Let Us Be Cautious About the ‘Junk’ We Consume
You may think that you have heard it all, but chances are you have not heard this: Our country now has a day set aside to recognize the not-so-healthy snacks we consume. It’s called “National Junk Food Day,” and it has been designated as such by an organization known as National Today. It was celebrated just this past week, and will forever be assigned to July 22nd.
I’m not sure how they come up with these things, but my guess is that a small group of people gather in a conference room and converse about various things to designate on specific days. I can only imagine the discussions that take place in that room, but I would surmise that they are lively, entertaining, and sometimes even absurd. Ultimately, they settle on a subject and a day.
In the case of National Junk Food Day — as with the other 364 designations they make — these so-called experts have come to their conclusions in what one has to believe is a very unscientific manner.
This day is dedicated to the foods we like to eat but know that we shouldn’t. On this particular day, however, people are invited to eat junk food for every meal. Now that’s one way to ensure an upset stomach.
In case you didn’t know, junk food emerged in the United States in the 1950s. In general, it consists of items that are high in fats, sugars, salt, and calories.
Unfortunately, they are also highly delicious and exceptionally irresistible, which leads to high rates of consumption and rapid increases in weight gain.
Those who have christened National Junk Food Day tell us that we are allowed to consume our favorite decadent snacks without any guilt on this particular day — like we need permission from someone else to consume junk food. On the other hand, if we limited our junk-food consumption to just one day, how much healthier would we all be?
So, what’s the point to all of this? Well, the junk we consume is not limited to what we eat. There is plenty of other junk that attracts us and ultimately brings us down with high-risk consequences. These include such temptations as drugs, alcohol, gambling, greed, lust, deceit, theft, and so much more.
Scripture provides plenty of guidance in regard to what we consume, particularly this passage from I Corinthians, Chapter 6, Verses 19-20: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”
Temptations of the flesh are persistent and pervasive, but ultimately, it comes down to a choice. The best way to avoid the consequences of junk consumption is to avoid ingesting them in the first place.
Let us respect our body as a temple, and to the best of our ability – with both discipline and willpower – let us not defile it with any type of junk.
Until We Meet Again, Be Blessed! – Pastor John