Two boxes. Enough food for one person for one year in two 33-pound boxes. I'm sure that each week when I fill my grocery cart, it contains more food than this. Yet for many people, this is the one meal they get each day. This is the food that they thank God for and devour hungrily and gratefully.
John Gasangwa inspired me through this episode from Lifetree Café. As a child he was taken to a hospital where he was given an armband. This armband represented food...life. Those with armbands received one bowl of porridge per day. He survived.
As the week went on I found myself more aware of the quantity of food we consume and the reasons that we consume it. We don't eat because we are hungry. Our stomachs are like spoiled children--when they make a little noise we satisfy them. It's not just our stomachs; it's also our emotions. Whether we are happy, sad, lonely, getting together with friends, angry (the list goes on and on), we punctuate these emotions with food.
We don't see food as fuel for our bodies. We view food as entertainment. We can take it or leave it. And most of us (including me) are taking more than our bodies need. We are worried about taste, texture, and even presentation. Ridiculous.
Although I don't have access to the porridge that John was given, I am familiar with Numana, Inc. A few years ago I participated in one of their packaging events with my youngest children. As we put together the ingredients and sealed the bags, I realized that this small bag would serve six meals. Would I even eat this if it was offered to me...or would I turn up my nose and track down a Quarter Pounder? I emailed them.
My idea? Experience hunger. Survive on one serving of Numana's product per day for a year. An armband will serve as a reminder that not everyone gets to make the choice daily about what and how much they will eat. Why would I do this? One reason is completely selfish--I want to understand. Similar to fasting, I believe the spiritual benefits will greatly outweigh the discomfort. The other reason is to increase awareness of hunger and support for the organizations that are fighting it. I'm challenging you to make a commitment to set aside a donation that you would be willing to repeat for every month I am successful. It might be just $1 a month. It doesn't have to be a huge commitment on your part. But those dollars will add up to provide me an incentive when I want to give in to my spoiled appetite.
Just one daily serving of Numana for one daily serving Jesus Christ.
The project starts August 1, 2012. What do you say?
As the week went on I found myself more aware of the quantity of food we consume and the reasons that we consume it. We don't eat because we are hungry. Our stomachs are like spoiled children--when they make a little noise we satisfy them. It's not just our stomachs; it's also our emotions. Whether we are happy, sad, lonely, getting together with friends, angry (the list goes on and on), we punctuate these emotions with food.
We don't see food as fuel for our bodies. We view food as entertainment. We can take it or leave it. And most of us (including me) are taking more than our bodies need. We are worried about taste, texture, and even presentation. Ridiculous.
Although I don't have access to the porridge that John was given, I am familiar with Numana, Inc. A few years ago I participated in one of their packaging events with my youngest children. As we put together the ingredients and sealed the bags, I realized that this small bag would serve six meals. Would I even eat this if it was offered to me...or would I turn up my nose and track down a Quarter Pounder? I emailed them.My idea? Experience hunger. Survive on one serving of Numana's product per day for a year. An armband will serve as a reminder that not everyone gets to make the choice daily about what and how much they will eat. Why would I do this? One reason is completely selfish--I want to understand. Similar to fasting, I believe the spiritual benefits will greatly outweigh the discomfort. The other reason is to increase awareness of hunger and support for the organizations that are fighting it. I'm challenging you to make a commitment to set aside a donation that you would be willing to repeat for every month I am successful. It might be just $1 a month. It doesn't have to be a huge commitment on your part. But those dollars will add up to provide me an incentive when I want to give in to my spoiled appetite.
Just one daily serving of Numana for one daily serving Jesus Christ.
The project starts August 1, 2012. What do you say?
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