The road gets mighty slippery between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  We are not talking about snow and sleet on the highway.  We are talking about the Interstate to Physical Destruction.  This time of year it’s paved with pumpkin pie, cookies, potholes full of gravy and enough melted chocolate to slide us right down through the gates of Perdition.

What’s worse, not only are we tempted by an overabundance of delectables; it’s our duty to eat Grandma’s fruitcake, Aunt Wanda’s toffee, our neighbor’s banana bread and Cousin Mabel’s original potluck extravaganza.  The fact that these things all taste heavenly only makes it easier to fulfill our friendly obligations.  We repent in the wee hours of the morning while we listen to each other unwrap little packets of Pepcid in the dark.

Here is the dilemma.  With one hand, (the one that does good deeds), we truly recognize that we are the temple of the Spirit.  On the other hand, (the one that keeps stuffing in the goodies), we really enjoy celebrating life in this season.  It’s just that every time we turn around, food seems to be involved in the celebration.  Do we set aside our worries now, only to join the thundering herd repenting of physical weakness after the first of the year?  Or do we piously refuse to partake of all cholesterol laden riches, treating them as unclean?  To further complicate our situation, when we take the time to really look at ourselves, it is quite obvious that no matter what we give up, our chances of reaching physical perfection are slim to none.

What are we to do?  When our youngest daughter was in high school, we bought our daughter a bracelet with WWJD (“What Would Jesus Do?) embossed on it.  Not only was it a valuable reminder for her, but it helped us realize that the guidance we had been searching for was right in front of us, in the Gospels.  Jesus often ate in other people’s homes.  Presumably he enjoyed whatever they served.  The thing about supper at Mary and Martha’s or anywhere else was that, with one notable exception, our Lord focused on the people involved and not on what he ate.  The Last Supper is the only meal we recall where the focus was on food.  The fact that Jesus and his friends exercised by walking everywhere certainly didn’t hurt either.

That’s the way through this season.  Focus on the Bread of Life.  Enjoy the company of others without paying too much attention to what is being served.  And take long walks whenever possible.