Snapshots: Food For Thought ~ Bacon

Friday, October 7, 2011

Food For Thought ~ Bacon

I love bacon.

There I said it. Confession is good for the soul!

I love crisp bacon on salads, baked potatoes, hamburgers, on the side of my breakfast and in my BLTs. I love the smoky flavor. I love the smell of cooking bacon in the air. I love the salty taste.

But that is the pretty side of bacon.

I don't love the ugly side of bacon. The side of bacon that is less than appetizing.

I don't love the grease on the glass stovetop, the streaks as I try to wipe it away, the splattered spots on the oven control panel that smear and smudge. I don't love the left-over grease in the pan. I don't love the residual "old bacon" smell that lingers in the air. I don't love the metabolic results of eating bacon ... salt-induced water retention and additional ounces on the scale.

It's a love-hate relationship!

My words are just like bacon. Sometimes they are delicious, while other times they are ... well, let's just say they're less than tasty.

Sometimes my words are hearty and filling ~ just the encouragement someone needs to hear in the middle of a tough spot.
Sometimes they are slick and greasy ~ saying just what they want to hear in order to feel better ... and to earn me a pat on the back.

Sometimes my words are tasty little morsels ~ reinforcing some other great truth my reader already knows.
Sometimes they are sharp and hard to swallow ~ spoken at the wrong time, at the wrong place, and in the wrong spirit.

Sometimes my words resonate in the air ~ reminding my hearers of my love and affection.
Sometimes my words hang heavily in the air ~ nagging my hearers to "step it up", "get it together", "stay in line", "listen to me".

Sometimes my words are seasoned with grace ~ speaking love and inspiration.
Sometimes my words are lacking in flavor ~ speaking to hear myself speak.

⁶ Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person. (Colossians 4:6)

Who knew that bacon could be such an inspiration?!?

Not only is it delicious, but it's also a hands-on reminder to me of the power of my words. Whether I am speaking to my husband, my kids, my family or friends, I want my words to be appetizing, flavorful, scrumptious. They should be seasoned well with grace and love and truth.

And if I speak well ... they will be coming back for seconds!

In true form for my Friday Food For Thought, here is an Italian Bacon Lettuce & Spinach sandwich we enjoyed recently. Not only can you savor the truth of the importance of delicious words, but you can delight in a tasty sandwich, too!

Italian BLS Sandwiches

1 loaf french bread, sliced
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 lb bacon, cooked
2 cups fresh baby spinach
Pesto, here is my recipe

Fresh ingredients

Toast the bread and assemble the sandwiches as usual, spreading the pesto on generously in place of mayonnaise. Pretty simple, but a nice change from the usual BLT! We served ours with crispy steak fries ... delicious!