Cabbage and Peas

January 1, 2012


"Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need." Matthew 6:33

I despise cooked cabbage and black-eyed peas. Just thinking about the bitter flavor of the greens and the pasty texture of the peas causes my tongue to twist in disgust. Legend has it that if eaten on New Years Day a serving of black-eyed peas will bring good luck and a spoon-full of cabbage will deliver prosperity. Such a feast is the one tradition I dread most about ringing in the new year. As I contemplated my New Years Day fate I began to question the torturous meal. I'm all for tradition--after all, my husband and I both graduated from Texas A&M University, a school most known for tradition. But when tradition turns to trouble for my taste-buds it's time to reconsider the truth.

The Bible tells us how to prosper (and there's no eating involved). Joshua 1:8 reads, "Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night
so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will
you prosper and succeed in all you do." We are to feed not on lettuce leaves but on the Word of God.

And who needs luck when we have a Sovereign God who promises to be with us and to protect us wherever we go (Genesis 28:15)? God watched us as we were being formed in utter seclusion, as we were woven together in the dark of the womb. He saw us before we were born. Every day of our lives was recorded in His book. Every moment laid out before a single day had passed (Psalm 139:15-16). God promises to work all things for our good (Romans 8:28) and for His glory (Romans 11:36) . . . if we let Him. I'll take a heaping spoonful of the Prince of Peace over a plate of peas any day.

Those of us who choose to buck the system by refusing to eat our cabbage and peas won't fare any differently than those who choke down their lentils and veggies on New Years Day. The secret to a good year isn't found in what you eat on the first day of the year but in what you choose to indulge yourself each day of the coming year.

Tired of cabbage and peas? Maybe its time to consider attending a different type of feast. In 2012 I invite you to join me as we seek to fill ourselves on the very Bread of Life.