The Art of Eating

“But I don’t want to eat it,” whispered my younger self to my dad who was sitting next to me. On my lap sat a bowl of the later branded ‘chicken poop soup’ in all its grotesque congealed glory. The chunks of chicken intestine were not cleaned, so paired with the cooked feces, it radiated a wretched odor.

“You have to,” dad whispered back, spooning some for himself. “It would be disrespectful not to eat it.”

We were eating lunch with a man who lived in the bush of South Sudan, and being fresh onto the field, we weren’t accustomed to the local traditions, or the food. We had walked down a long, mostly uninhabited trail to reach his hut. Chickens, pigs, geese, and dogs ran around the barren ground surrounding the plastered mud hut, and we sat among the chaos with our host. My brothers Joshua and Elijah were also eyeing their soup warily.

The Ingredients Matter

I didn’t catch the deeper lesson in the soup incident at such an early age. Christ talked about the blind faith of children, and it specifically applies to us Christians as well. I ate the soup out of obedience to my father, and only now years later realize what it had taught me. We don’t know what God’s plan is, but we follow what he tells us via His word and the Holy Spirit.

We as Christians walk by faith, and it is God who places us where we are. You could be sick, a student, waiting for the virus to end, or a kid who has to eat poop soup. God placed you there in that moment, whatever it may be. Paul says in Colossians 3:17 that whatever we do and wherever we are placed, we must do our best for Christ, and we need to give thanks to God for it! He will give us peace to do the work He has for us, wherever it is.

Often, we must do things we don’t want to do. Especially as Christians, it is a constant struggle with our flesh over what needs to be done, no matter how hard it is, and what you want to do; such as pour out the soup.

At times, the hardships are damaging. A loved one may have died, or you lost some friends because you stood up for what was right, but you still have to stick through it. Keeping a positive outlook on it is important as well. If we never had trials, then we would never grow in our relationship with Christ or discover His ultimate purpose for us.

God doesn’t call us to do easy things. He uses trials and hardships to grow us and asks us to lay our lives on the line for Him daily. Philippians 1:29 says, “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake…” (KJV)

In 2 Corinthians 5:15, Paul reinforces what he says in Philippians, “and that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.”

Countless Spoonfuls Later

I learned that day with the soup not only what I could force past my gag reflex, but also that we must eat the chicken poop soup so to speak, even through tears, and do the hard thing.

We are not perfect, but as Christians we are supposed to give glory to God. And even though these hardships are tough, they are meant to grow us, and that is how we grow in Christ. James 1:2-4 says, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”

Even though I ate the soup, that doesn’t mean I enjoyed it. Even now, picking countless bugs from my plate is a daily occurrence. When Christ came down, He asked God to remove the burden from Him. But after being denied, He said, “… nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” (Mat 26:39) Our response to life, wherever you are and whatever you are doing, should be this: Not our will be done, but the Father’s.

“Strive to choose, not that which is easiest, but that which is most difficult. Do not deprive your soul of the agility which it needs to mount up to Him.”

– Saint John of the Cross