Bean Dip Can Change a Life

Here we go with food again. I’m not apologetic for being obsessed with food because it tastes good and its fun to talk about. I also have a “foodogenic” memory and thus tend to remember stories of the past when they are related to food. Some of our best memories are directly correlated with the exchange of food. Our first date is a prime example. It involved one steak, one salad, and lots of bread to calm the nerves.

Ben doesn’t care for beans. I love them. Say what you will about beans, but I just read in Health magazine that they are one of the most healthy/preventative foods (eaten in moderation of course). Beans got a bad rap back in the day from that silly jingle “beans, beans, good for your heart, the more you eat the more you _____.” You fill in the blank. My fingers just can’t type that word.

Beans are so versatile. You can’t help but love them. Once upon a time someone married bean dip with a salty, crispy tortilla chip and changed palettes around the world. I used to eat Frito Lay bean dip like it was nobody’s business. Fritos are perfectly designed to scoop and that is exactly what I did. Years have passed since my last bean dip encounter. I haven’t even spoken its name in at least 10 years. Shame on me. Recently I was introduced to a new kind of bean dip. It was baked in the oven with some other sinful ingredients like sour cream and cream cheese and more cheese. I ate my fair share of that bean dip and I savored every single last bite. That bean dip changed my life. Never again will I eat canned bean dip. It also slightly changed my appearance because I am super swollen from the mass of quantity that I consumed.

The company wasn’t too bad itself. These friends of mine, I will cherish for a lifetime. We talked, we ate, we shared stories, shed a few tears, and praised Jesus because He is worthy. It is because of Jesus that I am saved by the grace of God. It is because of Jesus that I have these special friends. It is because of Jesus that I live to tell another day of how he can change your life. A change that pales in comparison to that of the bean dip. Real change. Eternal change. A matter of heaven or hell.

Today my step mom Sheryl will have surgery. Breast cancer is her reality today. The prognosis is good and for that we are thankful. I called Sheryl to ask if she was scared or nervous and as our conversation transpired I reflected on a sermon that my pastor preached yesterday.

"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling” Philippians 2:12

It is in the times of “fear & trembling” that I seriously give my petitions to the Lord. When health isn’t an issue, when divorce isn’t fathomable, when jobs are abundant, when stomachs are well fed, when life seems ok…I’m halfheartedly thankful. The writing of Paul in Philippians is painfully convicting. There is work to be done with “fear & trembling.” Some of those nearest and dearest to me do not even know Jesus.

Knowing about Him, is completely different than actually knowing Him. If something like bean dip can change a life, think about what Jesus can do.