So what are some proper attitudes toward food? Here are my suggestions:
- Thankfulness toward God: I think this needs to be present every time we eat. I also think this goes beyond merely saying “Thank you for this food” at the beginning of a meal. I know that we won’t be conscious of God every time we take a bite (though that would be a nice goal), but we should be aware that everything that we have received is because of him.
- Thankfulness to those who made it possible for us to eat: This can be the one who cooked the food. Or set the table. Or gave us the job to earn the money to buy the food. Or any of a number of people. Our primary gratitude is to God, but we should also be thankful for the people in our lives.
- Awareness of what we’re eating: I’m a terribly fast eater. It’s a bad habit that I’d like to overcome. I want to learn to taste what I’m eating. To think about the flavors that God put in the food. I want to learn to savor and enjoy food, not because of quantity but because of what it is.
- Awareness of who we’re eating with: This goes back to Tuesday’s blog. We need to recognize the significance of eating with other people. And we do this by being aware of them as we eat.
- Awareness of those that lack: That’s one’s tough, and it might even cut into my enjoyment a bit. Hopefully it will curb my overeating a bit! I live in a country with an abundance of food, both in quantity and variety. Many would love to have either of those, let alone both. As I eat thankfully and thoughtfully, may I be aware of those who go without.
Those are my top five. Any comments on those? What would you add?