Let it be known throughout the world, “I LOVE BACON”, and have for all my life.
Barely cooked, almost black, and anything in between.
Bacon!
Thick slab, thin sliced, hickory or apple smoked; whatever.
I love bacon!
On a sandwich, in an omelet, cooked with beans, or just plain, by the handful.
Bacon.
Quite a few years ago, while visiting my wife’s family in West Virginia, I actually had a time when I had my fill of bacon. It happened like this:
Everyone in the house was sick with the flu, except yours truly. Me. No one else wanted to eat. I was the only one hungry.
So, while everyone was in bed, trying to get rid of their sickness, I was on the prowl for food! Rummaging through the cupboards, I didn’t find anything that made my mouth water. So I decided to investigate the refrigerator.
Wow!
I couldn’t believe my hungry eyes! Right in front of me lay a package of VERY thick sliced bacon! My favorite food, bacon!
And it was all mine.
I found a skillet, lit the gas burner, and commenced with loading up the frying pan. What a deal! What a treat!
I fried it to perfection, placed the cooked slices on a plate, and sat down at the table to begin savoring my meal of meals.
I can still remember holding a piece in my hand, eyeing it like a jeweler would examine a fine diamond.
Satisfied with its appearance, there was only one thing left to do. So with eyes barely open, bacon held carefully between thumb and finger, I took my first bite.
OH MY!
Salt! Nothing but salt! I quickly tossed it back onto my plate and ran upstairs to find my sick mother-in-law.
Telling her what I had found, fried, and attempted to eat, she began laughing.
A lot.
“That’s salt pork”, she laughed. “I use it as seasoning when I cook beans.” She was still laughing as I left the room.
Still hungry.
“A person who is full refuses honey, but even bitter food tastes sweet to the hungry.” (Proverbs 27:7 NLT)
If I hadn’t been so hungry, or so excited about having the kitchen to myself, I would have realized my “treasure” wasn’t really what I thought it was, and I would have made different choices regarding my meal.
Same thing is true for all of us. Life is loaded with opportunities to satisfy our hunger, our desire. We really need to evaluate our cravings, and not let the “lusts” for our brand of bacon deceive us.
What may look like a real treat, could in reality be a trap.
I still love bacon! But before I fry a platter full of bad, costly decisions, I’m gonna check things out more closely.
I’m not going to allow my “hunger” to control my life.
How about you?
Jan Grace 