You are what you eat
We keep reading about the pollution of the oceans. About huge amounts of plastic floating around in it. Some time ago, a dead sperm whale was found off the Philippines with no less than 40 kg of plastic waste in its stomach! Many animals die because they have our waste in their stomachs or around their necks. Or because habitats are destroyed by human waste.
For us humans it is the same with garbage. I don’t know how you eat, but it’s the same for me: salad would be healthy, but a curry sausage with chips just tastes delicious. I actually like carrots, but chocolate tastes just better. Fresh water is actually the best drink, but an ice-cold cola…
Fast food, sweets, ready-made products, salted peanuts and so on often taste very good to us, are convenient to eat and sugar makes us happy. On the other hand, we know exactly – even without Nutri-Score – what is good for our body and what is not. And these things are not.
Many of us pay close attention to our diet. Count calories, eat balanced, vegetarian, vegan, pay attention to organic products in the supermarket or buy directly from the farmer. A whole industry has formed around the topics of food, drink, diets, nutrition plans and makes great sales. Each magazine brings diet tips and chamfering plans, the Internet is full of it. Someone is constantly discovering a new “superfood.” Many studies are made. Sometimes I think to myself: if I paid attention to eating all that is recommended, I would be pretty fat two days… but anyway.
What do we fill ourselves with?
What we fill ourselves with is the big question. Are we really getting full or is it just a full stomach? Either it is good for us or not. It is the same with our soul. What spiritual food do we eat? That is, what kind of books or news do we read? What kind of movies do we watch? What kind of music do we listen to? What kind of people do we surround ourselves with?
All these spiritual nutrients have an influence on our thinking, on our feelings and on our soul. Some more, some less. For example, there are TV series that I don’t watch because I notice that they don’t do me any good. That I then sleep badly or feel unwell. Or if you always surround yourself with gloomy things, you will also become more and more gloomy inside. If you constantly listen to horror stories about Corona, for example, you will eventually become afraid of it yourself. Or if you let your thoughts constantly circle around bad topics like accidents, death, illnesses. It’s not for nothing that there are emergency chaplains in the fire department…
Not from bread alone
What is good for our soul is the Word of God: the Bible. It builds us up, makes us think, shows us the way. Through His Word flows a power. Jesus said:
‘Man does not live by bread alone, but by everything God promises him!
Matthew 4:4
His Word is the mental/spiritual nourishment that we need daily. That is really good for us. There are so many verses in the Bible that encourage us, that speak into our lives and specific situations. Written down thousands of years ago by people by God inspired, yet relevant every day.
It is important that we cleanse our thoughts from time to time. We may bring everything that burdens us to Jesus, who will set us free from it if we ask for it. Such a purification cure is necessary again and again, so that our soul remains healthy. We literally dispose of our thought garbage and no longer have to worry about it. Even if recycling is useful in many cases – not here 😉.
Your word was my food as often as I received it, and your word is my heart’s joy and comfort; for I am called by your name, O LORD God of Sabaoth.
Jeremiah 15:16
Be blessed!
