Organic

We are going organic at my house as much as possible. We haven't become health nuts by any stretch of the imagination but I am trying to buy organic on the food items that we eat on a regular basis. We are not going to be one of those families that will ONLY eat organic foods for a couple of reasons. The first being- it's just too hard. It's enough of a challenge to plan meals around sports, school, and diabetes- if I narrow my options down to organic only- there would be some hungry people in my house! The second reason is less of a reason and more of a person- Halle Meghan.

Halle is my 9 year old and she is full of sass. Not the disrespectful sass but the I-know-exactly-who-I-am-and-what-I-want kind of sass. And she emphatically does NOT want organic. Specifically- she does not want organic milk. "I do not drink this stuff" she tells me every time I buy it. Now there are many food items I will compromise on- but milk is one that I strictly buy organic. The kids drink too much of it and regular milk has too much junk added to it- plus you really cannot taste any difference. Peanut butter, I understand- you can definitely tell a difference in the taste. But if I poured that milk into a regular container she would never know it was organic. Just the word- organic- grosses her out. "I don't like anything organic" she says, drawing out the word organic, like just saying it might make her sick, emphasized by a very disgusted look on her face. "It's gross!" And I tell her every time that I don't think she understands what organic is. Something that is grown naturally without adding chemicals or being genetically altered is not gross- it's normal. It's how food should be.
But Halle doesn't care- organic is new on the label- she doesn't get it and she doesn't care. It's foreign so it can't be good. It takes away the comfort of her having what she is used to in favor of some unknown thing she doesn't understand. As adults- we see the childishness in this kind of thinking but we rarely notice how often we act the same way. Only not about food- about things that really matter- like people or experiences or new ways of thinking or doing things. It's foreign- we don't like it- we've never seen it done that way before. It messes with our tradition and therefore it messes with us.
I think God is doing a new thing in the church and many people aren't going to like it. He is moving us out of religious duty into intimate relationship- it's a good thing. But we like our duties. We like thinking our 40 day fast can summon the presence of God- it is empowering to think we have that kind of control. But He is shaking our paradigms. He will shake everything away that is based on our works or our goodness. The Cross happened for a reason- because our works and our goodness could never be enough. Our righteousness is like filthy rags- yes, even you 40 day fasters- you are wearing rags if you are not clothed with His righteousness. And the life He wants is something many of us have never seen before- living daily in His presence -unconcerned with what others feel should be our Christian duty because we live to please only Him, to obey Him daily. No formulas, no guaranteed outcomes (I can hear the outcry already)...just daily trusting that no matter what happens- He is enough.
And we balk at this because we lose control- it becomes all about Him and not about us- because like Halle, we just don't get it- not yet anyway. We don't get that this is a much better thing He is offering us. Just ask Him about this shift. Don't take my word on it- ask Him what He wants to do and what it looks like for your life (He's very personal that way- remember- no formulas)
One day, Halle will understand organic is a good thing and will be glad it was something she was offered. We will be the same with Him and His glorious offer to do a new thing.