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Few topics are of more interest today than diet. A shortage of food no longer seems to be an issue for most of us.

While millions in the world are on starvation’s row, our problem is given over to the things we chose to eat. There is something for everyone, but reading the labels is important. I started with the frozen foods section in the grocery store.

I found the Keto products, the Mediterranean Diet and others that have been on the market for a longer that were all presenting their claims. The makers featured packaging contents and the calorie count. Allergies are worthy of note, nuts and wheat being a problem for some people. I am thankful I grew up when peanut butter on a slice of bread was a treat.

These days bread and bread products appear to be anathema for the serious dieter. In its place are the mixtures of (mostly) fresh fruits and veggies, sometimes blended to form a special drink one can sip on the way to work. Not a “too bad idea,” just a question of where all this is leading us.

The kitchen table used to be the gathering place where everyone started the day, maybe with a prayer of thanksgiving, then with breakfast. The family got any necessary instructions, then at night heard their news of the day.

Family time today is different, and at a premium. We turn on the TV to get the news that is so often taken up with abrasive, angry or hostile talk — news about climate control and change, or the fast-rising debt neither we nor our children can afford and probably never be able to repay. One other item has to do with why we will need to have a car we cannot afford and that will run without fossil fuels that will have been decimated.

“What’s eating you?” may not have been the exact words brought to the table of the day, but they are notable because we sometimes need to carefully choose what we say when a coworker, a family member or close friend is having “a bad day.”

Choosing good and kind words will provide a diet for a healthier lifestyle.

The God of the Bible has invited us to his table. A “good breakfast” of spiritual food and hearing his instructions for the day will help prepare us for whatever is coming our way before going out in the morning. Scripture reminds us often to commit our way to the Lord. We can have a “bread and water diet” and be spiritually healthy, prepared for the harsh words and difficult people who may say and do things that disturb us. Jesus called himself the “bread of life and the water of life.” We partake of that bread and water when we spend time with him. Jesus also warned us about our need, but he has been ignored, often disbelieved and his promises repudiated.

There is a serious need today for a “climate” change in our attitude, and an appetite for truth as it is found biblically would help that a lot.

When we want God’s “diet plan” and desire to sit at the table of the only one who can satisfy the longing heart and “fill the hungry soul with good things” (Psalm 107:9) our confession will change from angry words and lamentable actions to what Jesus taught in Matthew 5-7 when he began his ministry.

Recognizing God’s blessings can change both our lives and the lives of all those who desire to sit at His “dinner table.” We may even find words of kindness instead of harsh words will make a better day for all concerned.

 

Myrtle V. Thompson, age 94, is a Suffolk resident, a writer, an author working on her third book, and is still learning wisdom and truth from Proverbs and the words of Jesus, (Matthew 5-7.)