Seasoned With Love

The other day, we decided to tryout this little mom and pop restaurant down the road from our house.  The food was really great:  chicken and dumplings, green beans, seven layer salad, deviled eggs.  Jim splurged and got some "Peach Crunch Cake,"  which was really like a peach crisp.  

Yum. Yum.

In fact, this new establishment is our kind of place.  The menu showed a lot of choices that made me think of the good food that we are served so often at church dinners.  I call it "church lady food,"  because church ladies make the best meals ever.

It doesn't matter what denomination or what location.  If you want some good eating, just go visit a church who is having some kind of dinner.

Why does "church lady food" always taste good?

I think it is because it is served with love and eaten in fellowship.  Eating with people you love just seasons everything perfectly.

A wise man named Solomon knew this, also.
 

Better a small serving of vegetables with love
    than a fattened calf with hatred.
Proverbs 15:17 

When I was a kid, people always loved to come over to my Granny Violet's and eat.  Granny was a church lady who was always having company.  She loved to serve two different main dishes whenever having guests to ensure there would be something that everyone liked. As she grew older, she would wear herself out cooking. I'd say, "Granny, why do you cook so much food and wear yourself out?"  She'd say that she like to make plenty so that she would have "leave-overs" for the next few days.  

More often than not, she'd have people over to help her eat the leave-overs, too.

Truth was, she just loved having people over.  Everyone felt the love and kept coming back.  It didn't matter if she was down to just beans, greens and cornbread, she could always find willing dinner companions.

Granny's dinners are now over.  She has served her last meal on earth, but I'm thankful for the example she set.  Yes, do your best when cooking for others, but more importantly, show how much you love all those who sit down to eat at your table.  Your love will make everyone think the food is seasoned just right.

This was written in community with Shanda's "On Your Heart Tuesday."  You can link up at her blog, A Pause on the Path