Eat Right!

One day, when I was a pastor in a New York State town about 90 miles from Niagara Falls, I received a call from a nearby hospital requesting my help. No, I wasn’t needed to assist in surgery. A French-speaking Canadian family had been diagnosed with a form of food poisoning. Someone at the hospital had mentioned I spoke French and might act as an interpreter.

So off I went to meet the ill family.

“Ask if they have health insurance,” an attendant instructed.

“Find out what they ate that might have made them sick,” voiced another attendant.

I learned the patients had health insurance. They were en route to Niagara Falls, and earlier in the day they had eaten ham sandwiches at a diner. Apparently, the ham had gone bad.

Health care experts advise travelers to stay hydrated and avoid stomach troubles by eating high-fiber, low-fat, low-calorie meals while on the road. My personal advice is to avoid ham unless it has been properly prepared and refrigerated.

In Psalm 119:103, King David described God’s words as tasting even sweeter than honey. Jesus compared God’s words to bread. A daily regimen of feasting on Scripture will keep the toxins of wrong thinking and wrongdoing at bay. It will also sweeten life’s journey and create a productive life.

—Written by Jim Dyet. Copyright © 2008, Anchor.