I confess anxiety about discussing the topic of eating. People easily feel condemned or embrace self-rejection, but we should be motivated to healthy eating by love for God and others. During the holiday season we are especially tempted to unhealthy eating.
God cares about our bodies and wants us to take good care of them. He loves the physical world he created and the human body is the marvelous pinnacle of his material creation. When we eat too much and become overweight then we are harming our God-given bodies. The same goes for the habit of eating unhealthy food. You can find endless studies about the negative health effects of being overweight or eating unhealthy including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and an increased probability of neurological disease. Being overweight is also hard on the bodies’ joints and hinders needed exercise.
Proverbs warns against gluttony (overeating): “A companion of gluttons shames his father” (Pro. 28:7, ESV). Proverbs 23:19-21 groups gluttons with drunkards:
Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way. Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat, for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags. (ESV)
Being controlled by one’s stomach is a trait of those who do not abide in Christ. “Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things” (Phil. 3:18-19, NIV). Our stomach may not be our “god” but is it our favorite voice? How much do we live for the pleasure of tasting food?
Leaders especially need to set a good example. Isn’t it a defeat that something as lifeless as food should overcome a sincere Christian? Honoring God in the way we eat is just as important as honoring God with anything else we do with our body. “You were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies” (2 Cor. 6:20, NIV). We can overcome because as believers we have the power to conquer unhealthy eating habits. We have the Holy Spirit who gives us self-control (Gal. 5:23).
We also have a higher responsibility to our spouse, our children, our congregation, our neighbors, other friends and unbelievers to preserve ourselves well so that we have full capacity to bless them. If a spouse is careless about their eating and their weight, then are they not harming their spouse by injuring their own health, even if it is many years until their neglect causes disease? If our neglect leads to early disability or death, then are we not guilty of depriving our spouse of years of enjoyment that God wanted to give them through us? This is in addition to the harm to the general attractiveness of the human body.
Breaking bad eating habits is not easy, but if you make this a top priority you will make progress. In fact, this is an opportunity for substantial Spiritual growth because it teaches about ourselves and about how God changes our habits and Christforms us. All our weaknesses are opportunities to learn more about cooperating with Christformation. If you adopt the mindset that this is a valuable opportunity to be embraced, then you will make it easier on yourself.
Begin by taking the usual wise steps. Spend time in prayer placing your dependence on the Spirit of God and keep yourself in this mindset daily. Make every effort to deal with root issues behind your unhealthy eating; reject emotional eating and eating out of boredom. Stop eating before you feel full. Experts recommend weighing yourself daily. Try fasting one day a week in order to break your attachment to food. Do not castigate yourself when you fail.
Remember to keep your gaze on Jesus. Admit that eating is a problem and let your friends know that you want to make progress. Invite them to encourage you and hold you accountable. If possible, find a Christian support group and a counselor.
Learn to eat a healthy diet such as a Mediterranean-style diet. Break your attachment to sugar both for the sake of your physical health and for the crucifixion of disordered appetites. Cut off all the daily paths that normally lead you to unhealthy eating. Find a healthy soothing activity to replace the pleasure you received from unhealthy eating. Meditate and focus on Scripture in order to strengthen your spirit.
If you have, or lean towards, an eating disorder such as binging, purging, or anorexia then find professional help. Also, try to find an emotional healing ministry that will deal with root issues, or at least go through the Renovation Prayer and the Guide to Defeating Self-Rejection described earlier in this book. Usually, there is some childhood pain that needs to be healed through forgiveness and self-acceptance.
Finally, all of us need to remember to have grace for those who struggle with unhealthy eating. There is no room for condemnation. We do not know what people have been through. Some have lived through horrendous childhoods that we can’t even imagine and food was the least destructive way they knew to get through the pain.
