| Guest Post by Brad Cathey |
“The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them.” Romans 14:3 (NIV)
About 25 years ago, we swapped steak for squash. So now’s a good time to ask if we have stuck to the squash. However, before I answer that, a few words about the immediate reaction of family and friends (remember, this was in a time when dietary restrictions like this were a bit odd).
For starters, our three children were not happy. In our Christmas letter that year, my son pleaded for someone to rescue him from this home without ham. Other family and friends had mixed reactions: concerned, confused, and even intimidated. They started with the common myths about if we were getting enough protein, or picturing us sitting in front of a plate of cooked carrots.
The intimidation factor often appeared when invited to someone’s home for dinner—they didn’t know what to feed us. I’m sure we missed invitations because of the dilemma we presented. And preordering vegetarian for a banquet or airplane meal (remember those?) was usually a disaster—steamed squash and buttered pasta. Convictions can be hard work.
I have to admit, in those first years we were just a tiny bit proud of our strict vegetarian stance, but this doesn’t ingratiate you to anyone. We eventually realized our lack of tolerance and adopted a more liberal view of the whole thing. Here’s the important shift in our thinking: instead of treating our dietary choices as a “religion,” we decided to soften it to a “lifestyle.” It immediately freed us up, and relaxed anyone trying to feed us.
This is an important distinction in today’s world of gluten-free, lactose-free, sugar-free, meat-free, palo, or vegan eaters. Granted, some people have to follow a strict diet, and sometimes changing one’s diet for a meal messes up your system. But these health reasons notwithstanding, it’s just not worth the angst to take such a binary stance.
So, where are we at today in our journey? We still prefer an ovo-lacto (eggs and dairy) vegetarian menu, but have added fish making us more truthfully “pescatarians.” Do we miss meat? Sure. Meat is naturally more savory and flavorful than plain vegetables, and much faster to prepare (vegetarian meals usually involve more work). And what’s Thanksgiving without turkey, or Christmas without ham, or Easter without lamb?
So now we try to extend grace to those in the kitchen as they have extended it to us. And we strive to do the same for all those around us who have chosen to eat differently than we do, whether omnivorously or strictly following the latest trend. We want to respect their choices as they have ours, and serve them faithfully from our kitchen as we gather to enjoy the true pleasure of coming to table—one another’s company—looking forward to that Heavenly banquet where it won’t matter what we’re eating.
Thank you Freelyfeast for allowing us to share our journey. Have us back for seconds.
What healthy lifestyle choices have I stuck to that have impacted me and those around me?
Our dietary choices can speak volumes about our lifestyle.