MRE: "Meal Ready to Eat"

In preparing for my sermon on gluttony, I came across a very helpful picture for learning to approach food in a way that honors the Lord. In her book Glittering Vices Rebecca DeYoung discusses our military’s use of the MRE (“Meal Ready to Eat”) for troops in the field. These meals “include an entrée; crackers with cheese, peanut butter, or jelly; a dessert or snack; a dry-mix packet of cider, coffee, or hot cocoa; tiny packets of salt, pepper, and Tabasco sauce; plastic silverware and a napkin; and a flameless ration heater that, when combined with water, produces a chemical reaction hot enough to cook the entrée.”

She goes on to explain the military’s strategic design behind these meals: “the military designed MREs for the purpose of providing maximal mission support. Note, however, that even in the remote desert, utensils and a napkin are provided, serving to humanize consumption. And the fare, which includes spices and desserts, is intended to be appetizing.”

The MRE is a helpful analogy for our eating in the Christian life. Just like MREs are necessary for troops to carry out their mission, food is necessary for us to carry out our mission as witnesses for the Lord. Food is not an end in and of itself; rather, it is a means to an end. At the same time, the military also attempts to make the MRE as enjoyable as possible. In the same way, we are intended to enjoy food, yet not to the extent that it distracts from us being on mission with the Lord.