It's Not About Food

Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes." - Luke 12:22-23

I think for the first time ever I read this verse and instead of focusing on the "do not worry" part, I was really struck by the second half--life is more than food.

What percentage of your net pay goes to food? In my case, once I pay rent etc it feels like all I do is eat. And very likely that's somewhat true. But how sad is that? Do I need all of the food I buy? Do I need to get lunch from the food court? Could I possibly make some better choices on where I purchase my food? (The answers are no, no, and yes)

There is so much life out there to live. I think one of the reasons people worry so much--ok, one of the reasons I worry so much--is because I don't go out there and DO things. I wait for the world to come to me; apparently I'm eating while I do so.

Of course we have to eat, I mean God made us this way. But not everything out there needs to be eaten, just because you can buy it in a grocery store.

But there are things in life that can, and I believe should, be taken in: art, music, poetry, conversation, debate, challenges, exhilaration...

Some of these things cost money, but some of them are as easy as inviting a friend over to play cards and seeing where the conversation goes.

The body is indeed about more than food. It is the vehicle that allows us to interact with this world that God gave us, and with the other people on it. This body needs to be used, taken care of, and rested, not just fed. And the benefit to using the body to experience the world is that you will end up feeding your soul.