Our family had to quarantine for two weeks after we relocated. Staying at our quarantine home with two infants, a student daddy, and a mom who has many things to do meant quarantine was quite appropriate for us. I thought I could be quite useful doing other academic and non-academic stuff within the two weeks of nothingness… but it was the opposite. I found myself attending to the Scholaticas from dawn to dusk. It was a full time work. I was so busy that I questioned myself on several instances “How did I manage to finish my PhD with this lifestyle?” Till date, I have no answer. However, I am so sure that God carried me up high during the years of my study. He granted me grace to combine the different aspects of my life and still finish my studies on time. One interesting part of our quarantine was the amazing food provided for us by our host. I must confess, we were loaded with so much food that the big fridge in our kitchen was full of leftovers. The different types of dishes meant we had variety to eat every day. Our family doesn’t have specific meal preference so we flowed with the menu for one week. I particularly enjoyed my cooking break. I had been cooking three meals each day for years and the thought of being served with three meals each day without me lifting a finger was an amazing news.
Suddenly, Scholastica 1 decided not to eat any of the food from our host. The first day, we thought, “maybe she is tired”. By day two, she looked like a skinny 3-year old. We could literally count her ribs. She wouldn’t eat anything. I was shocked because she usually doesn’t have food preferences. How do we get her a Ghanaian recipe she will eat? We were not even allowed to step out of our suite. We do not even know which shops to buy from and we did not even have utensils to cook. Oh what a world! I kept telling Scholastica 1 how delicious the Canadian cakes were, the cookies, the grilled chicken, the rice, the wrap, the tacos, the nachos, the salad, the burger etc. She wouldn’t care at all. I wondered, “who will refuse these amazing foods even if they are very hungry?” Suddenly, Auntie Wendy from far away land heard our story. She knew her way around but she was 16 hours (by train) away from us. She really wanted to help. By the next morning, our order from Auntie Wendy arrived. A whole new kitchen experience, ingredients for our favorite Jollof rice, tilapia for soup and a bag of rice for a whole new cooking experience. Oh and she added a box of kitchen set, pans and spoons. In less than an hour, Mary’s amazing Jollof rice was up and running. The joy on Scholastica 1’s face said it all. She ate to her full, in less than 24 hours, her body had a turnaround. By day 2, Scholastica 1 was even searching for the chicken bones from the bin. I was overwhelmed. Why did she reject the Canadian delicacies for Auntie Wendy’s chicken bone?
The favorite Jollof Rice
The famous Canadian Nanaimo bars
As I thought about it, I was reminded of the story of Moses. He had all the delicacies of Egypt to his disposal, but he refused to be called Pharaoh’s son and thus rejected the pleasures of Egypt (see Hebrew 11:24). He rather chose to suffer with the Hebrews. Moses saw something greater than Egyptian pleasures. His assignment was to deliver the Hebrews not to enjoy the luxuries of Egypt. He risked his life to defend a Hebrew and later had to flee. Like Scholastica 1, Moses did not fancy living on the delicacies of Egypt. He wished for something more, more satisfying.
Contrary to Moses, Adam and Eve rejected all the goodies of Eden for the tree of knowledge of good and evil. They only ate it once, and the results was their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. As funny as it sound, food and faith have long been intertwined since the Garden of Eden. Jesus being aware of man’s need for food quoted that, “do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you” (John 6:27). This verse implies that beside our cravings for Canadian delights and Ghanaian Jollof rice, we should also crave for food that is eternal. Where do we find this eternal food? Jesus said “very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” (John 6: 53-58). Jesus guarantees us eternal satisfaction.
Maybe like Scholastica 1, you desire for a special delicacy and this desire cannot even be fulfilled with all the delights of Canada except Auntie Wendy’s chicken bone. We should crave for Jesus just as we crave for food. Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior?
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