The most popular soda in the US is Coca-Cola. That should come as no surprise to anyone. Coke has almost 20 percent of the soft drink market. If you are curious here is the top ten list of sodas in the US by popularity.
Coke
Dr Pepper and Pepsi
Sprite
Diet Coke
Mountain Dew
Coke Zero
Diet Pepsi
Fanta
Canada Dry Ginger Ale
Although coke has been at the top for virtually forever, in the mid 1980’s the company saw its market share slowly decline. So they decided to do something drastic. They reformulated the drink, passed it through taste tests with a lot of people, and replaced the old formula with a new one. It was referred to as “new Coke,” and was the first time in 99 years that they changed the formula. The whole thing lasted 79 days. During that time there was tremendous backlash from angry coke fans. One person drove to a bottling company and bought $1000 worth of the old coke so he could maintain his stock. Others picketed the Atlanta headquarters with signs saying “We want the real thing,” and “Our children will never know refreshment.” The outcry worked and later that year “Coke Classic” was brought back to the store shelves.
The only reason people hoarded old coke was because it was no longer available. You didn’t see this behavior before when it was everywhere. This speaks to the human condition. We want things more when we can’t have them. I am guilty of this myself. Sometimes I find myself craving a Chick Fil A chicken sandwich, only to be reminded that the day is Sunday and the stores are not open. What if Chick Fil A suddenly decided to not serve breakfast on Friday mornings? I bet that’s when I would want it most.
McDonalds went through this too, when Lou Groen opened a franchise in Monfort Heights, Ohio back in 1959. He didn’t think about the fact that the neighborhood had a lot of Catholic people in it. That was significant because many Catholics abstained from eating meat on Fridays or during Lent. And in 1959 that was about the only thing you could order at McDonalds. Groen noticed a rival restaurant across the street continued to have a big business and he found out why: they offered a fish sandwich. Fish was fair game for Catholics on Fridays and during Lent, so there was not a problem with them eating there. So Groen responded by putting his own fish sandwich on the menu. Once he got approval from corporate, the Filet-O-Fish sandwich was born. That moved saved his franchise.
I am sure that practicing Catholics would have loved to have a hamburger during Lent, but they just couldn’t do it. But we all are like that with a lot of things. Imagine what it would be like for you to lose something dear to you and then suddenly you find it again. You would be pretty happy about that right? Or what if you temporarily lost track of your child in a busy park? You might panic about that until you found him or her again. When you do you are so relieved and happy. But the net effect in either case is zero. You had the lost item (or child) at the beginning of the day, and you also have it (or your child) at the end of the day. The sum is zero, but your mood is greatly improved.
We don’t know what we’ve got, till we lose it.
Welcome to fasting.
In the Old Testament, fasting was often associated with prayer, mourning, and repentance.
Joel 2:12
“Even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
The New Testament is similar but fasting is used for spiritual preparation. Recall Jesus fasting in the wilderness before he began his ministry. Jesus spoke about the practice too, because for some people the practice itself became more important than what it was supposed to be for.
Matthew 6:16-18
16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Fasting, if you choose to do it, is supposed to make you grateful. It reminds you of the things you have and of the blessings you have been given. And great things can happen when your focus moves away from thinking of what you don’t have to being grateful for what you do. Food tastes better when we have hungered for it. Fasting is done because it gives people a chance to shift their focus back to God.
Food for thought.
God Bless