Ok, so I admit it. I love to eat. Just because it doesn't show, doesn't mean it isn't so. :) I enjoy lots of healthy foods - fresh salads, strawberries and grapefruit, salmon, etc. - and I'll take whole grain breads over white just about any day of the week. BUT ...I also happen to have a weakness for things like creamy mint-chocolate-chip ice cream. Satiny cream-cheese pie with rich, red cherry-pie filling oozing over the top. Piping-hot lasagna with layer upon layer of gooey melted mozzarella cheese.
Chocolate. Potato chips. PB Fudge. Homemade macaroni and cheese. You get the idea. Lots of not-quite-so-healthy stuff.
Within reason, these things may be fine. But here's the thing. Don't we often decide what we want to eat based on what we're in the mood for at the time? Why else do we wind up filling the cart with stuff we don't need if we do our grocery shopping when we're hungry? Because we see it, and it appeals to us at the time. And if you're like me, sometime I eat because it tastes good, even if I'm not really hungry!
Hmm. So think about this: why are so many people getting sick? Finding out they have cancer? Feeling tired and sluggish? Why are there so many diet plans - protein diets; non-protein, vegetarian diets; Hallelujah; South Beach; some say eat sugar; some say don't? Research may show that chocolate is good for you; another says it's fattening. Some say it's ok to consume caffeine and coffee daily. It seems opinions keep changing. Recently, I overheard a conversation where someone made the statement that the problem with even organic produce is that the earth was still cursed because of sin. Organic foods may have bacteria instead of chemicals. Our world simply isn't perfect. All we can do is try to choose the best. So how do we know what to eat?
How about this? Instead of listening to our sweet tooth and stomach, what if we ask the Lord for wisdom? To guide our grocery lists, our menus, and our appetites. Most people agree that a lot of sugar is bad for you. So limit it. Choose fresh, choose fiber, choose natural if you can. You don't have go overboard. "All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any." 1 Corinthians 6:12. When you're in charge of the menu, learn to eat sensibly. You don't have to stock the fridge and pantry with nothing but hot dogs, ice cream, Lucky Charms, and white bread. Neither do you have to live on tofu, shredded wheat, brussel sprouts, and herbal teas (unless you just happen to like those things). If you're the guest, eat what's before you. You don't want to offend, but you don't have to heap your plate with a pile of mashed potatoes the size of Mt. Everest and buttered til it slides off your fork into your lap (possibly a slight exaggeration). And nobody's going to twist your arm, forcing you to cut a piece of cake 6 inches thick. Be reasonable. Be balanced. Enjoy in moderation. "Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand." Philippians 4:5
I think the answer can be found in Paul's statement. "...I will not be brought under the power of any." Could that be referring to our own appetites? "Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly..." Philippians 3:19. What is controlling us? Ever notice that the things we try not to eat on a diet suddenly become the things we crave? I'm talking to myself as well when I say we often live to eat rather than the other way around. We're drawn by the lust of the flesh, by a desire for what tastes good, and often eat more than we should even of good things. Remember that our bodies are the "temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" 1 Corinthians 6:19 Yet we act like they're ours, so we do what we want and eat what we want. Do you think God cares about what we eat? I think so. "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31
"And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." Galatians 5:24
"This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh." Galatians 5;19
Being filled with the Spirit, walking with God daily, can help us to control our desires instead of them controlling us.
How about taking one cookie instead of three and eating it more slowly, savoring each bite? Could we choose granola over Fruit Loops and add some fruit on top? Enjoy some delicious pizza, but keep it balanced by maybe eating less and adding lots of raw veggies on the side. Let's ask God to help us take care of our bodies, not so we will live long and prosper (though that might be an added benefit), but so we will glorify Him before others.
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