Seven, week one

My friend Amy has invited me to share the journey of "Seven: an experimental mutiny against excess."

Author Jen Hatmaker idenitfies seven areas of excess in her life and spends one month radically simplifying that area as a spiritual discipline. Less of us (and our stuff) and more room for God. Amy and I are spending one week in each area.

This week's focus is food. I am eating seven foods this week: chicken, eggs, peanut butter, apples, yogurt, crackers, and coffee.

I felt a sense of deprivation before 8 a.m., which let me know I better figure out why I'm really doing this. I want to come alongside Amy in friendship and I want to stir my faith.

By lunch time, I was reminded of the ways I use food as a source of comfort and calm. I face my feelings without Bluebell icecream, the salty crunch of chips, and the rich satisfaction of dark chocolate. I texted Amy that I was considering adding Panera's mac & cheese to my list of seven.

Over the course of the day, I became aware that I feel entitled to both variety and quality foods. I am feeling compassion for those whose choices and resources are severely limited or non-existant. There are 11 bottles of salad dressing in my fridge. Eleven. Where is God's invitation in this?

As the day wraps up I am grateful for simple meals and the spaciousness that is already opening around and within me.