Believing God Is Like Eating at a Vegan Restaurant

God is teaching me how to think on and accept His truth above all I see, hear, and feel.  This has been a place of rich joy as I let go of old ways of thinking.  In the next few posts, I’ll give examples of how this has played out.

This summer, as a birthday gift, my brother and his wife treated me to a meal at a fancy vegan restaurant. My other brother and my brother-in-law joined us. At the time, I was in the midst of a stubborn mental block against eating out. Without being in the kitchen watching every step and reading every ingredient list, I couldn’t be sure that the food I ordered was safe for my allergy needs. I was excited to spend time with my siblings and even put on a dress to revel in the special treat of a nice meal.




When it was time to order, my heart sped up even though I knew I would be fine. It was a vegan restaurant. The menu was peppered with exotic tofu creations. These chefs weren’t going to let an animal product get near the kitchen. The dish I wanted came with garlic mashed potatoes on the side. In the days before knowing my allergies, I used to order my meal based on the mashed potatoes - whatever came with the potatoes was secondary. I’d never experienced mashed potatoes without heavy amounts of butter and milk.


I told the waitress what I wanted and said, “These potatoes are vegan?”
“Yes,” she said, “Everything here is vegan.”
As she turned to my sister-in-law for her order, I blurted out, “No butter in them, right?”


Folks, I kid you not, my eyes were tearing up. The waitress reassured me and my sister-in-law comforted me with empathy from her experiences as a vegetarian.


At the end of the day, dairy is not going to kill me. Stomach discomfort is probably as bad as it’s going to get. Unbelief, mistrust, and doubt, however, are poison for my mind.



Believing those amazingly creamy mashed potatoes were safe to enjoy is in some small way akin to believing what God says. Too good to be true? Not in His economy.


Each verse is a rich, delicious bite of intimacy with my Savior, when I choose to believe Him:


I am God’s child. (John 1:12)

I am God’s friend. (John 15:15)

I have been redeemed and all my sins have been forgiven. (Colossians 1:14)

I am free from condemnation. (Romans 8:1 &2)

I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me. (1 John 5:18)

I cannot be separated from the love of God. (Romans 8:35-39)



Thank You, Lord God, for feeding me with Your Word. (Matthew 4:4)


Photo Credit:  acme