Did you know that hand washing didn’t start as a practice of just good hygiene? In biblical times, the ritual was more about spiritual sanitization rather than one of physical cleanliness. Germs were not known and so the spread of diseases didn’t directly correlate to lack of washing hands. It was a spiritual matter instead.
In today’s world, we have gone to the other extreme and have over-sanitized the world. I still try to convince Ashly that we need less sanitizer in our lives and more air freshener (with 4 boys and a dog)!!! But, now, we clean everything SOOOOO much…and STILL GET SICK. Still spread germs. Still die from infection.
And the concept of struggle that Jesus spoke to in Mark 7 is that people are too concerned with sanitizing their hands instead of being healthy, humble, and hospitable!
People were using religious activities, and the name of God, to carry out self-full acts and unwholesome lifestyles. The things that “went in” – religious activity and visible godly actions, aka spiritual sanitization – weren’t the problem. The problem, Jesus says, is the crap that comes out of a person that makes a person dirty.
Jesus showed up and talked about and lived a new way of life. This new way put the emphasis on the full flow-through of the grace of God.
In our culture today, the health food industry is a cluster of misconceptions and misleading labels. Companies know the buzz words to use and prey on the uniformed and ignorant. They call themselves ‘health foods’ but are full of processed ingredients and actually not explicitly healthy at all.
This is the spiritual problem that Jesus had with the people concerned about their hand washing rituals as well as cleaning of dishes.
Substituting all packaged ‘healthy foods’ doesn’t equate to a healthy lifestyle. We need REAL food and we need to look at everything else we consume as well. Jesus wanted his followers to know that real food in appropriate portions and is better than fake crap. And there is a lot more to a healthy lifestyle than just shopping at Whole Foods. How we spend our time, who we spend it with, and what we spend our money on determine a better picture of overall health.
We can listen to all the podcasts, embrace all the trends, smear all the oils, shop only organic sections, and still miss a wholistic life – the kind of life Jesus has for us and calls us to.
What goes in matters, it is a part of the equation, but all food makes a turd, we all still poop, and everyone’s doodoo stinks. But there is some science behind the correlation between a person’s gut health and nutrition as well as non-nutritional aspects such as rest, stress, and faith.
So, if you suffer from spiritual bubble guts, then maybe it’s time to look at the source of your nutrition. If you have been doing all the “right” things and regularly going to church, but there is still something missing, perhaps it is time to look at all the things being consumed, instead of just the hand washing.
Ask which flows out of your heart more: the desire to live for the LORD or just activities to keep guilt away.
Ask if you do things more to feel good than to please God.
Ask what is lacking in your wholeness journey.
Be still and know that God is Good. Taste and see his goodness.
#inandout
#stillmakingturds
#99Problems
#RestoringWholenessOfLife
Brett
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