I know…it’s been a while since I’ve written a
blog post, but it’s a new year and a new season in my life and I hope to
practice my writing discipline on a regular basis.
One thing the Lord has been working through me is
regarding my palate. Did you know, what we eat in our childhood determines our
default palate and this default palate determines our cravings? I was raised on
sugar. Lots and lots of sugar. There was sugar in our cereal, the donuts we ate
every weekend and the processed food we set at our table. My father also owned
a vending machine business, so you know what that meant? A refrigerated truck
filled with chocolate and candy. I was the envy of all my friends and neighbors.
I was raised in the 60’s and 70’s when we didn’t
know the damage sugar could do to our bodies. I wasn’t really aware how this
palate has slowly destroyed my colon and led to years battling with Irritable
Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Decades of not being able to digest food properly has led
to doctor hopping, supplement experiments, and just general ill-health. I
didn’t notice it right away. It was a slow, gradual decline; kind of like
putting a frog in a pot of water and turning on the heat. The frog doesn’t
notice the heat gradually increasing until death is eminent.
It wasn’t until I was diagnosed with food
allergies (one of them being sugar) and put on a specialized diet did I
remember what it felt like to be whole again. My body came back in alignment
with God’s original plan for my health. I also noticed I didn’t crave sugar any
longer and my palate changed the longer I maintained healthy choices.
Then came Christmas. Adult children, Christmas
cookies (did I mention I was allergic to sugar?), baking, holiday pot lucks at
work, more Christmas cookies…you get the picture. My health went on a steady
decline and I didn’t notice until two months later that I was back at square
one (remember our frog?).
In God’s infinite wisdom, or sense of humor, He
created us a triune being. So if our physical palate is determined by what we
eat, our spiritual palate is determined by what we feed our spirit. What
affects us physically is also an indication of what affects us spiritually. Are
we in the Word? In His presence? Are we staying away from sinful or unhealthy
lifestyles and decisions that taint our spiritual palate?
Our palate guides decisions, physical and
spiritual, propelling us away from
spiritual or physical health, or toward
it. When my physical palate craves sugar and carbs, and I submit to those
cravings, my body reacts with poor digestion, inflammation, pain, and malaise.
When my spiritual palate feels lazy, and I submit
to what it craves, adopting old sinful or unhealthy habits, it also, will
respond with malaise, indifference, and a slow, steady decline until spiritual
death is eminent.
In Proverbs 3:7-8, it says “Do not be wise in
your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your
flesh and strength to your bones.”
We can
change our palate and what we crave - body, soul and spirit.
