on grace and eating gluten-free.

Almost two weeks ago, I realized that I was gluten-intolerant.  I knew that I was lactose-sensitive, but I still felt sick all the time.  I didn't know what else to try, so I cut gluten out of my diet in addition to eating lactose-free.  Since then, I feel like a brand new person.  I'm not sick, I have more energy, and I just feel better overall.  However, I have also been learning that it's hard to be gluten-free and lactose-free.  Food is more expensive, I can't eat things that I love to eat, and I can't always share the meal that my family or friends are eating.  It's frustrating, but it's mostly just overwhelming, especially when I focus on what I can't eat rather than what I can eat.  But in my best moments, I can see eating gluten-free and lactose-free as a practice of grace.

In Communion, we practice receiving Christ's grace.  He knows how we have sinned and how we have failed, but he gives us life and grace anyway.  Communion is the tangible, physical way of receiving that grace.  Now, when I eat, I know that my body cannot digest gluten and lactose properly, but rather than getting frustrated and ignoring these two intolerances and eating whatever I want, I can be gracious to my body.  I can feed myself foods that my body can digest, foods that make me feel good and live well.  It is a way for me to care for my body and take care of my body in the most basic sense.