Over the last year, for a multitude of reasons I’ll share in more detail later, I’ve begun to think of food as a spiritual issue.  Not in relation to quantity, although the New Testament isn’t shy about pointing out gluttony as a sin.  In my case, it’s more of a chemical composition issue.  I stopped cleaning with commercial products about a year ago, primarily because of adult-onset eczema on my hands and psoriasis on my legs.  Sorry for that un-lovely picture, but the absolute misery of my fingers cracking open after swiping a counter with cleaning wipes or using window cleaner meant something had to change.  I discovered the joys of a seemingly bottomless $2 jug of white vinegar, the power of steam, and the difference made by dye-free, fragrance-free laundry products.  It also took a lot of medical intervention, and after dozens of painful steroid shots in every tender, broken-out area of my legs, I have clear skin there, with my hands showing a lot of improvement. That’s ground I do NOT want to lose.

So what does that have to do with what I eat?   As I began to purge the artificially manufactured chemical compounds from my countertops, I started giving a closer look to food labels.  Long-story short, I feel conviction that I am not honoring God with the artificially manufactured chemical compounds that most purchased package food is filled with.  I have enough genetic doom and gloom hanging over me; I don’t need to help it along!  When God gave manna to the Israelites, it was exactly enough for that day, it wasn’t packaged, and it wasn’t meant to be hoarded for a later, easier preparation.  When Daniel refused the king’s dishes, faith and pure, simple food helped him thrive.

I’m sure not pointing a finger at anyone else’s pantry, but I’ve done a total purge of mine.  Actually, my husband did the purge yesterday, so I can do the refilling today.  That’s important, also.  I can’t do this on my own.  I’m not strong enough to give up some of the foods I love if someone right next to me is still eating them daily, but I’ve shared my concerns, conviction, and some very enlightening reading with J, and he is on board with me.  In his words “I’m a little scared of the food, but excited about how I’ll feel.”   Fair enough.  He has some of the same genetic gloom, and he is fully motivated to give it a shot.  For us, it’s not following a particular “ism”, it’s not crash dieting, and, while I am beginning by following the plan in The Blood Sugar Solution by Dr. Mark Hyman, it’s not chasing after a guru either.  It’s learning to submit my eating to the Lord, to pay attention when He is clearly putting tools and lessons in my path, and to serve Him inside and out.  So here we go!!