Yesterday was far too busy for me to write a blog post, so I'll put here both yesterday and today's posts.
Day 10
The Dawn of the Final Day. I ate a bowl of cereal, had a burrito, and drank a chocolate shake.
But lunch is where everything changes. Yes, I stopped it short. Here's the story.
On Wednesday, I had some big issues. One big one was that my wife's phone, which she has only had for 2 weeks, got milk all over it. We tried for a few days to put it in rice, but it was shot.
Fast forward to Saturday. I took off some work to go to the Apple Store. Given circumstances regarding next week, I really don't have time to do it except on Saturday. When we got to the Apple Store, they set us an appointment for over an hour later. Did I mention that we were starving? Also, this is a mall, and malls don't really have Kosher places to eat. So we went to the place that I wanted to have my first non-Kosher food: Chick-Fil-A.
Meat. And Cheese. In the same meal. Who would think of it?
So with that bite of wonderful chickeny goodness, my days of Kosher observation came to a tasty end.
From about 7pm Wednesday, July 31, to about 12:15 Saturday, August 10, I had no non-Kosher food.
My Observations
Food is more important than we give it credit for. We're humans. Not only am I American, but I'm a Southern Baptist. Therefore, I love to eat. But until this time, food has never been too much in my thoughts. I am far more grateful to God for food now than I ever have been. Especially now that I can eat whatever I want.
Planning meals is easier than I thought. Before we began this, we ate out a lot. We've tried cooking at home, but it's pretty hit and miss. Some weeks are much worse than others. But for over a week, fast food was essentially off the table. I had my meals planned out for 10 days. I hope to do more planning in the future. Especially now that I don't have to scour the supermarket for the Kosher version.
Eating together is essential. We, in our house, eat together. 90%+ of the time we eat the same food. But since only I was going Kosher, my wife had to think up different things. We'd end up eating different things at different times. It was sad. I feel for those families who never eat together. It is a gift that is worth working for.
Exception!?
Yes, if one wants to be technical, I did make one exception. During my time under the Kosher laws, I willingly consumed one non-Kosher food. If that disqualifies me in your eyes, then so be it. But what I drank, I drank not for pleasure, but in sacred reverence. I used non-Kosher Communion juice.
I am aware that this blog may float around on the interwebs for some time, and there exists the possibility that a Jew blindly searching 'Kosher' (or somebody in general unfamiliar with Christian practice) may stumble onto this. For this reason I will explain what I'm talking about here.
On the night before His death, The Lord Jesus observed the Passover Seder with His disciples. During the Seder, Jesus spoke of the unleavened bread and the wine as a physical example of the price He would soon pay. The bread is His body, broken for us. His blood is the blood of the New Covenant (See Jeremiah 31), shed for many for the remission of sins. Jesus instituted a ritual meal, observed often, to remind Christians in a tangible sense of the what happened on the Cross. So we eat unleavened bread and drink wine (or grape juice) to symbolize His body and blood.
We as a family observe this ritual, called Communion or The Lord's Supper, every Sunday night, at the end of the Sabbath. In fact, about as soon as I am done with writing this blog post we will observe Communion. But considering that what I drank was not meant for pleasure, but rather as merely a symbol of the gift of God, it doesn't concern me that I drank non-Kosher Communion juice.
So what have I eaten now?
Well, since it is the Sabbath, we haven't made food today. But I ate chicken sliders at White Castle (one of them with bacon). And later I went to Sonic and had a banana and bacon shake. Yes, it was delicious.
And with that, I shall the close the book on this time of observing the Kosher laws. It's been a good time, but I'm glad to eat with the grace of God behind me.
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