When my children were young, we tackled good eating habits. My daughter’s first birthday dessert was sugar-free, made from veggies baked into the shape of a butterfly. She enjoyed it. But that was, perhaps, her last full plate of vegetables as a child!

Parents know there’s a lifetime of benefits from eating healthy food. We persist because we’re hopeful that someday our children will enjoy healthy eating.

Food (and the festivals that often surrounded them) was a battle the early church fathers dealt with, too. The Roman Christians were a mix of Jews and Gentiles. Both had hearts that were eager to follow Jesus, but they didn’t know how food and festivals fit in. Were they to celebrate the Jewish holy days God ordained in Leviticus 23? Should they refrain from eating “unclean” foods?

“Following Jesus isn’t about party planning,” says Paul. “It’s about heart.” God’s laws have always been good. Today, we see that the foods God forbade the Jewish nation to eat gave them a gift of better health. The festivals were a gift of rest, family, and reflection. “If those things seem more like burdens than joys, then don’t partake,” Paul says.

The same goes for us. The Christian life offers some choice. When we have a God-loving heart, we can decide what is most palatable for us.