day no. 15,489: waxed fat and kicked

I was reading some of the letters of the early church fathers today and came across this

1 Clement 3:1
All honour and enlargement was given to you, and then was fulfilled that which is written: -- The beloved ate and drank, and was enlarged and grew fat and kicked.

This language comes directly from the Old Testament...

Deuteronomy 32:15
But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.

One of the dangers of growing comfortable is forgetting where the comfort came from in the first place. Ease can begin to feel like a birthright, not a blessing from above. Comfort can make one blind to the hand of providence.

“Faithfulness begat prosperity, and the daughter devoured the mother.” -- Cotton Mather

It is good to eat and drink provided it is with gratitude. Thanksgiving makes all the difference. It looks up when looking over the feast. It is satisfied before it takes a bite. And once full, it does not kick. Feeding gratitude leads to an increase of peace while feeding ingratitude leads to an increase in kicking. Give impatience more and it grows more impatience. Give patience more and it grows more patient. The heart that is already full is easily pleased, but the heart that is bent on continuous consumption is never satisfied.