So, it's genetic, and I can do nothing about it. The herb cilantro (Coriandrum sativum), aka coriander, Chinese parsley, and Mexican parsley, smells and tastes like soap. A study by the genetic company 23andMe has shown that the OR6A2 gene is a “compelling candidate gene for detecting odors that give cilantro its divisive flavor.” For others, that is not the case. Coriander seeds are often dried and used as a citrusy spice, while the cilantro stems and leaves are utilized as a garnish for sauces and in every manner of the dish, but for me, it is soapy and ruins the flavor of a dish.
Have you ever considered how much our bodies play in our spiritual life? How often do you value your physical body's pivotal role in your spiritual journey? What could your body teach you?
In a well-known passage from Mark’s gospel that is often used to support the idea of specific food laws, Jesus says,
‘Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.’ When he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about the parable. He said to them, ‘Then do you also fail to understand? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile, since it enters, not the heart but the stomach, and goes out into the sewer?’ (Thus, he declared all foods clean.) And he said, ‘It is what comes out of a person that defiles. For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.’ Mark 7:14-23
I may not be able to change how I taste cilantro, but I can change how I deal with ‘evil intentions, ’ as Jesus puts it. That’s because they are not so much triggered by external factors in food but from the internal attitude I hold and reveal through my words and actions. As Jesus says, ‘It is from within, from the human heart …’. How is your heart today?
I invite you to take a moment and listen to your body in God's presence. Listen to your heart. What does that reveal to you? How might you seek to address the things that could be polluting your words or actions today?
Perhaps this could be your prayer? Lord, help me know my intentions for my life today. May they always be good and wholesome intentions, not ones that harm me or others. Amen
Shalom to you, my friend,
Pastor Andrew