Field Reports: Pieces of my journey: John the Baptist and me

posted by Emily, on July 5th, 2011
tagged in: daily life, food

John the Baptist and me

by Emily Stockton

I wish I had thought to tell them ahead of time that I didn’t eat locusts, but I didn’t.

The Chinese couple had invited me to their home for dinner. I was the only guest. And they had bought a huge bag of locusts in honor of my visit.

The sautéed delicacies arrived heaped upon a plate. I smiled, genuinely delighted at their generosity if not their choice of dishes. Locusts are expensive.

My mind quickly pulled up the facts about locusts as I knew them. In the speedy thought process that panic affords, I accessed the situation:

• John the Baptist ate them. If only I had honey.
• I’d seen many Chinese people eat them with the same joyful abandon that I display when I eat a Snickers bar.
• I was not aware of anyone dying from eating them.
• I would almost certainly survive.

I had eaten a sautéed scorpion once, and it had tasted like a McDonald’s French fry. This would be easy.

I was wrong.

I popped the smallest locust on the plate into my mouth, expecting to eat it quickly, all at once. I shuddered inwardly as I realized that locusts lacked crunch. The soft, chewy little locust wasn’t going down fast enough for me.

I finally got it down. I remember striving to be a gracious guest for my gracious hosts. How can I share the love of God with them if I have offended them and their culture? I thanked them for thinking highly enough of me to serve such an expensive delicacy. And I meant it.

Honestly, I don’t eat bugs much. I’ve never been offered another bug since that time. But for the sake of Christ’s name, I commit to eating even those things I don’t recognize.

Though I falter at times, I have resolved to set aside my pride, my traditions, my clothing preferences, my home culture, and my diva-like attitude to bend to the culture of the people God has sent me to serve.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.” 1 Cor. 9:22 (NASB).

Eating a locust is a small concern in the grand hierarchy of sacrifices a person can make for the King of Kings.

Jesus died for me. There’s nothing He has asked of me in this journey that has been too hard to do.

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