dad taking me out for a cinnamon roll on special Saturday mornings and asked him to imagine what is was like for me at his age having only one sibling, not five!

If you’ve never been to a Waffle House, allow me to describe it for you. It’s a tiny old-fashioned hash-slinger restaurant with booths and stools surround the grill and windows encapsulating it all. I haven’t been to this Waffle House in years, because until recently, there was very little I could eat there. Today I rejoiced that I could eat freely and enjoy my son’s company. Against my own advice, I expected as much. What I didn’t expect was to see everyone else at the Waffle House rejoicing, too.

As each new customer entered the restaurant, their name was called out as though everyone were thrilled that they had come. It reminded me of the cries of “Norm!” from the old TV sitcom, “Cheers.” Obviously, most of the people who walked in were regular customers. I noticed that some of them looked tired coming in from the parking lot, but were all smiles as they were greeted. The new faces were welcomed as enthusiastically as the old. One man came through the door carrying a bouquet of flowers. He gave them to a waitress wishing her a happy birthday. She hugged him and I was astonished to hear her not only thank the man, but to affirm him as always being generous and thoughtful. Everyone in the place appeared to be happy and I found myself wishing that I were a regular customer.

I wondered whether this scene will be replayed on Sunday morning. I was sure it would be. I had to ask myself why anyone would want to come to my church on Sunday mornings when they could come to the Waffle House?  Ouch.  I have many friends at church. I am greeted warmly at my church. But not in a Waffle House kind of way. And sadly, I must admit that I also do not greet others in a Waffle House kind of way.

I continued to wonder in the Waffle House. I wondered how many people walk into my church tired and leave tired, too. I wondered how many people have birthdays that aren’t acknowledged. I wondered how many people think their heavenly Father doesn’t love them in a Waffle House kind of way. But one thing I didn’t wonder is why more people don’t come to church on Sunday mornings.

As I wandered out of the Waffle House, I wondered what would happen if I began loving people at church in a Waffle House kind of way. I wondered what would happen if we all began loving people in a Waffle House kind of way. In that spirit, thanks for joining me here on my blog. You made my day!

How Do You Rate?

We are doing an excellent Bible study on Sunday mornings called, “When the Game’s Over, It All Goes Back in the Box.” The session this week was about score keeping. In a God-incidence, the teacher, John Ortberg, talked about the game of tennis being won in our minds.

This weekend I started getting nervous thinking about playing in the tennis league again today. I practiced serving over and over on Saturday and felt like I would be hopeless come Monday morning! I realized in Bible study that my problem is I never stop keeping score. I constantly compare myself to others and end up feeling like a superior winner or like an inferior loser.

I’m afraid I’m not alone in my score-keeping habit. My Facebook news list is more than halfway filled with people’s game scores. I started off making a list of all the ways we compete, but I can’t really think of any way we don’t? Can you?  It’s good-natured fun, but even when I scrapbook in a group, we compare how many pages we’ve completed! The problem with score-keeping is it feeds our pride, even if we suffer for comparison. The emphasis in competition is always on “me.”

This morning I was determined to be anxiety-free playing tennis. I was reassured reading an online article about the mental game of tennis that explained improvement. It seems we often expect tennis mastery to proceed in a linear fashion when like so many other things, it involves steps backward and plateaus. I also considered my thoughts about playing. I realized that the world wouldn’t come to an end if I double faulted every game. The ladies wouldn’t hate me because I would pull all their scores down equally. I also decided to have fun. After all, that’s why I had joined the league. Not so I could claim “best player of the league” status. Who would really care?

So how did I rate? I didn’t win any more games than I won last week, but I had so much more fun. I wasn’t nervous and noticed that no one else was serving with blazing speed. I also realized that I was a real boost to the other ladies’ egos. I’m sure it made the 81-year-old and the just-had-brain-surgery woman feel great that they could beat a younger gal like me.  At least I earned a bonus: a good old-fashioned dose of humility.

Philippians 2:3 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”

Are You an Organic Christian?

This summer I’ve spent a lot of time learning about nutrition and health. In the process, God has taught me some parallels between organic food and the Christian faith.

Not toxic. Truly organic produce has not been treated with pesticides. Chemicals that increase crop yield can also increase allergic responses, neurological symptoms, and cancer. Organic foods allow us to breathe easier. Are you that kind of mother, sister, daughter, friend or neighbor? Or do you give off fumes that give people fits? Negativity such as anger, gossip, and criticism are toxic to people around us. Like pesticides, the consequences of our sinfulness may not be readily apparent for years, but damage is being done. Galations 5:15 says, “If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.”

Not modified. Organic produce is not genetically modified. The protein makeup of corn, soy, and potatoes are typically changed to create products that are more appealing or profitable. The problem is that these foods may no longer be recognizable to our digestive tracts and will be ejected from our bodies in an unpleasant way. Are you still recognizable as a Christian? Or have you begun living in such a worldly way that no one would know? If we find ourselves adapting to suit the tastes of unbelievers, we may lose the essence of what makes us appealing to God. John 15:19 reads, “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world…”

No preservatives. Organic food does not rely on additives to keep it fresh for long periods. A longer shelf life is gained at the expense of good nutrition. A sufficient intake of vitamins and minerals can only be gained from fresh food. The increasing incidence of obesity belies the fact that adequate nourishment is lacking. Without adequate nourishment, we become ill. Are you salt, a natural preservative, to those who know you? Or are you more concerned with maintaining your own shelf-life? Like salt, we can encourage those we know to taste and see that the Lord is good. Or we can become dead in a faith devoid of good works. Matthew 5:13 tells us, "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.”

More valuable. If you know nothing else about organic food, you know it’s more expensive. Refusal to use artificial methods of increasing yields means a lower profit margin for organic farmers. Legal requirements are more stringent and distribution channels are fewer. So we must pay more for organic food. More and more people are willing to pay more because they value their health. However, the expectations for that produce are higher, too. We expect organic foods to be labeled honestly and to be produced with integrity. Are you living in a way worthy of the Christian label? Or are you living more like a cheap imitation? No matter how you answer the questions, there is cause for rejoicing. God finds you so valuable that He was willing to pay the ultimate price for you: His Son. 1 Corinthians 6:20 reminds us, “You were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”

Eating more organic foods may improve your physical health, but to improve your spiritual health, try living as an organic Christian.