Celebrating seeds & sourdough

Seeds and sourdough – giving thanks for wisdom

When I think of progress, I think of change and how we and our choices change over time.  It often has its own momentum and though we are consciously working with progress we are also pretty much carried forward with the ebb and flow of the tide.  It’s often only when we look back that we realise how much our choices and way of thinking has changed – not just our personal choices but society as a whole.

Off course we can look at the negative ebb and flow in our culture, indeed we don’t have to look very far to see that some sad and disturbing trends and downturns have come out of what we would view as progress, online trolling is an example, but for a moment I want to look at some positive changes – even those that have come out of negative situations.

As a woman I have always been health conscious.  That doesn’t mean that I always make healthy choices, it just means that I make it my business to be aware of what those healthy choices are so that my choices are informed even if they are not the best!

I am so encouraged at the changes we are able to make in our diets without having to bend over backwards to make them happen.  We’ve already spoken about juicing but culturally so many good things are now the norm.  Showing my age now: I used to frequent a health food café in Charing Cross called Cranks back in the 80s with my friend Marion who was a healthy eating fanatic.   I loved it and she introduced me to some foods I wasn’t familiar with and weren’t the norm on supermarket shelves.  Fast forward 30 years or so and I can pick up a packet of seed snacks in the local where previously only chocolate bars resided.  I also remember watching the remake of the Thomas Crown Affair and thinking to myself ‘what the heck is that?!’ as Rene Russo’s character downed a cup of green sludge for breakfast.  20 years later I am very familiar with and quite enjoy a cup of green sludge!  Evidence that the tide of change that we’re often carried along with can produce positive results without eroding our values.

Unfortunately, dairy nut and gluten allergies are far more common than when I was a child but on the upside, we now have far more choice.  Many households including mine have a whole supermarket choice going on in the fridge when it comes to milk, many of them better for your digestion than dairy if you are prone to intolerances and allergies and these wouldn’t have been developed and fully integrated into our everyday lives without the need for a choice arising.

All of these observations lead me inevitably to thoughts of a God who always ahead of the curve, works with man bringing about progress and discovery.  Everything we need to move forward has always been there but the discovery and workings of it remain a mystery until the fullness of time, God working with us and the tenacity he has put in us. 

The ebb and flow of the tide perfectly illustrate how we are carried along with the current like fish in the water.  We can’t take full responsibility for all of the discoveries, changes and tweeks that have helped us live healthier more informed lives in so many areas.  We have a God of the universe who continually works with us, giving us knowledge, showing us how to get the best out of all He has provided for us on this planet for our well-being.

The Psalms sum it up perfectly:

The earth is the Lords and the fullness of it and they who dwell in it. For he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the currents and rivers.  

Psalm 24 verses 1-2.