Raise your hand if you’ve ever prayed something along the lines of “Dear Lord, please bless these Cheetos to the nourishment of my body. Amen.”
Isn’t that what we do though? We want to honor our bodies, God’s dwelling place, yet we also really want that chocolate cupcake.
A friend once told me “You can’t fill your soul and your stomach at the same time.” I’m not sure that this is a true statement (I drink coffee while reading my Bible), but I do think there is some truth in there. How easy it becomes to fill those voids in life with everything but Jesus, right?
We turn to soda when we’re sad, cookies when we’re celebrating, and ice cream when we’re lonely. Would we do the same if Christ was on the couch with us?
What if we are justifying our abuse of grace with food? “Oh just this once,” “This won’t matter,” “God wants me happy.”
Or maybe we shame ourselves about our eating habits. “I’m so fat and disgusting,” “My skinny friend eats whatever she wants but I’ll always be huge,” “I will never change.”
We whisper lies to our souls in order to pacify pain.
If we really want to run from gluttony to God, there is freedom waiting. With prayer and the study of God’s Word, we learn that change is possible with Him. That He is our milk and honey that truly nourishes and satisfies in a way that no chip ever could. He is our Living Water and He can comfort us more than mac-n-cheese ever will. When we admit our weakness and ask for His help, He teaches us how to resist temptations, to savor a healthy body that is able to serve others, and to enjoy the foods that He grows.
I have experienced this firsthand. I lived on a teenage boy’s diet of starch, sugar and fat for years. I had no problem with food, or so I thought. Once my pants became tighter and tighter, I had to admit there was a problem. I cried knowing that change was required. I wanted to cling to Lucky Charms. I sought God through the pains of withdrawal from all things junk and truly struggled. I had no idea the grip that food had on me and I was determined to not only have pants that fit, but a life that was focused on the One who would teach me to care for His temple. A slow process, yes, but a worthy journey that has taught me that I am to prioritize Jesus and His people.
Let’s be honest with ourselves. Are we consumed with food? Are we obsessed it? Motivated by it? Are we eating in secret in order to hide the evidence? May we lay it at God’s feet. He already knows. And He is ready to transform us from the inside out.
This post is part of our Turn the Mic Tuesday guest series.
Debbie Wilkins Baisden is a remarried widow with 4 wild boys. Through the grace of God, she has gone from sweat hater and salad avoider to a fitness fanatic and nutrition nut. She enjoys encouraging women to discover how beautiful they already are. You can find her at
www.projectmomsanity.com, www.FitWithDeb.com, and www.DebbieWilkinsBaisden.com .
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Seriously, I was laughing at the first line and the Cheetos! So true–our flesh wants to hang onto the props we’ve found. Whether food or drink or activity or relationship–the way of the flesh want’s what it wants. Good words today!