ROCKWALL, TX (Nov. 9, 2026) Spain won the recent World Cup Final, but another winner also took the spotlight—ranch dressing.
Over a million international fans attended 2026 soccer games held in the US, which meant plenty of business for casual restaurants and sports bars during their stay. That’s a lot of chicken wings.
News clips during those weeks featured not only visitors’ delightful discovery of ranch dressing (largely unknown in other countries) but also their astonishment over huge food portions in America. They won’t forget the free drink refills, either.
I’m wondering, though, if the foreigners flew home with less enthusiasm over the food quality here. Our country is notorious for foods that contain non-nutrient additives, preservatives, and flavor enhancers. This is a problem since life is largely about eating. If we live to be 70 and eat approximately 2.5 times per day, this amounts to 63,875 meals!
Our bad food habits might include too many snacks, mostly sweet or salty comfort foods we later regret eating. And it seems we look for every possible opportunity to celebrate someone or something at events that offer an abundance of food and drink.
I may be overly concerned about food quality. I watch social media videos about processed and packaged foods with ingredients and chemicals that trigger the brain’s pleasure response. So, I pay more for backyard chicken eggs, buy organic meats and produce, and spend extra time in the store reading food dates and ingredients. These are healthy choices, but I don’t want to be consumed by this self-focus.
Do we sometimes prioritize food preference over family members, debating or even arguing over what or where to eat? Jesus showed a better perspective. He ate and drank at some well-laden tables, yet his interest centered on people, not the feast itself. Religious leaders accused him of being “a glutton and a winebibber; a friend of tax collectors and sinners!” (Luke 7:34*). But Jesus said, “Life is about more than food, …do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind….But seek the kingdom of God” (Luke 12:23, 29, 31).
Instead of being overly anxious about what goes into our mouths, Jesus says we should be concerned with what comes out of our mouths, evil thoughts and desires that come from the heart (Matthew 15:18, 19). (Ephesians 5:3 – 5 says an “unclean person” has no inheritance in the kingdom of God.)
We should rightly enjoy eating and drinking since every good gift is from the Father above (James 1:17), but we’re prone to overindulgence. A doom-and-gloom outlook in addition to our relatively prosperous times might be one factor here. To alleviate worries about the future, we seek to escape through temporary comforts.
Jesus described troubles that will come upon the earth before his return: wars, earthquakes, famines, pestilences, and fearful sights, distress of nations, the sea and waves roaring, (Luke 21:10 – 12, 25). He then addressed his followers who will live in these times: “Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, … Watch therefore, and pray always” (21:34, 36).
Our hunger and thirst throughout life is a physical analogy of our spiritual need, which God alone can fill. “I am the bread of life,” Jesus said. “He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).
God’s abundant supply of his own presence is our better comfort food and our greatest escape.
*Quoted verses from the New King James Bible
Faith Columnist Patti Richter writes and edits Christian faith articles and has co-authored Signs of His Presence: Experiencing God’s Comfort in Times of Suffering.
Read more of her essays at BlueRibbonNews.com.
Patti Richter On Faith: Comforted by More Than Food and Drink added by Editor on
View all posts by Editor →