Since I no longer have kids at home, my cooking and baking have gone from daily to rarely. I subscribe to a meal service that offers balanced nutrition with microwaveable convenience. Even still, there are nights I am too exhausted to open the freezer, much less wash a fork. Not properly eating leaves me more fatigued, and the cycle perpetuates. Recently my daughter came for a visit and opened my refrigerator. “Mom, you literally have two things in here – yogurt cups and Body Armor drinks. What are you eating?”
“Open the freezer,” I replied, not answering her question. Upon looking at the prepacked frozen meals, she let out a sigh. “It looks like the same amount that was in here last time. Are you eating?”
“Well, I renew for another month when I run low,” I said.
“That doesn’t answer my question. When was the last time you received a new order?”
I had forgotten how persistent my daughter could be; her clever question left me to tell the truth. “A couple of months ago.”
“So, you basically just answered my question: you don’t eat even though you have a freezer of food.”
A week later, my conversation with my daughter returned to mind as a holiday baking championship aired on television. My appetite for watching television is almost as poor as my desire to eat healthily at night. Both consume energy I would rather spend elsewhere, but the artistry of the baking challenge intrigued me. The finalists were creative and did not shy away from their bold, romantic, or eccentric style. Throughout the competition, I gradually became an armchair cheerleader (occasionally while eating a meal from the freezer).
The baking challenge that proved to be one of the most difficult for the contestants was making a Charlotte Royale, which featured thin slices of Swiss roll cake made in a dome shape and filled with a mousse or cream filling. One baker had exceptional artistry in her presentation, but once the cake was cut, the inside was not set, and it became a messy glob. In contrast, another baker’s cake looked sloppy in presentation but tasted flawless. The episode illustrated the adage, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” I thought about my empty refrigerator and packed freezer of untouched meals.
I wonder how many people are starving even though their cupboards are full? And how many are content regardless of the size of their portions?
We each probably know someone who swaps one toy for another, from cars and trucks to motorcycles, detailing each with the best packages. Yet, something inside them is not set or settled; they barely enjoy what their money has purchased before trading it in for something else. Others keep themselves busy, allowing little time to linger with their thoughts. They have a glorious life on social media, posting images of their latest vacation or concert. Yet, in their company, their eyes speak to a weariness born beyond the physical. Perhaps you know someone with all their goods and services lined up for display: they regularly attend church, give generously to causes, and appear at almost every community event. Their involvement and smile are paraded about town, but inside they are shrouded with shadows, hurting themselves with pride, jealousy, and contempt. These are a few examples of those whose cupboards are full but continue to have hunger pains: they have yet to acknowledge or receive what they truly need.
Then some have little desire to compare; they encourage others, even when they are going through a tough patch. They do not need to block their view with an abundance of material things as they would rather look kindly upon the artistry of God in blooms, sunsets, and the diversity of life itself. These are the people who create and share more than collect and clutter. They may have a stockpile of goods and services, but rarely is their generosity known as they give with a big heart and in a quiet manner. They do not need to appear at every event or be bestowed accolades; they know their worth is not based on their attendance or the opinions of others. They persevere, survive, and thrive by faith, grace, the Holy Spirit, and with the promises and light of Jesus Christ. These are a few examples of those who are content and satiated regardless of the size of their portions or worldly prosperity.
We live in a world where we have everything we want at our fingertips, yet we are out of touch with ourselves. Many have lost the ability to sit with themselves without being lonely or anxious. Others have lost their voice, choosing to go through the motions of familiarity in their relationships rather than speak of their unmet needs. And then some tire themselves digging for earthly treasures when they need not a shovel but a Savior.
Would you say you are content?
Name two things you feel are missing from your life.
What will you do today to draw nearer to Christ?
As we think upon these questions and our answers, may we ask God to show us what we need to put down, who we need to ask forgiveness from or forgive, and who we have pushed aside because we were stuck in our whirlwind of happenings.
Let us not neglect our blessings. May we relinquish our guises and burdens, coming as we are into the presence and refuge of God. In doing so, we will discover what many crave and all need: unconditional love.
Tiffany Kaye Chartier
SGLY, dear reader.
(Smile, God Loves You.)
Tiffany Kaye Chartier, Author 