Eating Vomit

DateLine (6/7/06 – King of Prussia, PA)

How repulsive! How utterly repulsive - but I witnessed it and maybe you have too. A few weeks ago I was working in my yard when I almost stepped into something. After “careful” examination I realized that our family dog had thrown up her last meal. I found out that Harriett had thrown some dated food into the woods behind our house and the dog had helped herself. A few minutes later I observed the dog eating the food for the second time (you know what I mean.) I couldn’t believe that she actually ate every bit of it again. Well it wasn’t long until I discovered that she had lost it again. And then a little later I observed that she was eating the food for the third time. For the life of me I couldn’t understand why the dog could not make the connection between eating that food and the regurgitation. Obviously she was “enjoying” the food again and again and again even though there was no way that food was going to be beneficial to her because she couldn’t keep it down.

After witnessing the disgusting events of the afternoon it dawned on me that I have observed equally revolting events being acted out in the human species. No I have never witnessed a human eating vomit, but I have observed persons who seemed to be caught in self-destructive cycles of behavior. Persons who have yielded to base temptations, reaped the self-destructive benefit, only to yield to the same temptation again; once, twice, three times, many times, sometimes a lifetime - victims of inextricable bondage.

As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly. Proverbs 26:11.

So back to the dog. As I contemplated the behavior in the dog I realized that this is to be expected. It is in the dog’s nature to do such things. Perhaps I could train it out of the dog, but given the right set of circumstances I suspect that the dog would quickly revert back to its nature. The only way to prevent the dog from such a disgusting practice is to transform its nature.

The Bible tells us that the nature of man is bankrupt, burdened down by sin. It is no wonder that some people are not able to resist temptation even when they fully realize the harm to self. As soon as they recover they stumble toward the very behavior that knocked them down, seemingly unable to break the cycle; helpless, suffering, yes, sometimes repulsive behavior. People are no different than the dog, in need of a spiritual transformation. A transformed nature is exactly what God offers through salvation. Want to break out to a new life?

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2.