Food or Snacks?

"Come on, Victoria," I said encouragingly.  "It's time to eat supper."

I looked over at the table where I could see sweet corn and spaghetti resting in bowls.  Nearby, in its own separate bowl were some green beans.

(I think 50 percent of our garden's output this year was green beans and okra, but I digress)...

"Don't you want to eat some tasty food?"  I asked coaxingly.

"No!"  One thing about three year old children is that they are very black and white.  Victoria's statements are always very definitive and often punctuated by ear rending shrieks.  One appeared at this exact moment.  "I don't like food!  I like snacks!"

Eventually, after some encouragement, Victoria joined the rest of the Waldron clan at the table.  After prayer, we began to eat -- real food.

Victoria is quite honest.  While I suppose there is some argument about whether snacks are really food, there is no doubt that Victoria likes things in the snack category very well.  Unfortunately, when you research the "Healthy Plate" (which has apparently taken the place of the food pyramid) you don't find snacks mentioned.  There are Vegetables, Fruits, Healthy Protein and Whole Grains.  To the side sits a cup of water, but no snacks are to be found anywhere.

Three year olds everywhere are shocked.

The thing about snacks is that they aren't really intended to be main courses of meals.  Even if you bite the edges off of an oatmeal cream pie, it still isn't a square meal, not by any stretch of the imagination.

It feels to me as though many people want to experience spiritual things in terms of snacks.  Reading the Bible is too hard and so people get some books by Christian authors or just books about "spirituality" and read those instead.  They find going to church is too difficult and so they try to meditate a bit and pray for a couple of minutes on their way to work.

Any relationship takes effort and having one with God the Father is no different.  We need to speak with Him frequently and not just when Florence is coming to visit.

When the storm comes we find that we are weak and unable to stand in the hurricane.  This is simply because a life lived based on snacks is a life bound for weakness and vitamin deficiency.

It is only through a real connection with God that we can survive the hard things that await us in the future.

Let us eat real meals, not just snacks.