Do My Preferences Come Across as Sin?

I am not a huge fan of pink. 
I don't intentionally wear it and I usually don't buy it for others. 
I love it in the flowers and the glorious skies the Lord gives us, or birds or frosting on a cupcake. 

It truly doesn't matter to me if someone else likes it. That's completely their preference. It's not a big deal. It's just a color I don't prefer to wear. 

Some of my close friends I will tease when they wear it occasionally: "Good morning, friend, nice pink shirt! Wink." It's just something to say. A silly uncommon common ground.

Just today I found out about a few young girls who haven't understood my jesting. They have innocently and sweetly thought I found something truly wrong with pink and that maybe they shouldn't be wearing it because "Cristen doesn't like it."

My heart just breaks for the wrong impression I have given to these sweet little girls. My preference was not intended to be serious in my jesting with others.

As I have pondered this today it has made me think of another issue of preference that I find to be a much bigger one and not so much jesting involved at all.

Food and all the preferences against sugar, GMOs, gluten, fast food, etc., etc.

There are many strong opinions out there about all these different types of eating or not eating. There are labels such as "Clean Eating" and lists of "Dirty Food".

I keep getting the impression that unless one believes a certain way about food, what they eat is sinful and wrong. 


Sinful against whom? Certainly not against GOD and HE is the only One I need to be concerned with sinning against.

All food has been created by the Triune God. He causes the heat and moisture to bring forth the seed into a plant. Nothing has been created by man that wasn't from something that had already been created. We cannot create something out of nothing, only God can. So therefore, I say that all food has been created by God. He allows man to change and alter things, but He is still the Creator. 

I'm glad that so many are excited about food- trying to understand where it comes from, how it's made. 
I'm saddened by the attitude that seems to say, "Look at what I discovered about food! I'm not going to eat this anymore and neither should YOU!"
That seems a bit harsh now that I see it typed out, but it's truly the impression I get whether it's intentional or not.

What we eat or choose not to eat is a preference. Regardless of what the health risks may be for my specific body, what I choose to put into my mouth is up to me. Not anyone else. 

From all this excitement about food preferences I keep getting the impression that food has become a religion, a god. I see people who seemed to be so weighted down by lists and rules and regulations of what to eat and not to eat. 

As a Christian, Christ has given us freedom. "Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." (1 Cor. 10:31)

A good friend wrote the following:

" 1 Timothy 4:4-5
For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

Nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving! If what I make is what I can reasonably afford and gives my family nourishment, even if it isn't ideal nourishment, God says it is good if it is received with thanks. If I visit a friend and they serve me food I find strange or unhealthy, I will EAT it with thanksgiving that they loved me enough to share their home and their resources to have my company for a few hours. I will only refuse something if it will lead to severe illness or death.

I am going to become the guru of thankfulness. All good things come from God. So as I shop for food, cook, garden, share with friends, I will be exercising thanks. And I am going to utterly ignore all health regimens. Food is just food; a source of nourishment and thanksgiving. And when nourishment lacks, I will think thankfully. My health and weight results may vary, but I do believe that my gratitude will only grow stronger and stronger.
1 Timothy 4:8
For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come."

I love how she so perfectly wrote this. 

"A guru of thankfulness." 

"Exercising thanks." 

"Think thankfully." 

For in this the Lord is glorified and my relationship with Him is made stronger. 

When Marty and I were first married I remember mentioning with disdain my very obvious dislike for a certain food that came from a box. He'd asked me if it was a sin for someone to eat it. I had honestly never thought that my dislike for this food came across that way because it certainly is not a sin to eat food from a box. Since then I have tried to be careful about what I say in regards to my food preferences. I have probably failed at some point without even realizing it. I may have even hurt you and for that I apologize. I'm not always very gentle in how I say things. Sometimes I'm passionate about things that someone else could care less. 

It is just food. Something I need to live but not something that needs to take the life out of me. 

So with that I encourage you to ask yourself if your preferences about food, or anything else for that matter, are coming across as sin? Are they destroying relationships? For they are just preferences.

Since having a daughter last year we have received many pink clothing items. I dress her with them in thankfulness because they were thoughtfully given to us.

Will you join me in exercising thanks? For that has much more lasting value than food, or the color pink. ;)