The Dietitian and the Farmer

Our daughter is a dietitian so her life revolves around food and many aspects regarding it.  Some of the aspects are how it is given, how it is received, nutrients that help in healing, strengthening and surviving and so much more. She makes sure that the food is safe and safely given. But most of all, that it is received.

There are the IV feedings, the tube feedings going directly into the stomach, the pureed, the soft food and no restriction diets.  One time she shared with me a lactation consultant’s instructions regarding a newborn and breast feeding.  They had said that the child will root and find its food source naturally.  That in their effort they enjoy it that much more and have a tendency to latch on better.  She told her that if a newborn is being “made” to eat, it is like shoving a hamburger into its face. 

A friend of mine that I admire very much raised a strong point and it caused me to consider his remark in this way of what is best received regarding one’s Christianity.  He had remarked that to him the example of a Christian in their being and actions spoke to him far more than one who professes their Christian faith.  He receives by their example. 

As he searches in understanding his own faith and where that lies, he is being shown much.  It is how he receives.  He is extremely intelligent and to tell him things is not how he receives.  He knows his level of what he has taught himself and learned on his own.  To hear others tell it to him is not how he receives.  He can take a knife and fork and cut his own steak.  He’s not going to have someone put it on a fork and then open his mouth for it.  Our son responds negatively when I put a piece of meat on his fork as he responds, “I can do it myself!” The people that I knew that liked my friend's comment regarding the preference for that kind of representation of faith are also people that share in his ability to learn and receive independently.

There are others that desire or need hand- feeding or are open to it when it comes to faith. Either they haven’t quite worked it out themselves or they are open to more and what others profess and the sharing helps them to gain or strengthens them.  There are those that can tolerate a variety of ways of being fed. 

Physically, I can feed myself, but at a nice restaurant, my husband will take a piece of what he ordered and feed me a bite on his fork so that I can taste it, too.  I receive it.  If my waiter did that to me, I’d probably turn my head away laughing.  If the waiter kept at it and I didn’t want it, I would probably become agitated.

Sometimes we receive better from people we know when it comes to professions of faith.  Sometimes we are so hungry and in need and don’t know how to get it that anyone that comes with a bit of guidance is hungrily received.  As ones who show their faith, we need to be considerate of the way people receive. 

The LORD feeds in different ways.  He knows how each one can receive.  When we look at the ways we do receive and see His hand in it, we know He knows us, too.  There is a Bible teacher that I can listen to time and again and I always take something in from her.  I know God uses her to reach me that way.

Some people receive from my writing and others don’t.  I know that God is using me for the ones that He knows receive this way.  I don’t get bent out of shape by the number of hits I have or don’t have.  It’s who He is drawing to this work.  It’s not about me, it’s about Him.  Surprisingly, I have noticed that 25% of the people reading my work lately are in Sweden.  I have no idea why.  Maybe they like this flavor or identify with me in the snow picture.

When I see the variety of denominations, pastors, T.V evangelists, volunteers, organizations and people in the name of Christianity purely serving, I see the varieties of the way He feeds.

My Mom grew up on a farm.  She saw the way that God feeds in different ways more so in her later years.  She had grown up thinking her denomination was the “it” way to heaven.  Then, she started to see the LORD as The Farmer.  The Farmer doesn’t feed the chickens the same way he feeds the cattle, or the sheep, or the hogs, or the young lamb whose mother was not feeding it.  Some grazed on their own, some had seed scattered about so they could pick and peck as they choose, some were given most everything at a trough and some were held and given a bottle of milk.  By reflecting on her denomination and the various denominations, she saw it as different ways of being fed. 

What I find universally is that most all religions find a need to make a sacrifice.  From tribes sacrificing children or virgins to those that put their best fruit in front of their idol, there are also people sacrificing themselves in a lifestyle of monk or nun. There is a belief that some sort of a sacrifice or offering needs to be made somehow because they have done wrong or are not up to the goodness of the one they are offering to or they want to give their very best to that one.

In Christianity there is so great a sacrifice made for all from the One we worship.  The sacrifice was made for everyone… the world. But as far as religions, only Christianity has that kind of God that is without ego, but will sacrifice and humble His state to be so personal and relational to come into our world with us and then be the sacrifice for us out of His love for us.  No other faith has that that I’m aware of.  No faith speaks of it prophetically coming and then fulfills it.  It is a life and blood sacrifice to make right and remove what we have as our knowing of our wrong and broken responses.  The knowledge between good and evil. 

The Blackberry Bush Course calls this, “Broken responses to impossible demands.” The course goes on to teach that as demands are placed on us, which are usually for our good, we can’t fulfill them and we respond in broken ways. “Don’t touch the stove, it’s hot. Be a good student”… don’t kick the ball in the house and the demands grow.  A response, “ I didn’t break the vase, it was my brother.”  We lie, or take or sneak or scheme or cover.  An early Bible example is Abel’s better sacrifice than Cain’s and Cain responded in a broken way by a demand that he didn’t meet. His broken response; he killed his brother.

 Only in God’s coming as Christ are we freed from this.  We need saving. How we receive that is the way He is going to feed us.  Some will by this writing, others won’t, some may have this as their appetizer, they who like it will take this and maybe offer it on a fork to someone they love. 

Sacrifice is the ultimate example of love.  A recent movie was released by Disney called, “Frozen.” It is largely themed on sacrifice and is a take on one of Hans Christian Andersen’s stories.  We gravitate towards this display of love.

 I know of a marriage that recently did not occur because each individual desired their own career path and had location needs.  Neither was willing to sacrifice their desire for the good of the other.  The love wasn’t there.  It is telling.  Love involves sacrifice and in Christ came sacrifice and love. 

John 15:12-15 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you

In this kind of love back to Christ we are willing to lay down our own ways for His ways.  To live a life that is like His.  In doing so, we need to present ourselves in a loving way and love one another.  Where Jesus spent most of His time keeping people in check was with the religious leaders and those who thought they were so good.

To love as He commands. 

How you show your faith or tell of  it will be the food for thought for another and maybe not for someone else, but God will present Himself in the way that they best receive through another or another way.  Be who you are, but be you through love and be sensitive and  loving to those who are fed in different ways.   

Psalm 34:8  Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!