Who I Am

Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him to help you do it and he will. ~Psalm 37:5

We were seated at a center table in “Vegan Glory,” on Beverly Boulevard, with our friend Poppy. I was tucking into my order of Mee-Krob (crispy rice noodles, bean curd, and fried soy shrimp caramelized in a sweet sauce, garnished with bean sprouts). Teresa was happily munching away on her spring rolls stuffed with cabbage, carrot, mung bean noodles, baked tofu, and shitake mushrooms, and served with sweet & sour sauce.  

Poppy was chowing down on a Japanese Seaweed salad with a side of Miso soup. Suffice it to say, the Seaweed salad is what I fondly refer to as a “don’t ask, don’t tell dish.” 

Teresa and I do not usually eat vegan, but we are adventurous when it comes to food. So when Poppy invited us, we decided to give it a try. So far, it had proved to be unique but tasty, though the carnivore in me still felt something was missing (like a nice slice of brisket). 

“So how do you like it so far?” Poppy asked with a grin. Poppy is fifty-something, but looks thirty-something. She is slender and tall, with a glowing complexion and lustrous hair. The humorous thing about Poppy is that she is her own best caricature, looking as if she had just stepped out of a Mary Engelbreit greeting card. 

Teresa and I responded to her question by simultaneously making an “hmm-hmm” sound; our mouths still full of food. “Eating Vegan was not what you expected, huh?” she continued; taking a quick slurp of her Miso soup.

“You know, more and more of our friends are becoming vegans,” I managed to say between bites. “Are they vegans? Or do they just abstain from eating meat?” Poppy asked with a bit of an edge to the question. Missing the slight tone of irritation in her voice, “I didn’t know there was a difference,” I replied.  

Our friend patiently wiped her mouth with her napkin, carefully laid it on the table and looked at me with her luminous blue eyes glittering. “Jim, there is a big difference.” 

“Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products, in one’s diet, but also in other areas. I am a ‘lifestyle vegan.’ That means, not only do I follow a vegan diet, but I follow a vegan philosophy in all areas of my life, which includes the rejection of all animal products on the premise that the exploitation of animals is environmentally damaging.” 

I sat there stunned, feeling as if I had just been read the “Vegan Manifesto” from a pamphlet. Poppy stared at me for a moment, and then smiled. She replaced her napkin on her lap and resumed munching on her Seaweed salad, chattering happily away between bites.  

“You need to try the mango with sticky rice for dessert,” she chirped energetically, waving at the server. Though I wasn’t exactly sure what it was, I wasn’t about to ask any more questions.  

Most of us try a great many new things in the hope that the “latest thing” will make our lives better or at least make us happier. These new things may be products, diets, self-help strategies, or even philosophies, but in the long run, we rarely commit to anything new, at least for very long.  

Our faith can be like that. Many of us can quickly become “Christians of convenience” depending on the circumstances. Our Christianity becomes “something I am,” rather than “who I am.” 

Poppy made a wonderful point when she called herself a “lifestyle vegan.” As Christian Stewards one of the many gifts we receive from God is our Christian faith – a faith we are called to attend to and to pass along. It is not something we “do” just on Sundays and high holy days; it is who we are and how we live on all days.  

Just as our friend Poppy is a lifestyle vegan, we are called, by God, to be lifestyle Christians, a lifestyle which affects all aspects of our lives.  

Dear God, teach me to live the Christianity I profess.

 “Men cannot make Scripture conform to their lifestyle; they must make their lifestyle conform to Scripture.” ~Edwin Louis Cole, American founder of the Christian Men’s Network (1922-2002)

©2012 James E. Carper. All rights reserved.

“90 Second Stewardship” is a reflection on being a Christian Steward in a secular and sometimes harsh world. This reflection is written by James E. Carper of Simi Valley, California. All rights are reserved. You are welcome and encouraged to forward this e-mail to family and friends provided the”© 2012 James E. Carper. All rights reserved.” is included along with this message. Organizations, whether for or non profit, are required to receive written approval before reproducing these reflections. If written approval is given the “© 2012 James E. Carper. All rights reserved.” must be included along with this message.