Put Down the Fork and Step Away from the Table

by Texas Stready

As long as I can remember the holidays have been spectacular events in our home. It wasn’t till I had my own children that I realized how much work’s involved. You see I was born to a family that’s serious about food.

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of dining in my mother’s or one of my siblings’ homes, you’ve tasted this tradition. Yum!

In case you don’t get it, let me inform you, food doesn’t have legs and platters lack wings. This means preparation is mandatory.

Savor The Flavor

Got grace all over the place. As Kings’ Kids, we all do. Trouble is we have no clue how to enjoy it. Approval and support are served to us in daily proportions and even on a silver platter, but they’re far more than hors d’oeuvres. Favor is no menial snack, it’s a banquet.

Been around church my whole life. Started Indian style on the floor, moved up to pews, and on to the present day padded chair. Shifted from cute children’s songs, to hymns, then leapt with both feet into Praise and Worship.

All the while loving God, but lacking action. I just sat around with my mouth hanging open waiting to be spoon fed. Although the truth was going in, I hardly even tasted it, and never got to enjoy the benefits. It took monumental displays of grace for me to begin to appreciate not only it’s flavor but how desperately I needed it to live.

Recognize Your Responsibility

I’d felt God’s presence but the personal power part seemed to elude me. Why’s that? Just like Thanksgiving dinner, I took no personal responsibility in the matter of preparation. All I wanted to do was enjoy the feast.

James 2:18-25 says:

Do you think that just believing there’s one God is going to get you anywhere? The demons believe that, too, and it terrifies them! The fact is, faith has to show itself through works performed in faith. If you don’t recognize that, then you’re an empty soul.

And that’s exactly what I was, a miserable, selfish, pinhead. (i.e. empty soul).

What Does the Scale Say

Pigging out at the party takes us to a painful and lazy destination, while not enjoying the celebration leaves us starving and malnourished. I do not believe that God has called us to a life of balance, rather one of total dependence. However, it’s foolish not to keep ourselves in check.

Stay in spiritual shape

• Exercise your ability to hear from God by stepping out in faith
• Use God’s designated resources to accomplish your goals
• Interact with like-minded people to keep yourself challenged

These things help us tap into God’s power and provision. Finding a place of peace in the middle of messy circumstance is a great start (kinda like yoga), but that’s not where it ends. It is vitally important that we do the work of living right, in spite of our achy heart or lack of stamina.

There’s always work to be done, and wasted time only lengthens the process. One of the keys to acceleration without exhaustion is to learn to listen to your spirit man. Once you become fully in touch with who you’re called to be, and what that looks like, it becomes easy to enjoy the process in spite of the labor. Doing the work it takes to stay in spiritual shape gives you the power to put down the fork and step away from the table.