To nearly everyone who lives in a developed country, food is a relatively trivial expense. We no longer have to spend all day working just to earn our next meal. Instead, we can spend time pursuing what really matters in life – or we can spend time chasing trivialities. The things which are valuable in our lives are no longer spelled out for us; we can define for ourselves what is important and what is not. However, most people end up making poor choices.
We can choose to be generous, or we can choose to be selfish. We can choose to be kind, or we can choose to be rough. We can choose to help others, or we can choose to help ourselves. We can choose to be honest, or we can choose to be deceitful. We can choose to be happy with what we have, or we can choose to envy what someone else has. We can choose to be charitable towards others, or we can choose to slander them.
In John chapter 12, Jesus said, “The light is with you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, or else darkness will overtake you. People who walk in the darkness don’t know where they are going. Believe in the light while you have it, so that you can become children of light.” Jesus was specifically talking about his limited time on earth, but what he said remains relevant: if we do not become children of light, then darkness will overtake us.