When studying the country of Liberia in the sunday school class that I taught we discovered that one of the delicacies you might be served in Liberia if you were a guest is fish eyes! An exotic delicacy that is given to visitors or to be eaten on special occassions. Imagine the surprise of my class when I managed to produce some "fish eyes" for us to practice our missions etiquette.
1 Corinthians 10:27
If some unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience.
1 Tim 4:4-5
For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude;
for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.
Luke 10:8
"Whatever city you enter and they receive you, eat what is set before you;
We talked about how it felt when you went to a lot of trouble to give a gift to someone or to cook something for someone and you wanted to bless them and they said "no thanks" or somehow rejected your gift.
Then out came the plate of "fish eyes" to test our obedience to God. We would pretend we were missionaries in Liberia and someone was offering us fish eyes... One lone girl stood bravely to eat a fish eye for Jesus!!! Her face scrunched and grimaced but she did it.
Boldly, I popped one in my mouth to show the class how brave I was.....mmm ... delicious.....
I had one slight advantage over my class. I had bought and peeled those grapes myself!! I knew they weren't fish eyes. They were delicious grapes without their skins!!! Because they expected the food to taste bad, it did!
When they discovered my ruse there was "hell to pay" .... and then they forgave me and ate all the grapes.
I think God was smiling because many years later when I sat in a Masai village "chewing" on goats liver which is considered an extreme honor to be served.... I think he was remembering my teaching!!
A partially peeled grape!
A fish eye!
1 Corinthians 10:27
If some unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience.
1 Tim 4:4-5
For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude;
for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.
Luke 10:8
"Whatever city you enter and they receive you, eat what is set before you;
We talked about how it felt when you went to a lot of trouble to give a gift to someone or to cook something for someone and you wanted to bless them and they said "no thanks" or somehow rejected your gift.
Then out came the plate of "fish eyes" to test our obedience to God. We would pretend we were missionaries in Liberia and someone was offering us fish eyes... One lone girl stood bravely to eat a fish eye for Jesus!!! Her face scrunched and grimaced but she did it.
Boldly, I popped one in my mouth to show the class how brave I was.....mmm ... delicious.....
I had one slight advantage over my class. I had bought and peeled those grapes myself!! I knew they weren't fish eyes. They were delicious grapes without their skins!!! Because they expected the food to taste bad, it did!
When they discovered my ruse there was "hell to pay" .... and then they forgave me and ate all the grapes.
I think God was smiling because many years later when I sat in a Masai village "chewing" on goats liver which is considered an extreme honor to be served.... I think he was remembering my teaching!!
A partially peeled grape!
A fish eye!
Comments
Goat's liver, yum.
Love Susan