A Little Leaven

I recently discovered that I have a significant gluten intolerance. I’ve suffered with a variety of strange ailments over the last few years, most of which I have associated with my low thyroid condition. However, some symptoms actually seemed to be completely antithetical to hypothyroid. As I’ve read about Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, I’ve learned many experts suggest avoiding gluten as part of managing this auto-immune thyroid condition.

Over the years, I’ve tried to limit my gluten. However, a few months ago I began to really see the connection between my symptoms and gluten. I made the decision to begin detoxing from all gluten products.

It was this detox process that made the connection so clear.

One day, after a period without gluten, I broke down and had a few pasta noodles and a small piece of bread. That night, I found myself lying awake most of the night, something I hadn’t done since going gluten-free. The next day, I was absolutely miserable. It was then I began to see the direct connection between my symptoms and gluten.

I continued the process of elimination. Much to my surprise, the more gluten-free I ate, the more very small amounts began to affect me. Where I used to be ok eating a Chick-Fil-A chicken strip, I found that even a small amount of breading had a significant effect on how I felt. I determined to go completely gluten-free.

If you’ve never tried to eliminate something like gluten, you really can’t understand how these tiny particles can be completely hidden. Flour is often used as a thickener in everything from spices to gravy, and it can be found in all kinds of foods. I think the hardest for me is spices. I was making tacos one night and just happened to look at the ingredients on my taco seasoning. I fed my family tacos while I looked for an alternative dinner.

Last week, I found a simple (and delicious) chicken tortilla soup. I made a crockpot full of soup and ate only one small bowl. The next morning, I began racking my brain trying to figure out what I had eaten that had sent my system into a tailspin. I finally looked at the chicken bouillon I had added to the soup. To my surprise, the bouillon was marked as “may contain…wheat.” I added four small bouillon cubes to an entire pot of soup, ate one bowl, and the bouillon that “may contain” gluten permeated that entire pot leaving me miserable!

Yes, a very small amount of gluten had left my meal completely toxic to my body.

You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth?  It certainly isn’t God, for he is the one who called you to freedom.  This false teaching is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough!  I am trusting the Lord to keep you from believing false teachings. God will judge that person, whoever he is, who has been confusing you. Galatians 5:7-10

My experience with gluten gives me a better understanding of Paul’s words parable about yeast. You see, just as it takes a very small amount of gluten to wreak havoc on my body, a small amount of yeast also permeates bread dough. If you’ve ever made bread, you know that yeast is a minor ingredient used in bread dough. The amount of yeast you use is tiny in comparison to the other ingredients!

But what does Paul mean in this passage?

Jesus knows the religious leaders of His day are heaping rules on people, rules that are based in scripture and yet actually reduce something intended to create beauty and freedom into nothing more than a facade that creates bondage. While Jesus teaches pure and unadulterated love, grace, and commitment to God, the religious leaders have twisted God’s plan into a works-based salvation. While Jesus is busy adhering to the spirit of the law and building a relationship with people and the Father, the religious leaders are busy building a religion. While Jesus is setting people free, the religious leaders are creating a religious system that requires strict adherence to a set of man-made rules.

But how does this teaching apply to us? We don’t walk around creating rules and keeping people in bondage.

Or do we?

I can tell you that most of my life, I adhered to a set of rules about drinking, smoking, drugs, divorce, dancing, sex–and all those other religious rules. I wouldn’t even start to say these are good things, but can I tell you that people who drink can still get to heaven? My personal conviction is that alcohol has no place in my life, but I have people dear to me who don’t have a problem with an occasional drink. What about music? I personally choose to limit what I listen to because it helps me keep my mind stayed on Christ. Does that mean my daughter–a musician–is less of a Christian because she listens to all genres of music? Absolutely not! Her heart is pure and completely committed to God!

Oh friends! We have to be so cautious about how we portray Christ and the Christian life! Stories abound these days about how oppressive Christianity–religion in general–is! These teachings are the yeast (or the gluten) that has permeated our teachings, creating a system of religion that keeps people bound rather than the relationship with the God of the universe that sets us free! And it doesn’t take much to poison the entire batch of bread!

So how do we guard against the yeast of the Pharisees? How do we build a life on scripture without letting false teachings slip in?

We study scripture. We look at the context–scriptural and cultural. We compare all scripture against the entire cannon of scripture.

We ask God to illuminate truth. We ask God to open our eyes to any teaching that has been passed as truth but is simply a human interpretation of scripture. We listen carefully to His voice.

We hold to the essentials. Jesus Christ, crucified and raised to new life. Salvation by faith alone. Love as the foundation of Christianity. Freedom in Jesus Christ.

We extend grace in non-essentials. Where scripture is gray or there is room for error, we extend grace to others who may believe differently. We understand that individuals should always come before institutions. We remove the plank from our own eye before we try to remove the splinter from our neighbor’s eyes.

We get so close to Jesus that He guides us into the fullness of Christ.

Friends, don’t let your Christian witness be affected by a little yeast–or a little gluten. It’s amazing the damage that can happen when we let even just a little in. Guard your heart carefully.