my passions

[I am sorry it has taken me so long to post. I had finals, then January came and went without much hurrah, but lots of wasted time! I decided it is time to have a blog post about something that has been weighing heavily on my mind lately. So, read on.]


This world has so many things going majorly wrong, so many people hurting with no sign of relief, starving with no hope for food, suffering with no answers, dying with no one to speak comfort. People kill the enemy, abuse the innocent, bully the weak, condemn the different, take advantage of the trusting, sell the desperate. People eat themselves to death while others starve to death. So many people are outcast from society and forgotten, left to struggle absolutely alone. This part of the world looks nothing like the kingdom of God.  

Every ounce of my being longs for the kingdom of God to be fully realized on earth. I long for Christ to pull together the broken pieces of this world and make everything whole and new. I want to hear delighted laughter in places formerly known for wailing and mourning; I want to see joy in the eyes and hearts of those whose lives were once run by sorrow. I want the sick to get out of bed and dance a jig, the dying to be filled with vigor and life. I want the lonely to have friends, the orphans to have family, the outcasts to have a warm welcome. I want the hungry to have their stomachs filled with goodness.  

Until Christ comes again, I am not left alone to protect myself from the evil in this world, clinging to a hope of a distant kingdom with no sorrows, for the kingdom of God is already here! In the midst of this evil, people choose to forgive the enemy instead of perpetuating hate. People come alongside people living in a nightmare instead of focusing on the self and indulging in the great comforts of life. People share their bounty with those who have empty pantries, empty stomachs, and empty wallets. People speak for those with no voice, cry with those who have unending tears, mourn with those whose sorrows never cease. People give up the pursuit of acquiring status, fame, and prosperity to instead pursue genuine relationships are the foundation of a deep-rooted peace that pervades every aspect of life. These people are bringing the kingdom of God to earth.  One day, Christ will return and will fully do away with all evil and death, but until then, people bring and live the kingdom of God that Jesus established while walking among us.  

As a follower of Christ and student of theology, I am seeking to find my role in bringing the kingdom. Around the world, there are innumerable organizations and people who, through their daily work, strive to make the world a more peaceful, safe, loving, and equal place, and, in doing so, bring the kingdom. I could work with organizations who build wells in villages to provide clean water; I could work to help bring women out of sex trafficking and provide them with more healthy, sustainable lifestyles. I could work with children in the foster care system here in the United States, or I could even go work in an orphanage in some third world country rampant with disease and starvation. I could work to educate illiterate children; I could work with children stuck in home situations involving drugs and alcohol. This list is just a tiny portion of a list overwhelming in size.  

All too often I have hoped for God to tell me what to do, saving me from the stress of discernment and direction. Maybe this telling would be a still, small voice inside, or maybe it would be a bold headline on the newspaper that moves my heart. Maybe it would be a feeling settling in my stomach, or a thump on the head with a voice shouting, "YO!! Why are you waiting?! I want to you go do [something] over [somewhere]!" All this time while I was (impatiently) waiting for my life's calling to fall in my lap, complete with instructions, I have been wishing it were something related to food.  

Last October, in an attempt to find the direction of my call, I wrote this in a notebook:
     I am passionate about the ethics of and surrounding food.
     I am passionate about care of creation, especially regarding biodynamic agriculture and  sustainability.
     I am passionate about shalom, a deep, life-pervading peace.

The other day, however, I realized something. If I am waiting for a small voice, a newspaper headline, a settling feeling, or a thump and a shout, I have already had that and more. Why have I been denying my passion for the ethics of food, care of creation, and shalom? Why have I not been actively seeking to bring the kingdom of God through the ways people eat?

When I think about it, the main reason is that I worry. I worry that people will accuse me of being a "liberal hippy" and refuse conversation. I worry that people will ask why I am wasting my theological training by studying composting and the life cycle of tomatoes. I worry that people will say that I am avoiding the hard work of holding the hand of a person dying from AIDS or explaining to parents why God allowed their 16 year old to be killed by a drunk driver. I worry that people will say I am more concerned about the life of a chicken than the life of the church. I am worried, essentially, that people will say that I have no understanding of the kingdom of God and of participation in the body of Christ.

I am tired of not pursuing the passions God has given me because I am concerned about what other people may or may not say or think. I am tired of seeking a "higher calling" when I already have a calling. I am tired of not bringing the kingdom because I'm waiting for affirmation from other people. Part of my worries are legitimate; not all people will understand my passions and my call. I have already had some people who refuse to talk with me because of certain life choices, others who question why I do not engage in real ministry by working in a soup kitchen. However, being concerned with the ethics of food brings the kingdom of God in a very real way. Let me nutshell.

Food is a central aspect of life. Ideally, we have three, maybe four,meals a day, with snack and coffee breaks in between. Our most important celebrations involve food; just think about the centrality of food for Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, and Birthdays (cake!), to name a few. Food is more than the calories it contains, for the food we eat nourishes our lives as a whole. For example, a shared meal with a good friend can energize the heart as much as the very food energizes the body. Since food is something that impacts our live multiple times every day, it seems to me that we should eat conscientiously, bringing the kingdom with every bite.

How can I bring the kingdom of God when I overindulge on dinner while my neighbor starves? How can I care for creation when I eat a burger that comes from the flesh of a tortured animal, or a salad that comes from chemical-ridden soil? How can I hope for a peace that pervades all aspects of my life when I refuse to let that peace extend to my meals? How can the church be the church when ignoring the history of the bread and wine on the Eucharistic table?

These are the questions that churn in the back of my mind from morning to night. I refuse to ignore them any more. I refuse to be so worried about rejection that I withhold participation in the kingdom; I refuse to be so caught up in justifying my call that I cease to pursue it. I am going to read all I can, learn all I can, and prepare all I can so that I share all I can and do all I can. I am going to follow the call of God to pursue a holistic, sustainable worldview that brings peace to the dinner table. I am going to share my passions with the people around me whose lives depend on food.

May the peace of Christ be with you today.
May you share peace through your eating.

Love,
Becky


p.s. If you are in Kansas City, a few of us are starting a book club to read Food and Faith: A Theology of Eating by Norma Wirzba. If you are interested, let me know!