When I
was a little girl, I used to love reading a poem about "Miss T." The
recurring line was this: "Whatever Miss T eats/Turns into Miss
T!" (Walter de la Mare).
I am still amazed by the idea that all the toast and broccoli and peanut butter I put into my mouth becomes my own skin and hair and freckles. It's an amazing design of God that uses the nutrients in food to fuel our cells and give energy to our steps. I have a habit of reviewing my daily food intake as I get ready for bed at night. I like to have a balance of foods and prefer to eat mostly plants. This daily review helps me keep mental tabs on myself.
It occurred to me recently that the common metaphor for God's word as food makes this old saying relevant to my spiritual life as well. I'll bet I'm not the only one who has found a morsel of scripture or a tidbit from a sermon coming to mind at just the right moment. On more times than I can count, a hymn or praise song has run through my mind and out my mouth, bringing unexpected joy and comfort. Obviously, if I had not taken in these words and songs, they wouldn't have been available when I needed them.
It's not a new concept at all, but that doesn't make it any less powerful. Paul's admonition to "be transformed by the renewing of [my] mind" (Romans 12:1 ) means that I need to find a way to get the good stuff into my head for that transformation to happen. Someone has said that people are like tea bags; when we get into hot water, our true nature is revealed. I want my response to stress to be godly, so I need to be consuming godly material.
As Amy has pointed out for us recently, taking care of the body gets a lot of attention these days--and certainly that's not all bad. But if my concern for toast and peanut butter outweighs my concern for Psalms and Romans, I have bigger problems than an unbalanced diet.
I am still amazed by the idea that all the toast and broccoli and peanut butter I put into my mouth becomes my own skin and hair and freckles. It's an amazing design of God that uses the nutrients in food to fuel our cells and give energy to our steps. I have a habit of reviewing my daily food intake as I get ready for bed at night. I like to have a balance of foods and prefer to eat mostly plants. This daily review helps me keep mental tabs on myself.
It occurred to me recently that the common metaphor for God's word as food makes this old saying relevant to my spiritual life as well. I'll bet I'm not the only one who has found a morsel of scripture or a tidbit from a sermon coming to mind at just the right moment. On more times than I can count, a hymn or praise song has run through my mind and out my mouth, bringing unexpected joy and comfort. Obviously, if I had not taken in these words and songs, they wouldn't have been available when I needed them.
It's not a new concept at all, but that doesn't make it any less powerful. Paul's admonition to "be transformed by the renewing of [my] mind" (Romans 12:1 ) means that I need to find a way to get the good stuff into my head for that transformation to happen. Someone has said that people are like tea bags; when we get into hot water, our true nature is revealed. I want my response to stress to be godly, so I need to be consuming godly material.
As Amy has pointed out for us recently, taking care of the body gets a lot of attention these days--and certainly that's not all bad. But if my concern for toast and peanut butter outweighs my concern for Psalms and Romans, I have bigger problems than an unbalanced diet.
--Sherry
Poff
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