Thursday: 12/27/07 --- The Joys of Eating

Tinsae is all about food. Like we expressed in an earlier post, we observed that Tinsae always made sure she had a cookie, cracker, or piece of bread in at least one of her hands. Even when asleep we would find a hand or two firmly secured onto a treasured bit of food…usually crushed.

It was interesting to watch what Tinsae would do if she had both hands loaded and then decided to get a drink from her sippy-cup. She couldn’t manage to pick up the cup with both hands full. How would she get a drink? I watched to see what she would do. Could she figure it out? I observed as Tinsae looked from one hand to the other and back to the cup in trying to assess a solution to the situation. I could see her little computer brain working. Then she realized the solution. It would require her to put down at least one of her cookies. What a dilemma! Could she part with the contents of one hand so that she could gain something else that she needed?

I know all the moms that are reading this are thinking… “You hold the cup for her idiot. What’s wrong with your little computer brain?” I promise this only happened once.

I’m happy to report that her little problem solving skills are right on track. She successfully negotiated the sippy-cup challenge and quenched her thirst. I guess I should have known her problem solving skills were on track after seeing her solve the Oreo cookie puzzle (see 12/8/07 post).

Let’s see… what else is there to tell you about her food antics. Oh yeah, she has the hearing of a robin hunting for a worm. Maybe she has a super power. I don’t know what to call it but she has the amazing ability to hear a bag crinkle across the room while sound asleep. To her, a crinkling bag only means one thing…food. We have tried to show her that this is not always case. One morning I was opening up a bag of coffee and she wanted to eat whatever was in the bag. I let her smell inside the bag but she was not deterred. I let her put her hand inside the bag and she tasted a bit of the coffee that stuck to her fingers… she wanted more. She truly is Ethiopian. Did you know that Ethiopians love to eat/drink their coffee with butter and salt in it instead of cream and sugar? How different is that?

The other day I was licking and sealing a stack of envelopes. I made the mistake of doing it in front of Tinsae. She thought the envelopes were something to eat. Tinsae thought she was missing out on something and wanted me to share. Don’t worry, I didn’t let her sample any envelopes.

But like I said, Tinsae is all about food…and for good reason given her life marked by disease and malnutrition. She regards food as something special like a gift. Her whole countenance lights up with smiles and laughs. She delights in every meal and some meals can last up to 2 hours. Maybe for her, every meal is a celebration of life.

Why am I so fascinated by watching her eat? Maybe it is because she delights so much in it. I’m sure I would delight and savor my food just as much if I was similarly deprived.

Is there a connection between the food for our bodies and food for our souls? We were created as both physical and spiritual beings. I believe God created food and our physical cravings to help us to understand that our souls need very similar nourishment. Scripture is ‘peppered’ (pun intended) with soul food. His Word encourages us to “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8). Actually God commands us to eat at His table. He wants us to “…feed on His faithfulness” (Psalm 37:3). Jesus also encouraged us to eat by reminding us that “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). He used the images of food to a people who did not always know when they would eat again.

Do you feed on His faithfulness? Do you regard God’s Word as a gift? Is every meal in His Word a celebration of eternal life? It seems that I try to satisfy my soul with a spiritual Happy Meal instead of the buffet of His faithfulness. I wish I had the same zeal for spiritual food as Tinsae does for the McDonald’s menu. Eating from God’s table is for my benefit! It is life giving sustenance that I must have. Otherwise, I will walk through life spiritually malnourished. Is that really living?

If only I could empty my hands of this world, I may be able to drink deeply from the endless sippy-cup that God has provided me… at least that’s what my little computer brain tells me. Can I empty my hands of this world? Or is that something God must help me with? Do I really want to hold onto the crumbs of this world when God wants me to experience the feast of His Word?

It’s funny how God can even use the image of a small child to help remind me of the true joys of eating. Has God used Tinsae in your life today? I pray that you too will feast regularly on God’s Word.

His love…is more than we can ever begin to imagine,

Bill & Michelle

P.S. Enjoy the eating video below.