Hungry for God: Biblical Reflections on FoodSample

Food is Life (Proverbs 12:10)

The generally bland translation of Prov. 12:10 is much better translated, ‘the righteous person knows the soul of their animals’. As I sit here writing I can see a joint of pork roasting in the oven and it comes from a pig that I knew personally. I collected it when it was old enough to leave its mother, I was involved in feeding and watering it and helped load it onto the trailer and take it to the abattoir when it was time for it to be killed. I talked through with the butcher how I wanted it cut up and now I am looking forward to eating it.

What a contrast that is to most of the meat that is eaten in much of the world today where the food system makes sure that there is only a thin relationship between animal and eater and the majority of meat comes from animals that have been kept (and often killed) in appalling conditions.

Food is, literally, life. It gives us what we need to grow and stay alive. And that life comes from others that give their lives for us, whether animals and fish (for those who eat meat) or plants, fruit, nuts and seeds. What humbling sacrifices are made for us in every mouthful of food we eat? And so it is vitally important that those lives given for us are lived in the best way possible.

Let us take the time to make sure our food comes from land, waters, farmers and workers who have themselves been nurtured and cared for in the process, either by growing and rearing it ourselves or by working hard to find out that information. In practice, where we are not producing it ourselves, that will mean sourcing our food from non-intensive systems, finding local outlets and avoiding the majority of the supermarkets.

Action: keep a note of what you eat today. How much do you know of where the different ingredients have come from? What one thing could you change?