Food Poisoning

My youngest son just celebrated his birthday.
He came home for the weekend so we could all be together.
We went out to dinner and enjoyed each other’s company.
Being a youth pastor, he needed to leave early Sunday morning.

He sent me a text later that day.
Funny story, the text began, I went out to dinner, came home, and got sick.
I was sick all through the night; I think it may have been food poisoning.
There is a stomach virus going around, but this happened immediately after eating.

He stayed home from work and was exhausted.
He slowly had to regain his strength.
It took a few days, but he is now back to himself again.
He may never know what it was that affected him so greatly.

Food poisoning.
For those that have ever experienced it, it is horrific.
Something that is supposed to sustain you makes you extremely ill instead.
Something you do not even give a second thought to, suddenly shuts you down completely.

What should be nourishment now becomes cause for concern.
A myriad of things could cause food poisoning.
Unwashed hands, under-cooked food, and raw meat are some culprits.
After that experience, you become even more diligent about what you put in your mouth.

When I took care of my aunt many years ago, she struggled with eating.
Her health was failing and eating was just not important to her.
She had heart issues and her diet was restricted.
She began asking for something very unusual to eat.

My aunt requested a pimento loaf sandwich.
She wanted her sandwich to be on cinnamon bread with mayonnaise.
She asked for sliced tomatoes on top.
She also wanted chocolate milk to go with it.

I couldn’t believe her request.
Except for the tomatoes, none of what she asked for would ever go into my mouth.
I called her doctor.
You won’t believe what I am going to say, he said, but give it to her if it will get her to eat.

I bought all the things she asked for and made her a specialty sandwich.
The lover of salad, vegetables, and organic food that I am, I struggled with her choices.
She seemed delighted when I put the sandwich in front of her.
She ate every bite.

As nutritionally poor as her choices were, they did get her to eat.
Eventually, she was weaned away from what was not good for her.
She was given a steady diet of good, nutritious food.
She began to want the unhealthy food less and less.

Food poisoning and poor food choices.
That is not only a restaurant and supermarket problem.
It happens in life as well.
We not only feed our bodies; we also feed our minds.

Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things. (Philippians 4:8)

It matters what we put into your body.
It matters even more what we put into your mind.
A steady diet of poor choices, with no nutritional value, will take its toll after a while.
Seeing images, hearing sound bites, and reading books with no moral center is unhealthy.

Everything has an effect on us from the food we eat to the things we see and hear.
The enemy is subtle in his deception.
He packages unhealthy things with flamboyance and finesse.
He makes it seem odd if you refuse to indulge in what will ultimately hurt you.

The doctor’s advice to me is heard in our culture as well.
At least she is reading, despite the fact that the book may be harmful to her.
At least he is not watching TV, even though his time on the computer is too frequent.
Filling our minds with the air brushed, the photo-shopped, and the anything goes.

It is difficult for parents to maneuver through the minefield of our culture.
But they must!
They must navigate based on the Word of God.
They must choose healthy, moral options for their children and themselves.

Pimento loaf sandwiches will only get you so far.
Unwashed hands and raw meat will poison what was meant to nourish.
Accepting the plethora of choices without supervision and monitoring is unwise.
Mental food poisoning is deadly to our culture and our families.

Anyone who chooses organic food must clean out the cupboards.
They must throw away the things that are bad to make room for the things that are good.
There is a bit of a withdrawal process when those things have been your steady diet.
Eventually, like my aunt, you will never even miss the things that were so bad for you.

Do not conform nay longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is, His good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)

Renew you mind with healthy, Godly choices.
Throw away what is harmful.
Cling to what is good. (Romans 12:9)
Find your sustenance in Him.