I'm no athlete, but I can usually muster up enough energy to do what my trainer requires for the 30 or 40 minutes she has control of my life. Recently, though, I had a day when I just couldn't do it. When I searched for that energy reserve I depend on to jog that 30 seconds at 5 MPH or hold that forearm plank for "just one more minute," there was nothing. My trainer wondered if something was wrong. To which I responded: "I guess I'm just 'off my feed' today."
Blank stare. She had no idea what I was talking about.
Having grown up in Kentucky, I lived in horse country. Horses were a regular part of our lives. And horse-related idioms were laced throughout our conversations. Yes, we said all the ones most people know ---Like "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink." And "He won hands down." Or "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth." And even, "That's a horse of a different color."--- But we also said horsey things like, "He's a mudder." A phrase, always used as a compliment, that meant a person could succeed in difficult circumstances (the way some race horses do on muddy tracks).
Being "off my feed" meant I wasn't feeling my best but didn't know why, like a horse that refused the oats in its feed bag because it had some as-yet-undefined illness or problem.
There's a similar situation in this week's Lectionary scripture from the 1st letter to the Corinthians. The Apostle Paul expresses his frustration over the fact that the believers living in Corinth are not eating as they should, spiritually speaking.
He laments that, at this point in time, they should already be eating the spiritual food of mature believers, but that they are still on baby food.
In other words, he has a lot he could teach them about living the life of a believer, but won't even try because they are being willfully immature. He points out that they are competing with each other over who is the most spiritual, and are basing that on which servant of God led them to the Lord.
Idioms can be useful in explaining our situations, in telling someone about themselves or others. But only if we understand the reference. Paul used a reference that anyone living in Corinth would readily understand: babies nurse, grown-ups eat adult food.
If we want to continue maturing on this spiritual journey, we're going to have to set aside the behaviors that make us remain spiritually childish. The Corinthian letters are chock full of examples of what behaviors we should stop doing.
And that's straight from the horse's mouth.
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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany (February 12, 2017)
http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/lections.php?year=A&season=Epiphany
Deuteronomy 30:15-20
Psalm 119:1-8
1 Corinthians 3:1-9
Matthew 5:21-37
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Lectionary Breakfast continues at the Waco "Egg and I" restaurant. We start at 8:00, Friday morning, and are pretty much done around 9:00. Scripture, prayer, discussion, laughter: these are our usual activities.
And eating, of course, though I can't recall anyone hungry enough to eat a horse.
Blessings,
Steve
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