Many years ago, while Dee and I were in the early years of our marriage (we recently passed our 40th), we had a series of discussions over many weeks. The topic related to grocery shopping, food preparation, and what we select for our meals and snacks. We discussed the merit and value of many commonly purchased items and our perceptions of how these items would affect our health.
Ultimately, the big question was this: Butter or margarine?
These were the days of heavy television advertising for products such as Chiffon – a plant-based ‘spread’ used as an alternative to butter. If you’re of a certain age, you might remember the little sing-song jingle: “If you think it’s butter, but it’s not! It’s Chiffon.” Or you might recall a pleasant-looking lady with the smile that suddenly contorted into a grimace as she strongly stated, “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature” accompanied by thunder and the flash of lightning. It was all designed with a clever public relations technique to change the mindset of the American public away from high quality real food and toward consuming something entirely different.
Chiffon was manufactured from hydrogenated Cottonseed oil (!) and the long-term adverse effects of this unnatural, semi-food product likely contributed to increased levels of heart disease due to heavy amounts of trans fats and the raising of LDL (bad cholesterol).
Dee and I discussed the choice of butter or margarine, weighing the merits of one over the other. Most people would consider this to be rather mundane conversation, but it was important. We ultimately arrived at a decision that changed our entire outlook on what we allow into our lives and in particular what we allow into our bodies. We chose butter.
Many would ask, “So what?” Yet I say with absolute certainty that as each person considers the facts and weighs the evidence, that this decision could make a great difference in one’s health and length of life. Dee and I elected to go with a more natural way of eating. Butter has been produced for thousands of years and is much more natural than the processed material that passes as a ‘spread’ used in place of what God has provided for our use.
This decision became an ongoing journey of continual improvement in what Dee and I eat and drink, along with the products that we use around the home. We trust in God’s provision and strive as much as possible to only take in and use wholesome, natural ingredients.
Think about this in relation to all that’s happening in our world and our society today. What decisions are you making regarding what to allow into your body? The only earthly body you will ever have! Will you trust in the man-made products that might provide immediate satisfaction, but could have adverse affects over time? Or will you trust in God’s own provision through the wonders of natural resistance?
There’s plenty of application here, but we no longer face the gentle comedic pressure of a mildly entertaining television commercial. Instead, we find ourselves being coerced and even forced into one of two camps. Take or not take. Accept or reject. Risk your health or risk your livelihood. Keep a friend or lose a friend. Enjoy a relationship or become a social outcast.
Consider carefully. Consider wisely. As I have often stated…
Watch and Listen, Analyze and Evaluate, Come to Sound Conclusions.
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.
~ Proverbs 3:5-6
© Jeffery J. Michaels / Plain English Publications 2021
(Quotations allowed with attribution to this blog)