We've all heard the old adage, "You Are What You Eat."
While that statement isn't literally true, there is much truth to the fact that what we eat effects how we feel, it effects our health, and it effects our self image indirectly & for some of us directly.
I want to address 2 things in this post.
1) What we are feeding our families is leaving a legacy or creating habits in our children.
2)We have to be wary of allowing an extreme view of food to become an idol in our homes.
Habits are formed in our children, even without trying. What ever we do on a regular basis has potential for becoming a "habit" or legacy. For example, we juice and or make a smoothie with herbs, every day. Yep, everyday! When I first started this journey of juicing, it was hard to get over the work involved, cutting the veggies and fruit, cleaning the machine, and then there was the grocery bill (out the roof with organic yummies). But as we stuck with it, it just became part of our way of life, part of our schedule. It became a habit. Will my children do it when they grow up? Probably some of them, its hard to see now.
For some, eating fast food on a daily basis can be the habit. Others, might only make everything from scratch. Which ever applies to you, we all need to be aware that we are teaching our children by our example, what is acceptable and what attitudes towards food are acceptable.
We all need to be careful not to allow our dietary philosophies and conviction to become an idol. God warns us, in his good book against having idols and against disputing over things such as food, because it is not an eternal issue. Our diet should never prevent us from fellowship with others. When we teach our children we can only eat a certain way, and cater to that diet, they never learn how to be gracious and polite about "trying" and eating someone else's food... its a simple way to teach your child about having respect.
For example, we have a few kiddos with food intolerances, some more severe than others. There was a time when we needed to detox, so I was pretty strict about their diets, but within that time I also found how difficult it was to have fellowship (over meals) with people. Our commitment is to God, and to living healthy to treat our bodies as holy temples, so we can serve Him more actively.
"Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eater of meat..." Prov 23:20Here God likens gluttony to drunkenness... pretty serious.
"The one who keeps the law is a son with understanding, but a companion of gluttons shames his father." Prov. 28:7
"They have made me jealous with what is no god; they have provoked me to anger with their idols.So I will make them jealous with those who are no people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation." Deuteronomy 32:21
"Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that "all of us possess knowledge." This "knowledge" puffs up, but love builds up. " 1 Cor. 8:1
As parents the habits we are teaching our children in regards to food can create idols, even for them, so we need to be on guard. We don't want to leave a legacy of idols, do we. On the other hand, how we feed our children also creates healthy eating habits or well no awareness. When we don't teach awareness, and we may not even be eating unhealthy, really... that as well can lead to unhealthy habits.
The point is this, what are we teaching our children... is there a balance of healthy awareness and conviction not to be a glutton... but a careful sensitivity to not allowing judgementalism or idols to be bred in our childrens' hearts as well.
What we eat and Teach is accpetable to Eat Leaves a Legacy!
