Soup and the Goodness of God
Last week, as I gathered up my purse and mask to head out to the grocery store, my husband stopped me and asked, somewhat more passionately than I thought fitting, “Would you please make some soup this week?” I looked at him with a smile and a nod, recalling the soup I had made last week and the week before. He didn’t know that the ingredients needed for Italian Wedding Soup were already on my list. Soup seems to be a big deal around here.
I marvel at the power of a bowl of homemade soup, especially when the weather is cold. I try to keep my latest soup-creation in our refrigerator, always ready to be warmed up for lunch or a quick dinner. My mother made a delicious vegetable beef soup which was always ready for us when we walked in the door after our long drive to see her. Even when they were in their eighties, Brian’s parents used to stir up the same Lipton Noodle Soup almost every day for lunch. I guess we come by our love of soup naturally.
Don’t you think that the tasting of our food is one of the tremendous joys of living? We don’t need it to be gourmet or complicated. It just needs to be warm and flavorful, full of inviting smells wafting up from a simmering pot on the stove. Can you imagine having a hot bowl of chicken noodle soup resting in the cupped palm of your hand? The fingers of your other hand hold the rounded spoon just perfect for soup. You dip that spoon down into the savory rich broth with the meat, vegetables, and noodles, quietly speaking out a message stronger than nutrition! (Although that big guy does have a sensible voice!) Think of putting that spoonful into your mouth, slowly chewing and tasting, and then gently swallowing that mouthful of satisfying nourishment. Repeat the action all the way down to the one final slurp at the bottom of the bowl. Sigh…
This winter I have stirred up quite a few pots of soup and ladled out portions to give away. I shared with a friend who was sick, a friend who was recovering from surgery, a friend who had a baby, and our daughter who was recovering from a car accident. And with each jar that passed from my hand to the other, I prayed that comfort would come from being seen and nourished by the gentle love of Christ.
I’m guessing we have all experienced how delightful a bowl of savory soup tastes when our stomach is growling. The Bible tells us that Esau also knew. (Genesis 25:29-34) The story goes that one day when Esau came home from the wilderness exhausted and hungry, his brother, Jacob, was just putting the finishing touches on a pot of lentil stew. Esau, smelling that mouthwatering deliciousness, said, “I’m starved! Give me some of that red stew!” Well, Jacob was a trickster and decided to get something from Esau in exchange. “All right,” he replied, “but trade me your rights as the firstborn son.” And, wouldn’t you know, Esau decided that trading those very honorable rights was preferable to dying of starvation. He was very sorry afterward.
There is another way to look at God’s good provision of food and we don’t have to trade it for anything!
I came across a tribute written by Kenneth Robertson as he remembered his good friend, Rob Paris, who had that very morning died of brain cancer. He shared this story: “I’ve never known anybody who feasted on Christ like Rob. He reveled in the gospel. He delighted in seeing the connections within Scripture... One time at a Christmas party, he made such a big deal about Sarah’s white chocolate scones - with groans and shouts and whoops and hollers - that it was honestly inappropriate. But Rob wasn’t just eating scones: he was feasting on the goodness of God THROUGH those scones. He had that sacramental superpower - the ability to see through the physical sign into the spiritual significance of a person, place, or thing - like no one I’ve ever seen.” I wish I could have known Rob.
To me, that sounds like, in the words of my friend, Donna, an ALLELUIA!
So next time we sit down to enjoy a steaming bowl of marvelous soup, let’s give out a shout: “Wow, God! Thank you so much!” An “ALLELUIA!” would be the perfect AMEN. Let’s savor Christ and wholeheartedly enjoy his good gifts.
I would say that, in light of this post, a huge part of the abundant life in Christ comes through… well… soup. We who have eyes to see and tastebuds to taste, may we realize and rejoice in the goodness of God in every spoonful.