Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 146; Numbers 17-18

God had chosen the Levites for a special purpose. They were a gift to the Israelites to guard them from the Lord’s holy wrath. The Lord did not give them any allocation of land in Israel. Rather, they were to receive tithes and offerings from the Israelite people. The Lord said, “You shall have no inheritance in [the] land …. I am your portion and inheritance among the people of Israel.” (Numbers 18:20)

This got me thinking again about the whole “Is my belly is my god?” idea that I wrote about a few days ago. Again I asked myself,

• Is Jesus enough for me?
• Can my belly be full with just Him?
• Can I honestly, truly, genuinely say from my heart the words of Psalm 73:26, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever”?

Did any of you notice the image I chose for today’s post? It features a line of ice cream cones being filled with fruit rather than ice cream.

In the last twenty years or so, my husband has had four “throat stretching” procedure. He was diagnosed about twenty years ago with a condition called Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE). EoE causes his throat to be narrow and ridged, making it difficult for him to swallow.

One suggestion the doctor made after the most recent procedure was that my husband should try to completely eliminate all forms of dairy from his diet because dairy is a common trigger for EoE. To clarify, in order for this to work, you have to completely – I said completely – eliminate dairy. No dairy. Not a spoonful. Not a drop. No milk on your cereal. No yogurt for your breakfast. No butter slathered on your bread or popcorn. No chicken alfredo for dinner. No glass of cold milk with your Oreos. Not even a single scoop of ice cream for dessert. No dairy.

And the truth is that over a decade ago I heard about a plan called the Six Food Elimination Diet (SFED) which has been proven to help most people who have EoE. I even talked to a local friend who had done it successfully. SFED has you completely eliminate not only dairy, but also wheat, eggs, nuts, soy, and fish, and then you gradually reintroduce these foods one at a time to figure out what your triggers are.

But, here’s the deal: people (including my husband and I) are rarely willing or able to do it. It’s simply too hard. We prize not only our dairy, but also our bread and pasta and Oreos.

So, friends, here we are again. Where is our hope? In these earthly things, things that trickle down our throats and fill our bellies, or in the Lord who is our eternal portion and treasure, our everlasting inheritance and hope?

Heavenly Father, You are my eternal hope, my rock, my refuge, my hiding place. Because You are with me, I do not lose hope. Though my flesh and my heart may fail, You are the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Please bless my family with Your strength, comfort, wisdom, and peace. Heal my husband’s body and have compassion on him according to the abundance of Your steadfast love. Let him not faint or lose heart. Great indeed is Your faithfulness. We love you. In the good name of Jesus Christ, my Savior and Friend, Amen.

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