Navigating the Wilderness

…there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile…  Mark 7:1-23 One summer I went south to visit my paternal grandmother. While there I took her to the market because she wanted to fix a roast for dinner. I took it upon myself to help her find just the right piece of lean beef that I could find. One look and she quickly rejected everything I pulled out.  Finally she reached down and pulled up a piece of meat that had the thickest strip of fat running right through the middle. While handing me her selection she pointed to that strip of fat and said in her small southern voice; “that’s what makes it tendah” and tender it was! I was concerned about eating lean. She was concerned about eating food that tasted good. We can’t always control everything and in this situation I didn’t want to. The week I spent with her I am certain I gained a few pounds, not merely from the food but primarily from her outpouring of hospitality in love I was blessed to receive. The pounds I could lose, but her love I have forever.