At the suggestion of one of my readers, I have decided to make a few comments about fried chicken.
First, a little background:
For most of my life, I really couldn’t stand fried chicken. I didn’t like the skin or the grease. Ugghhh. Then, this year in May, something switched. We went to Golden Corral for Mother’s Day and I ate their chicken. I really liked it. Then, like a plot twist in a bad movie, I began to crave something I hated. It would be like me beginning to root for the Steelers or the Red Sox. I remember eating fried chicken at Golden Corral. Then I just began to crave it. Showcase, Talamo’s, Regina’s, Bojangles at the beach, Whitehouse, probably a couple others I’ve forgotten.
I used to dislike all the church dinners because they had Showcase chicken, which I couldn’t stand. I even worked behind the scenes to order some ham from Showcase for a couple church dinners because I couldn’t stand the chicken!
So, being the thinker that I am, I thought I’d make a few points about my newfound love for fried chicken.
1. Truth #1: God does want us to enjoy His creation.
God created people to have dominion over animals, and as far as I can tell by New Testament standards, I am free to eat fried chicken (within reason) and enjoy it.
2. Truth #2: I must never love fried chicken more than Jesus.
This sounds kind of funny, but I want it to compare to the way we believers talk about our favorite food, T.V. shows, sports teams can sound an awful lot like we really love those things. Then, when spiritual conversation comes about, we stiffen up and it can feel forced. We should have greater passion in prayer and talking about Jesus than we ever would in an argument about who has the best fried chicken.
3. A pastor is a human.
It can be easy to put pastors on pedestals and elevate them to ultra- or super-human status. Listen, we’re people. We need friends, fellowship, and we have likes and dislikes. I happen to like fried chicken. I think that’s okay. A pastor I really respect (and whom God uses greatly) put on Twitter one time that he was eating a big mass of shrimp the night before preaching. That encouraged me because it showed me he was a human. The vast majority of mis-aimed criticism I’ve received has been because of unrealistic expectations. I’m human, and that’s ok.
4. Things can change quickly.
Listen, I prefer spiritual change – like apostle Paul change. I love the exciting-turn-to-Jesus change. But this has been a lesson for me because I am a creature of habit. Something changed in my life and I can’t explain it. It’s different, outside the box (get it?), and that’s okay because sometimes we need to learn change so we don’t get stuffy. No matter our age, we should have a healthy filter for what change is and how it looks.
Think. Is this the dumbest blog you’ve ever read? Fried chicken, really?
Act. Identify your idols, destroy them, give God praise for everything you have, and always be ready for healthy amounts of change!