Why do we need to eat?

Preparing my garden for winter is a slow and mindless task; at least I am doing it in a slow and mindless way. Sitting in the garden, pulling up the weeds around me, I am using my muscles, but my mind wanders.

Isn’t it an amazing thing that we need food? That all living things need food?

It would be far more practical if we didn’t. How much easier our lives would be, what a greater chance of survival we would have, if we didn’t need food.

No need to endanger ourselves hunting, exhaust ourselves foraging, or expose ourselves to the elements.

But God did not create his universe to live in isolation.

We must all live in connection with each other, the plants, the animals, the humans, even the atmosphere. We all need each other to grow and survive. The plants need the air and sunshine and water to grow; they need the pollinators and seed eaters to profligate. Herbivores need the plants to sustain themselves, and carnivores need the plants to sustain the herbivores. We, and other omnivores, need all of creation to sustain us.

We cannot live without the rest of God’s world. At the very least, we need a plant to eat. We need to get off our couch, go outside, interact with the world around us, and find an edible plant.

This feels very simplistic, but too often food just comes from the grocery store, or door dash. That’s like saying babies come from the hospital. It misses the vital connection.

God created His world to need each other, forced all of nature to live in dependence on each other, made it impossible for any plant, animal, or human to live in complete isolation.

What does that tell us about God?

Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. Romans 1:20.

God wants us to live in connection not just with each other, but with all of nature. God essentially forced us to live in connection with nature by creating us to need food.

As I have mentioned before, my husband Nick was a hunter. He used to say that if you wanted a species to survive and thrive, make it a food source. Then the harvesters will ensure the survival of the herd, even if for purely selfish reasons. It is when we harvest animals for non-food reasons – whale oil, fur coats, ivory, bragging rights – that their extinction becomes likely.

Because when we realize that their success as a herd helps ensure our success as humans, we take care of them.

When I realize that your success as a human being helps ensure my success as a human being, I am more inclined to take care of you.

Because we are all dependent on each other and on the world around us.

That’s kind of wonderful, and kind of annoying.

Because we’d like to think that we can manage anything that comes our way by ourselves, thank you. But we cannot even manage the most basic of needs, hunger, by ourselves. At bare minimum, we need a plant.

For me to live my life, it takes plants and animals, thousands of unknown people who supply my everyday needs, my friends and family, even you who are reading this. I need you all. I need the homeless man on the corner, the immigrant woman trapped in poverty, and the abused child. I even need the squirrels who raid my garden. God connected us all. God made us all to need each other.

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. 1 John 4:7-8.

Hug a tree, thank a plant, speak kindly to a crow, and love the people God puts around you. You need them, just as I need you.

Betsy