The smell of spices wafted towards me, distracting me from my date’s prayer until he said, “God, thank you for giving Thai food to humanity.”

I choked on my saliva as I tried to hold back a laugh. In one sentence his prayer shattered the sombre Christianity that creeps around America. In thanking God for the heap of rice noodles between us, my date was paying homage to the Grand Chef who injected flavor and fun into the necessity of eating.

This incident reminded me that I need to make room in my prayers for Pad Thai…and electric blankets and Mozart’s concertos and when the Buckeye’s win (if I was an Ohio State fan).

Photo courtsey of Luca Nebuloni via flickr.com

Too often my prayers–and my spirituality–fixate on the abstract. I know God wants me to pray, but does he really care if I love swing dancing? I know he wants me to forgive, but does it matter to him whether I appreciate the artistry in one of Emily Dickinson’s poems?  

The sheer variety of things we enjoy in the world around us tells us something about the importance of our bodies–and God’s interest in them.  

For some reason, though, we Christians distrust our bodies. We blame them for our lust and gluttony and we flirt with the belief that our bodies hold us back. If we could just get rid of our DNA, we would find it easier to please God. 

But, the Bible refutes this type of gnosticism, even when it’s dressed in a Sunday coat and tie. According to the Genesis 1:31, God called our humanity–including our bodies–“very good”, and he never revoked that.

So, let’s celebrate our embodied humanity and remember to thank God for Pad Thai.