The Perfect Food? (Angel in the Kitchen)

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Honey is often called “the perfect food.” We agree that it’s a natural food, created by cute lil’ honeybees, and it’s a healthier sweetener than processed sugar; however, it’s far from perfect. If it were perfect, it wouldn’t be fattening or promote tooth decay. Yes, we probably sound like a couple of grinches, but we want to make a valid point: there are no perfect foods!

Warning: These drinks can be hazardous — Brain Freeze!

Every food and every dish has a downside that can be a bummer if we allow it. At the core of that delicious apple a day is a seed-filled fibrous mass that’s not very appetizing. Oranges have thick peels, string beans are … well, stringy. Succulent crab legs have shells hard enough to crack your knuckles. Those absolutely divine Mocha MooLattes from DQ can induce a severe brain freeze that’ll make your eyeballs pop out; and eating pistachios causes sore thumbnails! (We’ll leave you to figure out that one for yourselves.)

And if there’s a food that’s light, airy, soft and sinfully sweet, such as cinnamon rolls, it’s also bad for your heart, arteries, and waistline. Yes, we need to exercise self-control, eat certain foods in moderation, and deal with the downside of various nutritional items. But indeed, upon closer scrutiny and analysis, there are definite drawbacks to everything we consume. (Did you know you can drink too much water? Too much water can flood tissues and flush out beneficial electrolytes.)

Lady, you’ll be the death of me!

Now, most of us don’t go through life begrudging meals because they’re imperfect. We’re not constantly dissing fruit because we have to peel it, or cursing Little Debbie because those Swiss Cake Rolls are hardening our arteries. No, we understand there are a few cons to go along with all the pros; we know that food is delicious and nutritious, and rarely think of it as being imperfect — and yet, it is. NO FOOD IS PERFECT.

Life is like food: nothing in life is perfect, not the weather, your job, your boss, or the commute to work; not your spouse, your friend, your child, or your pastor. Face it, on this great big blue marble we call earth, there’s very little perfection, because none of us — allow us to repeat — not a single one of us, is perfect. It’s a simple fact of life. What’s important is how we view and handle our imperfect jobs, friends, family, etc. Do we get all bent out of shape over fruit that’s nutritious but has to be peeled and pitted? Do we get disgusted with foods that are delicious but fattening. No, we generally take the good while overlooking the bad. And we adjust our expectations.

Poor elephant. No one explained that when you start eating pistachios it’s awful hard to stop.

By now, someone’s got to be thinking, “Yeah, but I expect more from life and people than I do from food!” And therein lies the problem: life and people are not perfect, but we often expect them to be! Unfortunately, when our expectations are too high, we’re in for one huge disappointment after another. Sooner or later, your friends and family, your pastor or your boss will let you down. It’s one of the cold hard facts of life. And the greater your expectations, the greater your disappointment will be.

So, what’s the solution? First: Keep your lofty expectations and always hope for the best — but don’t put your expectations on people. Instead, put your expectations on God. HE is perfect, and He’ll never disappoint you. When you focus on HIS perfection, HIS faithfulness, HIS love, HIS care, HIS provision … everything else in life, no matter how imperfect, suddenly becomes a lot more palatable.

“Upon God alone, O my soul, rest peacefully; for my expectation is from Him.” (Psalm 62:5 Darby Bible)

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