Chitlin' Circuit

Why do we tend to continue on with a way of life or a way of thinking, when God has moved on to bigger and better things?

One thing I never learned how to do nor did I ever care to learn is how to clean a chitterling aka chitlin’.   It’s not that I haven’t eaten them, in fact, I enjoy them thoroughly when I do; but I never had intentions on eating them regularly.  They are good for the Holidays and special occasions but my palate never quite got around to capitulating to those type(s) of cuisine – such as the liking's of “innards” or “entrails” e.g. livers, gizzards, and the aforementioned chitterlings. 

I never quite got both of my feet off of the platform, because I have dangled off the side-rails of the ‘Chitlin’ Circuit” because it is a part of my heritage, but so is the blight of slavery and that sour taste has never left the mouths of our ancestors and neither has it left ours.  No one wants to return to slavery, so why should we return to or rather continue on in those same degrading traditions.  Homage you say?  We can honor the memories of those that went the hard way before us in other ways other than eating the discarded entrails that weren't fit to be eaten by animals, let alone a slave coming in from a hard day of sun-up to sun-down torment – not work ­– because to call it work, meant that someone was getting paid.

God offers us a better choice and I want it! For a slave living on dirt floors, wearing rags and going barefoot most of the time, innards will sustain you and fill your belly.  As the old folks like to put it, “A belly-full is a belly full”.  And was the pigs slop would have been sustenance enough for the Prodigal Son, but he came to himself and realized that in his Father’s house the servants had enough and then some to spare.

Many who came before us traveled and performed on the proverbial ‘Chitlin Circuit’, artist we even know of today who are prominent in business, such as @TylerPerry.  However, just because we start off that way doesn't mean that we have to stay that same course.  Tyler Perry could have remained doing small venues but he realized that he didn't have to remain where he was in order to remain relevant or to “keep it real”. 

If I never ate another chitlin’, it wouldn't be the death of me; I instead would make the case that continuing to eat them may very well be the death of me.

The God that I serve is more than enough; darn sure he’s more than chitlins’.