With the deluge of health and fitness trends hitting the mainstream these days it was only a matter of time before some of them would make their way into my secluded alcove.
One that I tentatively embraced and now wholeheartedly endorse is the idea of meal prep – batch cooking delicious and nutritious meals to be readily on hand throughout the week.
I’ve never been much of a cook but have always liked the idea of healthy eating – but the two don’t go together! Pre-packaged food, toast and extra rounds of cereal are not found on most diet plans. So the solution for me is cooking up a storm on the weekend that is then neatly dispensed throughout the week via little red containers.
There is something very satisfying about stacking containers of good, healthy food into your fridge knowing that you are set for the coming week. No matter the forecast I am going to be eating meals in line with my slightly ambitious fitness goals.
Next level meals
Food and spirituality seem to blend effortlessly into metaphors, so allow me to indulge by bringing up the following verse:
Luke chapter 6 verse 45 (NIV) – “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”
I doubt most people read this passage and think of meal prepping! But it works for me – the good man has done some great meal prep, the evil man not so much.
I want to be meal-prepping on a higher level – not just caring for my physical needs but focusing on my spiritual health. How do I become like the good man, with good things stored up in my heart?
Filling the storehouse
I think it all starts with recognition of the one who alone is good - God is good, truly good, and apart from him there is nothing good at all. The more time I spend with God, the more I allow His work in my life, seeking His presence, the more I will see His goodness overflowing out of me.
I need to be very careful with what I fill my time up – everything I do is contributing to the storehouse of my heart, and what goes in will inevitably come out.
Galatians chapter 6 verse 7 (NIV) – “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”
If I spend my time watching vapid shows, listening to hollow music and filling my thoughts with empty notions, the stores being sent down to my heart will reflect that input. When life requires me to dig deep I’ll be disgusted by the dross served up.
I want to be choosing to do the things that fill the shelves of my inner being with containers of spiritually nutritious meals. This means being conscious of the contribution everything I do has to my inner life, consistently asking the question ‘Is this storing up good in my heart?’
What I store in my fridge has a substantial impact on my diet. Likewise, what I store in my heart will have a massive influence over the health of my inner being.
Thomas Devenish lives in Hobart, Tasmania with his wife and two daughters. He works as a motion designer and enjoys the diverse experiences life has to offer, from chasing tennis balls to curling up with a good book on a rainy day. Thomas Devenish’s previous articles may be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/thomas-devenish.html