Fine Dining and Fast Food
The Lord ruleth me (He rules me as a shepherd): and I shall want nothing. He hath set me in a place of pasture. He hath brought me up, on the water of refreshment: He hath converted my soul. (Psalms 22:1-3)
Do you know anyone who eats in a hurry?
I do......me! I guess I have done it because my Dad did it. Also as a teen I lived with Mennonite families that had anywhere between 6 to 12 Children, mostly boys around the table. And so meal times were often frenzied. With 9 to 15 of us, (including me, and the parents), the kids would often be done before me and start eyeing my plate. "Are you going to eat that?"
I get the same feeling at restaurants when the busboy starts coming around again and again to see if I'm done yet. It makes me want to protect my plate and eat faster so I can finally say, "Yes, I'm done."
Several studies have shown that eating fast causes us to take in more calories and feel less satisfied after eating than eating slowly.
So why are we rushing? Is it possible because we live in a fast-food, fast-moving culture?
I have some one I know, (barely), that tells this story about his life:
“Having once been a shepherd myself, when my wife and I were younger, we had a sheep farm with sixty-eight females, two males, and a bunch of lambs, depending on the season.
Sometimes when I got home after working all day, I would go sit in the barn among the sheep for an hour or so, just listening to them. I was able to pick up on many things.
You see, because I was their shepherd, their needs were my concerns. I could tell if there was trouble simply by the tension in the air. If they were chewing too fast, quite often it was because there was a sick lamb in their midst. Or perhaps a snake or rat had gotten into the barn. I would then get up and start looking around and I would always discover the problem!”
Are you getting the picture?
- Christ is our Shepherd-
“I am the good shepherd.” (John 10:11)
- We are his sheep-
“We are his people and the sheep of his pasture.” ( Psalms 99:3)
- Christ our shepherd leads us in places where we can get the nutrition we need in our lives-
“He hath set me in a place of pasture. He hath brought me up, on the water of refreshment” ( Psalms 22:2)
So where is the pastures and the water of refreshments Christ leads us to in our lives? I would like to refer to three, all though there is probably more.
One is Prayer.
I believe with all my heart that if people would spend one hour in prayer a day we, just like sheep would grow. I am talking about one on one time with the Shepherd by praying the rosary, or praying the breviary or the prayers of the Church as well as our prayers in our own words. All these things can help us in our growth.
Two is scripture.
Get in the written word of God each day. One recommendation is the Proverbs. There is one Chapter for each day of the month including one for the 31st day of those months that have 31 days in it. Have a reading program that helps you read a Old Testament, Psalms, Proverbs, and New Testament reading. These are just suggestions.
Three are the lives of the Saints.
The breviary is a good place to read about the examples of those who have gone before us. Also there is tons of books that you can read about the Saints and how they dealt with everyday life.
Now I gave examples of pastures and refreshments Christ leads us to.
But the main point I want to make is this......Don't Eat so fast! Its a sign there is a problem.
There have been times that I hurried through the breviary so that I could get on with what I had to do that day. There have been times when I said the rosary like I was competing in a race. You would think I was an auctioneer I said it so fast.. When I “ate” fast I did not feel as satisfied and slowly I found myself not getting the “nutrition” I needed to live out the day in the way God would have me to do.
Like my friend, who use to be a Shepherd, would see his sheep eating fast, so Christ when he sees us doing the same thing, knows something is wrong. There is a “snake in the barn”, or one of his “sheep” is sick.
When you catch yourself “eating” to fast, by hurrying through your prayers or time with God as quickly as possible, STOP, SLOW DOWN. You know something is not right with in your heart. When you are rushing and want to get your time with the Lord over with, your sick, there is a snake crawling around in your heart.
So in conclusion
I want to say, enjoy the meal, savor it. Stop treating it like fast food . Because you will not find fine dining any where else like you have at the feet of Jesus.
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