Zechariah 7:6

And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves?

Verse Reflections:  For much of my life, I’ve been overly aware of the expectation of others when I eat or drink.  I notice the wine someone thoughtfully brought, the meal someone labored over, the dessert made from a cherished family recipe. Growing up in the South, food is more than sustenance, it is an expression of love, identity and hospitality.  We are often defined by the foods we cook or bring to the party.  We are taught that being gracious means trying every dish and offering praise because the cooks are watching and hoping for approval.  But now, things are different, I am older. My body has changed. I’m dancing on the edge of diabetes and I have to change my entire mindset.  I cannot taste all the casseroles and all the deserts.   This verse reminds me that my eating and drinking must be rooted in a different kind of awareness: not of others, but of God and the body He’s entrusted to me.  I need to treasure my health first.  That means learning to say no- even to Susan’s buttery homemade rolls or Dianna’s grandmother’s legendary pound cake.  And that is okay. Their world does not revolve around whether I take a bite, but my world does revolve around the choices I make. God is showing me a new way, a way of strength and wisdom. I must be brave enough to honor the long-term goal: to be healthy, whole, and faithful to the body God gave me. In this, He will guide me one plate, one bite, one decision at a time. Today we will choose the delicious foods that God created, for ourselves.

Prayer:  Thank You Father for the reminder that I must be true to myself first.  You know this goes against all that I have been taught in the Southern lifestyle.  I will truly have to adjust my thoughts, my developed instinct of having a piece of everyone’s dish they worked so hard on.  Give me this verse in my heart when I reach for the serving.  I know how to be healthy.  Now help me take it to the next level of not thinking of others when I make the choices that are best for my own singular health.  I do not have to have a glass of wine every time others are.  I do not have to have a piece of the cake that was made for the event.  But God, I need Your help to implement this plan, this verse.  Help me to eat and drink for myself, for my health and dedicate it to Your glory.