Mmm Mmm Good
Food Cannot Satisfy The Goodness Our Soul Desires
by Eric Elkin
"Mmm, mmm, good. That's what Campbell’s Soup is, mmm, mmm good." Great commercials get stuck in your head. I haven't had a bowl of Campbell's soup in over a decade. However, If you asked for my first response to the word, goodness, I would sing the Campbell soup song.
My response is not due to a great marketing campaign. On a cold, rainy day, there is nothing better to eat than a bowl of steaming hot tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. It warms the soul with goodness. One of the joys of adulthood was taking charge of making the grilled cheese. Goodbye, you nasty factory produced slice of Kraft American Cheese. Hello, mild cheddar and muenster cheese combo.
The old can of Campbell tomato soup no longer cuts it for me. My tomato soup needs more flavor. I like it with some pepper, a touch of basil, and some parsley. If I am in the mood, a little heavy cream. The soup needs to be hot, so it melts the little dab of butter I put in it. Then I crush a whole bunch of Ritz crackers into the soup. I eat the soup with a spoon, but I also love dipping the sandwich in the bowl. Mmm, mmm, good.
The men's group in my church is on a quest to find the best burger in the Twin Cities. I have never asked what the criteria to be the best burger are. Then again, maybe you don't know what is best until you taste it. Whatever the standard, last month, I think I found it.
Peggy and I went out to a new restaurant. The menu had some really unique items on it. It included a fire-grilled cauliflower and something called bone marrow with bacon jam and toast. We sat next to the kitchen. It seemed like every plate leaving the kitchen was a burger. We asked our waiter about it, and she said, "We have a great burger." So we ordered it.
It was the best burger I have ever eaten. The funniest thing about it is I cannot tell you why. The taste was just outstanding. When I finished, I looked at Peg and said, "What do you think?" She said, "I think that was the best burger I've ever had." It was the kind of burger you cannot stop eating, but you want to savor every bite. It was outstanding.
I think food communicates goodness because so it involves so many of the senses. The aroma of freshly baked bread can trigger a hunger urge in even the most fed stomach. Great chefs pay attention to the color on the plate and the presentation. They know the eyes are part of the tasting process. Texture determines what we like or dislike more than people realize. All of these senses work together to unleash the full potential of the taste buds.
A little known fact. The really exceptional restaurants used to be concerned with the level of noise. They knew a loud atmosphere disturbed a persons' ability to taste the fullness of food. This no longer seems to be recognized.
There are several problems with the goodness of food. One, the joy of experiencing something delicious is not enduring. A great dinner maybe lasts two hours. Then, if food is the source of your happiness, eventually you will have health problems. The goodness our souls' desire cannot be satisfied with food.
A more enduring path is to live as children of light. Children of the light pause to see what is good in their life. They give thanks for the simplest expressions of it. Children of light find joy in a beautiful sunrise, the aroma of melting snow, and how that smell turns the mind to an expectation of coming Spring. They appreciate the tender caress of a hand or the attention of a friend listening to their deepest thoughts.
"Light produces fruit that consists of every sort of goodness, justice, and truth." Living in this light involves all the senses, but is grounded in gratitude. "Light" living allows darkness to drift away like a leaf blowing in the wind. Most of all, the longer you dwell within it, the more light becomes the norm. It can and will transform the soul in ways skeptics will never understand. So open up your heart to live your life as a child of light.
Click to read Ephesians 5: 8-14
Reflection Questions:
What food satisfies your sense of goodness?
How does this meal touch all of your senses?
How can light chase away darkness in your soul?
Where can you find light when you find yourself in darkness?