Gotta Have Comfort

It is a strange thing when what you preach sticks you between the eyes and preaches back to you. I think somehow preacher assume that they can hide behind their pulpits or their nicely worded manuscripts believing that they don't have to listen to God for themselves. Because after all, they wrote the sermon anyway for the CONGREGATION. I have to say, I’ve already learned that this is an easy trap to fall into. And, I have found that churches rarely hold their preachers accountable for this. I haven’t found a congregation member yet who asks me about how the sermon I wrote affected me. (Will this ever happen?) Yet. . .

I have to say that the sermon I preached on March 12 at Calvary Baptist on the topic of gluttony is still lingering in around my mind. I got several comments from individuals and even my mother as I was preparing for the sermon to the affect of “What do YOU know about that?” They look at my skinny frame and think I must have it all together in the eating department. Well, I have to confess that’s not true.

In particular, I’ve thought a lot recently about how what I eat and drink is controlled by one word: comfort. I just have to say it: I love comfort foods. High on my list are all the foods 8 year old children love such as hamburgers, French fries, milkshakes, pizza, tacos, chocolate chip cookies (and of course the cookie dough) and ESPECIALLY chips and queso or guacamole… as my roommate Abby could tell you, I could eat Mexican any day of the week with a smile on my face. And if I haven’t had a Diet Coke by noon, I’m cranky. I’m sorry to disappoint those of you who think I had gourmet tastes (maybe this is why my first career move landed me in elementary school).

Now, I know that most of us have comfort foods in our lives. Maybe for you it is ice cream or grilled cheese and tomato soup. Maybe it is something your mom makes every time you go home. Recently I heard somewhere that French fries is atop America’s list of comfort foods (thanks Frank) which is why that most entrees these days at restaurants are served with fries. Even though fast food restaurants across America are including a side salad as an option for your value meal, I believe few people actually take the restaurant up on this (I mean who actually chooses lettuce over French fries?) Temptation to eat comfortably is everywhere!

You see, I think everything in our culture tells us to pacify our emotions with food. Have a bad day? Eat_____. Need a break from life? Come eat_______. Deserve a treat? Eat________. And it is so EASY to buy into. Food often times seems like an easy solution. It is a quick fix to the pains and issues that are often in our lives. Personally, it makes me feel good to eat comfortably (well, until the bloating sets in). And, isn’t feeling good all that matters anyway? Can’t we just wake up and forget that yesterday’s large dinner didn’t exist?

So, I am not going to end this blog by saying I have a new resolution to eat less junk food when I’m sad or stop cooking Mexican almost every night for dinner--- because I am not sure I’m up for that that. Hey, eating well is the joy of the single life… you shop for yourself and eat whatever you want—no one cares but you! There is no one to telling you that you can’t eat exactly what you like.

But, at least for now, I’m aware of the fact that a majority of my food choices are based out of comfort. It is troubling actually because it is so true. So, count me in with the rest of you, I’ve bought into what our culture says about the comfort of food! Yum. Yum.