I came across an article entitled "Pastor, You're Probably Fat: 6 Things to Do About It" over on The Resurgence website today. The idea of obesity as a spiritual problem is something that is hard for me to accept. When I go into the local Christian bookstore and see a whole section on health, I cringe. I can't help but think "how does my weight have anything to do with my walk with God?"
However, the article made a few good points (six actually...ha ha). The point that really hit home was this: "The very evidence of fat in a person’s life demonstrates that there are some spiritual areas that need attention regarding compulsions and lazy behaviors." My eating habits really do show my overall lack of discipline in my life. Most of the time when I eat out it's not because its a special occasion or a social gathering, but because I'm just too plain lazy, either to cook or to shop to get groceries. Also, I have a hard time telling my body no. I use excuses such as "I'm stressed" or "it's that time" to justify cramming my face with all sorts of unhealthy foods. Not that I feel I need to or should give up everything I like, but there comes a time for some moderation.
I still don't know if 1 Corinthians 6:19-20* really is a good Scriptural reference for dieting. I'm not buying into those "Biblical" diets out there (like the Eden diet). But I do want to have more discipline in my life, and controlling what I eat will be a major challenge. I've been toying with the idea of checking out the First Place 4 Health books, and this article may just have given me the motivation to try it.
* "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." (ESV)
1 comment:
What does your weight have to do with your walk with God? Great question! It may not have a WIT to do with it. You are right about that. If Jesus were to have only one thing he could say to me, he probably wouldn't tell me to lose weight. There are so many other things to be concerned about! :-) But here is the thing...*why* do I carry extra weight? It *may* be because I eat too much. In which case I need to look at why I eat more than I need. Is it like any other wonderful gift that God has given for us to enjoy that I have taken to excess? This is especially a good question for those who continue to eat even though they have related health problems. This is when it gets good because God is a healer! Many eat because of emotional issues. Instead of turning to God to process their emotions and circumstances, they eat...numbing or disassociating from the present moment. God is a healer (said that once...it is so true!). he wants to help me through the moment apart from my numbing out. Another reason people turn to food (and it may be related to the first one) is because of early childhood trauma. They learned to cope by eating...to comfort themselves. Sometimes, we don't learn new ways of being comforted. So we continue in the same way we did as kids. God wants to help us forgive the wounds done to us in the past. He wants to move us forward into the future and if we cooperate with him in this, we will be free from this sort of eating too. See, it all boils down to *why* we are the weight we are (including those who resort to anorexia). Are we trying to control things? Are we being greedy...maybe I need boundaries? Like when I walk into a store...I don't just help myself to the things I want. There are boundaries. So, too, I need to have boundaries to keep me from excess in my life. :-) Ok, I know you weren't actually asking anyone else's opinion. For me, after a year of excessive exercise and losing a bunch of weight with a regular diet and "discipline" I had a worse heart issue and obsession with food than ever before. So for me, eating when I am hungry and stopping when I am not takes me to the cross...constantly. I need God for it. He says "Whether you eat or drink, whatever you do, do it for the glory of God." So, I figure he must care about my *eating*. Weight? Maybe not! He never calls us to make us thin. He calls us to be HIS1 :-)
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