Peanut Butter and Jelly Theology

// October 19th, 2009 // Faith, Life

Yesterday was a pretty amazing day. I won’t go in to it more since I’m just now writing today’s blog post at 8pm, but lets just say the wild goose was having fun with me. Among other things yesterday, I was reading Shane Claiborne’s book The Irresistible Revolution which deals a lot with poverty, authentically following Christ and living a life that seems completely irrational to the world like the early Church did (just read it if that didn’t make any sense). Anyway, after a passionate, soul moving day and that kind of reading, I ended up in an awkward position. I sat down to eat a snack before watching North Point online, and as I took the first bite, I cringed. Gross, raspberry jelly. I was faced with a dilemma. Do I eat it or throw it away?

DSC01048 Yep, that is my peanut butter and jelly sandwich in the garbage can missing one bite. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t eat it. I made myself another with strawberry jelly, yum. So what does that mean? I guess I could feel really lame about this, and maybe I should. Did I miss the point of everything I was reading? Would Jesus have sucked it up and eating that pb&j? Or maybe he would have changed the raspberry to his flavor of choice (he could do that you know). I could get defensive and ask who really would have benefited from my quiet suffering if I had eaten it. What would it have really accomplished? It isn’t like I had anybody to give it to. And maybe therein is what I should really be learning. If there is a story in the bible about Jesus eating alone, I missed it. He is pretty much always surrounded by people when he isn’t alone with His Father.

I don’t think the lesson is to not waste food. I don’t think what I need is to learn to share my food. I’m constantly giving food away here. But more often than not I’m eating alone and then giving that food away. There is nothing bad about that just like there is nothing bad about giving money to charity, donating used clothes, etc. but I feel like we are all missing something. We are missing the community we were designed for. We are missing out on being the Church. The hungry get fed. The naked get clothed. We feel good about helping out. Everybody is happy right? But we missed the personal interaction. There is an organization or 6 acting as the proxy between you and the person you are helping. We are missing the opportunity to break bread with people and by doing so break down walls between the haves and the have nots that don’t exist in Christ or in the capital c Church. We are missing out on just doing life with these people. We are missing out on being the Church.

I don’t know if this post makes any sense. It certainly isn’t at all what I intended it to be, but I feel this is a nice continuation of the randomness that this blog has been becoming. Hopefully that means it is a God thing because I’m not usually this weird (am I?). I don’t know what else to say other than I long for the day “helping the poor” is just sharing with your brother and sister. It is just natural. These are your friends, your family. I didn’t really even realize it until I started writing this but that is how I have grown to feel about our players. One might argue that I’ve become to desensitized to the poverty around me, but I’m not sure that is it. I think this has just become life and they have become my brothers.

I wish I had a great question to leave you with or a brilliant point to make in conclusion, but maybe I can make a challenge. Take a homeless person to lunch. Mentor a kid. Find a single mom to help out. But don’t do it as charity. Make them your family. I’m not even sure exactly what that means but I have this strange feeling it could change the world.

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12 Responses to “Peanut Butter and Jelly Theology”

  1. Candy says:
    October 20, 2009 at 1:29 am

    I think that if someone had been there with you while eating that sandwich, or even if your internet hadn't crumped on you just before Andy "brought the heat" as my DD tweeted, perhaps you wouldn't have even noticed that is was raspberry. That's how community and family alter your attention and focus. And if that were Jesus' sandwich, He'd have made it a panini, I'm sure. Because He's cool like that (but He also invented pb&j). I love your kaleidoscope of thoughts.

    I've accepted your challenge for 2 pm tomorrow. Thanks for the prompting.

    Reply
    • Randommusings says:
      October 20, 2009 at 5:09 pm

      How did Jesus feel about croissants? Bagels? Mmmmmm….

      Reply
    • chrissulli says:
      October 20, 2009 at 5:19 pm

      Can't wait to here what you mean by that!

      Reply
      • Candy says:
        October 21, 2009 at 3:35 am

        I have an aunt to whom I've never been close – dysfunctional family dynamics always got in the way. I recently heard that her only child is very ill with early-onset Alzheimer's and I couldn't imagine how she must feel. He is her only immediate family. It has haunted me for a week. Today I called her, but no answer. Left a msg that I wanted to come and visit her around 2. Didn't expect a call back but got one anyway. We talked for an hour. It was wonderful. She cried and I cried and we promised to keep in better touch. She called me back a half hour later and thanked me again. I feel horrible that I haven't really spoken to her for so long, but good that I forged a path for our renewed relationship with no other relatives to throw up roadblocks. We have a lunch date next week. I was scared to call her for fear she'd tell me to take a hike, but she must have felt my God-breathed reach, because she grabbed on and didn't want to let go. I wonder if she'd like pb&j?

        Thanks for making me dig and do this. It feels awesome.

        Reply
  2. Annette Taylor says:
    October 20, 2009 at 1:57 am

    I see the point of the post is not about wasting food but I did read today that 18.2% of American solid waste is food scraps. That was the highest percentage and it's just sad. I like your randomness. It's very insightful. My small group is going to cook and serve dinner to the homeless in a few weeks and I'm going to challenge all of us to take the time to sit and eat with the people we serve to really get to know them.

    Reply
  3. Randommusings says:
    October 20, 2009 at 5:08 pm

    Good point. Relationships don't develop from a random drop off. While that doesn't mean we shouldn't donate there too, that should not be the ONLY thing we do. We can't share Jesus without a relationship.

    (Oh, and thanks for chipping in to pay the ransom for my post today ;-)

    Reply
    • chrissulli says:
      October 20, 2009 at 5:21 pm

      Ya, I guess I just think the goal isn't a numbers game to make sure everyoneis clothed and fed. Is our goal to do it efficiently as possible or do it one person at a time to heal be healed ourselves. Just some things to think about.

      My pleasure.

      Reply
  4. Bridget says:
    October 20, 2009 at 7:24 pm

    I really don't like the seeds in raspberry jelly…

    I do love the point made that it isn't a numbers game..

    Thanks!

    Reply
  5. Colleen Foshee says:
    October 21, 2009 at 3:09 am

    I was just reading the other day about how Jesus made 120 to 180 gallons of wine at that wedding in Cana. Just how many people were at that wedding? God's obviously got unlimited resources. I'm thinking he is not worried about throwing away a PB &J sandwich. You're right though – he is worried about throwing people away. I think you hit it on the head when it comes to his heart for personal sharing. Relationship does a lot more to fill a person than food. Your post has me thinking God thoughts…

    Reply

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