Being a picky eater, I know how to spot others. First, they push their food around on their plate as they search for something they want to eat. Second, there may be a pile of rejected bits of food on the side of their plate or on a napkin.
Much to my family’s chagrin, I was like this as a child. For instance, I don’t eat tomatoes. If they sat a plate of them on the table close to me, I would move them to the other end of the table. They would become so frustrated when I did that. Another was deviled eggs. I would only eat the egg whites after they were boiled and before the icky yolk stuff was placed in them. Then there was gravy. I didn’t like it at all. If gravy was cooked for mashed potatoes or biscuits, my serving of whatever it was had to be put on my plate before the gravy was added. In my defense, I eat a little gravy now, especially with turkey and dressing. Before I proceed any further, here is a list of stuff that I still pick off of my plate: mushrooms, carrots, Brussel Sprouts, cabbage, celery, and American cheese.
I’ve saved the best for last. The one food that I used to pick the most off of was a hamburger. I didn’t want anything touching the meat patty at all. No pickles, tomatoes (of course), onion, or cheese of any kind. I also didn’t want any condiments, especially mayonnaise. By the way, I wouldn’t touch it until I was a teenager. Are you now envisioning a plain hamburger? Actually, I didn’t even eat the buns. I would pluck the meat patty off and eat it by itself. I remember people tell me that I really wasn’t eating a hamburger. You know what, they were right.
“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23 (KJV)
Obviously, I guard everything that I put into my stomach, but it is so much more important to guard what tries to go into your heart. If we are not careful, ungodly things can easily creep into them. That can not only affect how we live our lives, but more importantly, our relationship with the Lord. So be picky, be diligent about what you watch, hear, or read.
Unfortunately for my waistline, I now actually eat the whole hamburger. I want it loaded with lots of pickles, lettuce and onion. As for the condiments, I want mustard, ketchup and lots of mayonnaise. In fact, I want them to be dripping of the sides of it and even running down my hand and onto the plate. That way I can wipe sop them up with the bun. Yep, I have down that.
Brooke Cox is an author, speaker, and storyteller. She was a 2016 Selah Awards Finalist for Debut Novel. Her children’s book: “Dinosaur Eggs,” is now available. It is based on Ephesians 6: The Armor of God. Her novel “Until the Moon Rises: A Conniving Cousin Mystery” is also available. Also, she has two books out in her storytelling series: “Saucy Southern Stories.” The Amazon links for her books may be found on her website: brookecoxstories.com. Please feel free to contact her. She would love to hear from you.