Herbs and Calves

I love to eat. Food is a passion for me. Some people eat merely for sustenance, but for me eating food is an indoor sport, and on really nice days, an outdoor sport as well. I enjoy all kinds of foods, and the bolder the flavor, the better. Occasionally I will order a meal at a restaurant and the plate looks as if I ordered from a kid’s menu. I like to eat, but I prefer to be full afterwards.

Proverbs 15:17 says, “Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a fatted calf with hatred.” Given the choice between the two, I’d take the fatted calf every time; I’d even take a skinny calf over a dinner of herbs. I enjoy a good salad, but that should be the first course, the precursor to the calf. If the proverb only said herbs are better than calves, that would not make sense to meat-eating Americans. However, this proverb is less about what we eat than whom we eat with.

The first part of the proverb reminds me of our days as newlyweds. Living in our apartment in Fort Worth, Texas, my wife and I had a weekly rotation that included chilidogs, Chef Boyardee pizza, sandwiches, and on Friday night, chicken casserole. We were poor and in love, and those simple dinners were some of the best meals I have eaten. Conversely, some live in affluence, dining nightly on caviar and fillet mignon, but with love lacking in the home. That fatted calf leaves much to be desired if it is seasoned with hatred.

The greatest thing we can do outside of loving God is loving our neighbor as ourselves. With that in mind, even if you live alone, find someone to love on and share a meal with. Even if herbs are all you can muster, serve them with a side of love, and everyone will be full.