Somewhere along the way, we’ve gotten lost. We un-learned how to nourish our bodies. We reached for the convenient and consumed food that made us ill. Maybe not immediately; but eventually. We have developed food allergies, diabetes, chemical dependencies, and bulging waistbands. We feel bad and we want to feel better. But we also want the foods we have come to crave.
Companies are eager to sell us remedies. These products promise to help us “detox”, “lose weight”, and “rejuvenate”. For a “small fee” we are promised a heaping helping of health. Some food companies have even developed “health foods” but the taste isn’t exactly what we want or we still overindulge. We are caught in an endless cycle of trying and failing and feeling guilty until (at last) most of us just give up.
When my acquaintances sat down next to me at the airport with boxes of fried chicken, my mouth began to water. I watched as they opened the boxes and I thought, “Are you really going to eat that?” Lest the dear reader think I am a jerk, I thought this while also wishing I could “eat that.” I saw the French fries, the chicken strips and the sodas and sighed to myself. There was a time when I would have been powerless to resist such fare. But those days are over. I have reclaimed the power over my choices. And you can too.
Temptation is not a dirty word. It is not in itself evil. But it should not be dealt with lightly or made light of. Part of our problem is the way in which our culture approaches temptation; namely, that we are powerless over it or that it’s “fun” to give into it. The reality is, we give up our power when we give in to temptation.
Think of it this way, temptation is the choice we make between good and evil. Deep down in our hearts, unless we have become hardened by the deceitfulness of sin, we know what is right and what is wrong. It is right to honor God with our bodies by consuming food that nourishes rather than poisons us. It is right to eat until we are full and no further. It is evil to overindulge to our detriment. It is evil to ignore the beauty of how God created our bodies to function. The sooner we recognize these truths, the more we will begin to resist temptation.
But you say, Margaret, don’t you understand how hard it is?
Ah, but I do.
But, Margaret, you say, this is a complicated issue. I mean, I have all of these emotional issues that drive me to self-medicate with food. You are mean to say I’m evil when I don’t resist temptation.
Well, I would like to respond by saying that is a very good place to start. When we recognize our sin with food, we are then able to cry out to God for help to heal us of our sin. God not only wants to heal us of past sin, but the sin we are prone to commit. When we yield/surrender to Him, he will give us the strength to resist temptation by His Holy Spirit. If you do not believe this, repent. After all, this is what God’s word says and I believe every word in the bible is true.
I read an article recently in the Wall Street Journal titled, “I Beat Addiction Without God.” The title provoked me but also piqued my curiosity. How did she do it? The author, Mary Beth O’Connor, said she made better choices, formed healthy habits and sought the help of a therapist. At the end of the article she writes, “Being forced to find my own path ultimately made me stronger. My pain never has been eradicated, but I can bear what remains. Despite jitters, I’m always looking to the next goal.” I commend her on sobriety. It takes grit to make good choices and fight temptation. But I am also sad to see she has “pain that has never been eradicated.” Jesus came to save us from our sin—and yes, to finally eradicate all of our pain. While we may not experience a painless existence in our lifetime, His promise is to return for us and wipe every tear from our eyes. Heaven is the place we will taste, touch and feel a sinless existence to the glory of God. His promises are not like human promises—here today, gone tomorrow. Therefore, if we believe and trust Jesus, we know we will one day have perfect bodies that weep no more.
Ms. O’Connor is still forming goals as coping mechanisms. She does not have ultimate peace. And, I found it interesting that two professors (Em. Prof. William R. Miller and Em. Prof. Harold D. Delaney wrote in a response that acknowledged, yes, people are able to recover without faith in God, but, “even if people believe that God wasn’t present in their healing, it isn’t necessarily so.”
The Apostle Paul once spoke in front of the Areopagus and said, “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples built by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.” (Acts 17:24-25)
So, you ask, what does all this have to do with eating food that is unhealthy?
I’m glad you asked that question!
God created each one of us for a purpose. Our main purpose is to glorify Him in all things. How do we do that? We enjoy the good food he has given us to eat and reject that which harms our bodies. And that is why I did not consume any of the food I saw (and smelled!) in the Charlotte, NC airport. I thoroughly enjoyed eating my blueberries and pistachios in front of my chicken toting friends without a hint of judgement or self-righteousness. I simply knew that the temptation to eat things that would harm my body was real and I prayed that God would give me the strength to resist. I did this because I have learned through habit that fried and hyper processed foods make me ill. This is not a complicated choice—though it can be filled with emotion. I thank God for the strength and fortitude to lose the excess weight and continue to make healthy choices. It is only by His grace that I continue to succeed.
Next time… Examining labels: What is in the Food I eat?
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