I think one of the best parts of making chili is that I
don't really have to pay attention to get good results. Buy the list of things for the recipe, dump
into the crock pot, stir, and I'm done.
Delicious hot meal with 30 minutes of preparation time and 4-8 hours of cooking,
depending on what setting I use.
However, after several weeks of a 'chili diet' where I had a bowl of
chili everyday, 5-6 times a week (sometimes more), I became sick. Why in the world did I get sick? I was eating healthy, hot food that was easy
to make right?
The issue is not that chili is horrible for me, or that the
chili itself made me sick (I had a common cold). After much reflection, I realized however
that I had forgotten nutrition 101 - a stagnant diet misses out on nutrients
needed by the body to stay healthy. How
could I forget? So, I went back and
began to dig out recipes that created a substantially more varied diet. As I was reflecting on the needed ingredients, I realized why I had stopped cooking them: lots of fresh vegetables (which are
expensive), long prep times (cutting vegetables), and attention is required
while cooking (for the most part). It seems like so much work! Chili is so simple and easy...so quick! And it tastes just as good!
Therein lies the problem with quite a few things in life,
but also in our relationships with
Christ. Our relationship with Jesus
isn't always easy; nor is it quick (it's a process and takes time); it can be
simple and complex; it takes work. Yet
the easy path is not filling in any sense - we get sick from the stagnant diet,
the easy cooking and the same food. Our
lives with Jesus require that we change in dynamic ways; he calls us to a hard
road, but one that is ultimately filling and better for us.
Lesson in point: If our relationship with Jesus is always in
the crock pot and never requires our attention, we need look at our
relationship again.
Image from: http://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Crockpot-of-chili.jpg
