Showing posts with label eating. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eating. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Down with overeating
If combating the temptation to overeat, starve gluttony out of your way of thinking by not feeding it with compliance, passivity or mindlessness.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Eating what is before you - Part III
This continues our discussion started Monday on eating what is put before you…
I’ve heard those words, “Eat what is put before you,” so many times over the years and in the context of a Biblical command that I figured I was sacrilegious or disobedient to God if I didn’t obey them! This has caused me much grief.
It was an eye opener when I went to the Bible and studied the words in context.
When Paul wrote those words he was addressing Christian’s concerns about eating food that had been sacrificed to idols.
Eating food as part of a heathen sacrifice was worshipping the idol to whom the food was made. For a Christian to participate in that activity was to essentially nullify his allegiance to Christ and worship idols instead, in the eyes of the public watching him, anyway.
Part of the problem for Christians, was, that some of this sacrificed food would end up in the marketplace as common food, and a buyer would have no idea whether it was sacrificed or not. What then?
Paul addressed this fear when he wrote,
“Whatsoever is sold in the shambles [marketplace], that eat, asking no question for conscience sake: For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof.”(I Cor 10:25,26)
I find great freedom from stringent dietary rules in studying the deep metaphysical meaning of these verses.
What I see here is, that Paul knew only one God, and that all of creation, including the animals, belonged to God. There were no other gods, and any meat sacrificed to what nonbelievers called gods was not any less safe than regular meat because there were no other powers. There was only one God, divine Love. So, if a Christian unknowingly bought sacrificed meat in the marketplace and ate it, he would not be in trouble with God. The meat was no less dangerous to eat than unsacrificed meat. It was just meat.
And then Paul addressed the issue of eating at a nonbeliever’s home, with verses that included those infamous words, “whatsoever is set before you, eat…”
He wrote,
“If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake.” (I Cor 10:27)
Wow! Talk about breaking the rules… All kinds of questions could arise when invited to an idol-worshipper’s home. What if the meat served was sacrificed? What if it was unclean? What if…what if…what if…?
Have you ever entertained a barrage of "What if..." questions? Like, “What if this food is too fattening, too caloric, too much cholesterol, and on and on and on…???
Anyway, I’m getting off track…
I don’t think Paul is telling his reader to purposely indulge in bad eating habits. He’s allaying fears about the food one might consume from being a guest in a nonbeliever’s home. He isn’t laying out a dictum of “Always eat everything on your plate.” Far from it! He’s addressing fears about whether the food presented is sacrificed to idols or not.
I find this translation from The Message very helpful.
“If a nonbeliever invites you to dinner and you feel like going, go ahead and enjoy yourself; eat everything placed before you. It would be both bad manners and bad spirituality to cross-examine your host on the ethical purity of each course as it is served. On the other hand, if he goes out of his way to tell you that this or that was sacrificed to god or goddess so-and-so, you should pass. Even though you may be indifferent as to where it came from, he isn't, and you don't want to send mixed messages to him about who you are worshiping.”
So, there you have it. Paul’s words “whatsoever is put before you, eat…” is not the same as “Eat everything on your plate, always, that’s the law, no exceptions.”
Whew, what a relief!!
So, I can say “No” when it’s time to stop eating whether my plate is empty or not.
I’ve heard those words, “Eat what is put before you,” so many times over the years and in the context of a Biblical command that I figured I was sacrilegious or disobedient to God if I didn’t obey them! This has caused me much grief.
It was an eye opener when I went to the Bible and studied the words in context.
When Paul wrote those words he was addressing Christian’s concerns about eating food that had been sacrificed to idols.
Eating food as part of a heathen sacrifice was worshipping the idol to whom the food was made. For a Christian to participate in that activity was to essentially nullify his allegiance to Christ and worship idols instead, in the eyes of the public watching him, anyway.
Part of the problem for Christians, was, that some of this sacrificed food would end up in the marketplace as common food, and a buyer would have no idea whether it was sacrificed or not. What then?
Paul addressed this fear when he wrote,
“Whatsoever is sold in the shambles [marketplace], that eat, asking no question for conscience sake: For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof.”(I Cor 10:25,26)
I find great freedom from stringent dietary rules in studying the deep metaphysical meaning of these verses.
What I see here is, that Paul knew only one God, and that all of creation, including the animals, belonged to God. There were no other gods, and any meat sacrificed to what nonbelievers called gods was not any less safe than regular meat because there were no other powers. There was only one God, divine Love. So, if a Christian unknowingly bought sacrificed meat in the marketplace and ate it, he would not be in trouble with God. The meat was no less dangerous to eat than unsacrificed meat. It was just meat.
And then Paul addressed the issue of eating at a nonbeliever’s home, with verses that included those infamous words, “whatsoever is set before you, eat…”
He wrote,
“If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake.” (I Cor 10:27)
Wow! Talk about breaking the rules… All kinds of questions could arise when invited to an idol-worshipper’s home. What if the meat served was sacrificed? What if it was unclean? What if…what if…what if…?
Have you ever entertained a barrage of "What if..." questions? Like, “What if this food is too fattening, too caloric, too much cholesterol, and on and on and on…???
Anyway, I’m getting off track…
I don’t think Paul is telling his reader to purposely indulge in bad eating habits. He’s allaying fears about the food one might consume from being a guest in a nonbeliever’s home. He isn’t laying out a dictum of “Always eat everything on your plate.” Far from it! He’s addressing fears about whether the food presented is sacrificed to idols or not.
I find this translation from The Message very helpful.
“If a nonbeliever invites you to dinner and you feel like going, go ahead and enjoy yourself; eat everything placed before you. It would be both bad manners and bad spirituality to cross-examine your host on the ethical purity of each course as it is served. On the other hand, if he goes out of his way to tell you that this or that was sacrificed to god or goddess so-and-so, you should pass. Even though you may be indifferent as to where it came from, he isn't, and you don't want to send mixed messages to him about who you are worshiping.”
So, there you have it. Paul’s words “whatsoever is put before you, eat…” is not the same as “Eat everything on your plate, always, that’s the law, no exceptions.”
Whew, what a relief!!
So, I can say “No” when it’s time to stop eating whether my plate is empty or not.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Making food choices
From all the comments posted on yesterday’s blog, deciding what to eat appears to be a top of mind issue!
It looks like it will take a few days of postings, more comments from you, and more thinking and pondering together to cover this issue even partially.
For me, making the right food choices starts with making moral and spiritual choices about the life I live.
To look at making choices from a different angle, for instance, if I’m looking for a book at Barnes & Noble, I’m guided by values I treasure when selecting a book. I look for healthy uplifting prose that takes my thought to a better place. I read to learn, to become a better person, to learn more about the world I live in and how to write better myself.
I am not attracted to the shoot’em up, wipe’em out, blast everything in sight, science fiction stories. Other people are. But I am not. I make choices. How else could I select a book? And my choices are guided by values I cherish.
Now back to eating.
Grocery shopping involves choices. You just can’t get around it. When you walk down the cereal aisle and see 110 different cereal brands to choose from and assuming you’re not Bill Gates and can afford to buy one of every box, or you can’t eat 110 boxes before they go stale anyway, you have to choose one or two or three.
Which box do you choose? You have to make a choice.
Do you grab the box of airy-fairy sugar poof-balls on the lower shelf that your five year old is pointing at, or the natural granola on the top shelf that is hard to reach and is more expensive?
Eating, cooking, shopping requires choices. Hmmm…
Sometimes, it seems that Jesus’ statement, “Take no thought for what you eat,” is used as a cover-up to make poor choices. I’m guilty too.
Like one man struggling with obesity said to me, “If it doesn’t matter what I eat, why can’t I have my box of doughnuts each morning?”
It has taken me many years to understand what Jesus was saying with his “Take no thought,” command, and I’m still trying to fully comprehend the spirit of his words.
But it seems to me “Take no thought…” does not mean choose whatever you want. Wants are often misguided.
The NIV translation states, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?” (Matt. 6:25)
When I read this, I see Jesus telling me not to make life conditional upon what I eat and drink, but to understand life first, and expect eating and drinking issues to be resolved favorably.
And here is perhaps the pivotal point to consider, is the real issue about the food, or the life we live?
What do you think?
More to come…
It looks like it will take a few days of postings, more comments from you, and more thinking and pondering together to cover this issue even partially.
For me, making the right food choices starts with making moral and spiritual choices about the life I live.
To look at making choices from a different angle, for instance, if I’m looking for a book at Barnes & Noble, I’m guided by values I treasure when selecting a book. I look for healthy uplifting prose that takes my thought to a better place. I read to learn, to become a better person, to learn more about the world I live in and how to write better myself.
I am not attracted to the shoot’em up, wipe’em out, blast everything in sight, science fiction stories. Other people are. But I am not. I make choices. How else could I select a book? And my choices are guided by values I cherish.
Now back to eating.
Grocery shopping involves choices. You just can’t get around it. When you walk down the cereal aisle and see 110 different cereal brands to choose from and assuming you’re not Bill Gates and can afford to buy one of every box, or you can’t eat 110 boxes before they go stale anyway, you have to choose one or two or three.
Which box do you choose? You have to make a choice.
Do you grab the box of airy-fairy sugar poof-balls on the lower shelf that your five year old is pointing at, or the natural granola on the top shelf that is hard to reach and is more expensive?
Eating, cooking, shopping requires choices. Hmmm…
Sometimes, it seems that Jesus’ statement, “Take no thought for what you eat,” is used as a cover-up to make poor choices. I’m guilty too.
Like one man struggling with obesity said to me, “If it doesn’t matter what I eat, why can’t I have my box of doughnuts each morning?”
It has taken me many years to understand what Jesus was saying with his “Take no thought,” command, and I’m still trying to fully comprehend the spirit of his words.
But it seems to me “Take no thought…” does not mean choose whatever you want. Wants are often misguided.
The NIV translation states, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?” (Matt. 6:25)
When I read this, I see Jesus telling me not to make life conditional upon what I eat and drink, but to understand life first, and expect eating and drinking issues to be resolved favorably.
And here is perhaps the pivotal point to consider, is the real issue about the food, or the life we live?
What do you think?
More to come…
Monday, September 14, 2009
Choosing what to eat
How do you decide what to eat? It’s a question millions of people struggle with everyday.
Grocery stores are filled with thousands of food choices. Fruit, dairy, meat, and bread are plentiful and easy to find. But what about the candy aisle, the sweetened cereal, the energy drinks pumped up with caffeine, the sugar laden soda pop, the salty snacks, the processed food that Mother Nature would look at with a skewed eye and say, “What’s this?”
Are a doughnut and a cup of coffee a healthy breakfast? Is it okay to fill up on macaroni and cheese and skip the carrots? How much double chocolate cake is safe to eat? Does an apple a day keep the doctor away? What about those cans of beer?
One’s mind starts to swirl when sorting out the options.
Does deciding what to eat have to be so complex? One might wonder.
No doubt, most of you are familiar with the multitude of advice and counsel coming from dieticians, doctors, nutritionists, weight-loss gurus, and their associates. Some of the advice is good and needed. Reason easily argues that it's better to enjoy a banana than down a pound of vaporous potato chips. But implementing the wisdom seems to be a challenge for many.
Obesity is running rampant in the world and growing worse by the day. Eating habits appear out of control. People feel out of control.
Suffering hearts cry out, “There has to be an effective way to deal with what to eat and following through with making wise choices!”
I believe there is a better way—a spiritual way to resolve the quandary of what to eat.
Making healthy food choices does not have to be a tortuous fearful exercise when guided by spiritual principles and values.
Before I start sharing some of my ideas, though, I’d like to hear from you.
What values and principles guide your decision-making when choosing what to fix for dinner?
Grocery stores are filled with thousands of food choices. Fruit, dairy, meat, and bread are plentiful and easy to find. But what about the candy aisle, the sweetened cereal, the energy drinks pumped up with caffeine, the sugar laden soda pop, the salty snacks, the processed food that Mother Nature would look at with a skewed eye and say, “What’s this?”
Are a doughnut and a cup of coffee a healthy breakfast? Is it okay to fill up on macaroni and cheese and skip the carrots? How much double chocolate cake is safe to eat? Does an apple a day keep the doctor away? What about those cans of beer?
One’s mind starts to swirl when sorting out the options.
Does deciding what to eat have to be so complex? One might wonder.
No doubt, most of you are familiar with the multitude of advice and counsel coming from dieticians, doctors, nutritionists, weight-loss gurus, and their associates. Some of the advice is good and needed. Reason easily argues that it's better to enjoy a banana than down a pound of vaporous potato chips. But implementing the wisdom seems to be a challenge for many.
Obesity is running rampant in the world and growing worse by the day. Eating habits appear out of control. People feel out of control.
Suffering hearts cry out, “There has to be an effective way to deal with what to eat and following through with making wise choices!”
I believe there is a better way—a spiritual way to resolve the quandary of what to eat.
Making healthy food choices does not have to be a tortuous fearful exercise when guided by spiritual principles and values.
Before I start sharing some of my ideas, though, I’d like to hear from you.
What values and principles guide your decision-making when choosing what to fix for dinner?
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Eating the right amount
I momentarily marveled this morning at our son’s ability to stop eating when he’s had enough food. He’s always been able to say no to over eating. He can have a whole plate of food before him, take a few bites and say, “I’m full,” put his fork down, and be perfectly content until the next meal. He will not nibble, take a little more to pass the time, or eat the food anyway. He’ll stop. That’s it. No more. He’s done, and happily so.
My wife and I struggled in the early years of raising our children with how to educate our two kids about eating. We both had been raised in the mantra of “Eat everything on your plate,” but we both had struggled in times past with eating too much food and didn’t want our kids to struggle with the same nonsense. So, after much prayer and discussion, we adopted the habit of giving them small portions at mealtime, and then letting them ask for more if they desired. As time evolved, they rarely ask for seconds, and learned through experience to eat modestly and happily so. And their plates were generally clean when finished.
As I rejoiced over our son’s self-knowledge of knowing when enough is enough, I thought about ways people are mentally influenced to step over the bounds of reason unthinkingly and then act out the role of victim when it comes to eating.
It’s a common excuse for overeaters to utter complaints such as “I couldn’t help it. I didn’t realize I was eating so much” and so on. But in truth, we can help it, and we can stop, but mortal mind has so educated us to believe we can’t think for ourselves and act according to what we know is right, that we believe it and act out the helplessness.
The dictum of “Eat everything on your plate,” should be banished into the cauldron of “never again” forever.
What if someone gives you too much food? What if you unthinkingly took too much food and soon realized your error? What if you’re at a restaurant that serves enough helping to one person to fill three? Should you still have to eat it? Definitely not. We should eat what is appropriate, not what mortal mind is whispering into thought we should do.
The one Mind thinks for itself and is not swayed by popular belief, mom’s opinion, cultural customs, past habits, restaurant practice, the eyes, the stomach, mindlessness or gluttony. As children of God, we are in possession of the one Mind that thinks for itself and makes wise sound decisions. When we sit down to a meal, we are not governed by what is put before us. We are governed by God, and God will lead us aright if we listen and faithfully follow.
We can say “Enough is enough,” put our fork down, walk away and be perfectly content until the next meal.
My wife and I struggled in the early years of raising our children with how to educate our two kids about eating. We both had been raised in the mantra of “Eat everything on your plate,” but we both had struggled in times past with eating too much food and didn’t want our kids to struggle with the same nonsense. So, after much prayer and discussion, we adopted the habit of giving them small portions at mealtime, and then letting them ask for more if they desired. As time evolved, they rarely ask for seconds, and learned through experience to eat modestly and happily so. And their plates were generally clean when finished.
As I rejoiced over our son’s self-knowledge of knowing when enough is enough, I thought about ways people are mentally influenced to step over the bounds of reason unthinkingly and then act out the role of victim when it comes to eating.
It’s a common excuse for overeaters to utter complaints such as “I couldn’t help it. I didn’t realize I was eating so much” and so on. But in truth, we can help it, and we can stop, but mortal mind has so educated us to believe we can’t think for ourselves and act according to what we know is right, that we believe it and act out the helplessness.
The dictum of “Eat everything on your plate,” should be banished into the cauldron of “never again” forever.
What if someone gives you too much food? What if you unthinkingly took too much food and soon realized your error? What if you’re at a restaurant that serves enough helping to one person to fill three? Should you still have to eat it? Definitely not. We should eat what is appropriate, not what mortal mind is whispering into thought we should do.
The one Mind thinks for itself and is not swayed by popular belief, mom’s opinion, cultural customs, past habits, restaurant practice, the eyes, the stomach, mindlessness or gluttony. As children of God, we are in possession of the one Mind that thinks for itself and makes wise sound decisions. When we sit down to a meal, we are not governed by what is put before us. We are governed by God, and God will lead us aright if we listen and faithfully follow.
We can say “Enough is enough,” put our fork down, walk away and be perfectly content until the next meal.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Mindless nibbling
Have you ever done it? Open a bag of potato chips while reading a book and chomp your way through the whole package until the last chip is gone? Oops…Maybe a few chips too many??In the comment section of my blog entry, “Smaller portions of food,” posted last Sunday, reader Cindy commented about certain foods being produced with a goal of getting the consumer to mindlessly eat their way through the snack.
I asked Cindy for some background information and she supplied the following quote from the text “Strategic Management Concepts and Cases,” by Thompson and Strickland. It’s from a case study of PepsiCo's Acquisition of Quaker Oats in the section that talks about the acquisition of Cracker Jack.
I think you’ll be interested in reading the quote:
A Frito-Lay executive who championed the acquisition discussed the additional appeal of Cracker Jack: "We were missing out on 50 percent of the snacking opportunity because when people snack, they first decide whether to go for a salty treat or a sweet one." The executive also commented that the product met Frito-Lay's "mindlessly nibbling test" since "once you open the bag, you just keep eating them until they're gone."
Isn’t there an ad on the market right now for some snack about not being able to put the bag down until the last item is gone...?
For one who used to fight being overweight and tried not to eat until the last one was gone, I never could see the attraction behind such ads. I’ve since conquered that temptation with finding more spiritual contentment.
One lesson from the above is remembering that we have to think for ourselves in this world of advertising barrage and consumer driven marketing. We have to spiritually counter a mindless nibbling mentality that would lead us to “eat the whole thing” when we don’t need the empty calories.
In an effort to make wise decisions over gluttonous choices we can rejoice in knowing there is one Mind, the divine Mind, to guide and govern our eating behaviors.
We are not mindless robots programmed to err and overindulge. We are thinking beings designed to express the intelligence, wisdom and balance of God.
Soooo, mindless nibbling, be gone!
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Smaller portions of food
My wife, Kathy, recently started buying bread in smaller loaves. The kids and I looked at the miniature sandwich slices and complained about their tiny size. Kathy pointed out that when she was a kid, all bread slices were that size, and we had gotten in the habit of thinking humongous pieces of bread were normal rations.Ouch! She got us.
Thinking back to my bread-eating habits of yore, I realized she was right. What used to be “normal” in food helpings years ago is now considered small. And what is considered a normal sized ration today would have been considered outright gluttonous 3 decades ago.
I’ve known this lesson for years in other ways. My wife and I routinely share meals at restaurants because of the gargantuan amounts served, and our family as a whole eats quite modestly. But the bread slice lesson was an eye-opener for me.
With the obesity epidemic sweeping the globe, it can be helpful to stop and ask oneself when preparing to eat, “Do I need to eat this much food?”
Jesus taught, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled.” Integrating this admonition into my lifestyle helped me lose 30 pounds over 20 years ago, and permanently so.
With the vast temptations to overeat being served to us from all directions these days, I still pray to know what keeps me genuinely filled. And thanks to my wife, I can see in another degree that it’s not large slices of bread we need, but a growing commitment to understanding God better and keeping my thought filled with spiritual mindedness.
It’s a diet that works.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Is bigger better?
I just read the article, “We are what we eat,” by William Saletan in The Washington Post National Weekly, (which I can’t find on the Internet) that says “…thanks to low-cost high-fat food, obesity has become a global condition.” He explains that in the past only rich people could afford to get fat. Now poor people can afford the same waist-busting eats and are likewise constantly letting their belt out to accommodate their indulgences.
With all the focus on keeping weight under control over the last couple of decades, and the utter failure to succeed, I can’t help but wonder if the problem is much bigger than simply what we put in our mouth.
We are in a culture of get more, more, more. People want more money, more status, more choices, more attention, more fame, and more success. Consumers buy bigger cars, bigger houses and bigger closets to house their overflowing wardrobe. Connected with the craving for more, we order bigger helpings, down larger quantities and spend more time indulging the senses and entertaining the palate.
Is the overweight epidemic only a matter of what we eat? Or could it include how we view eating altogether? As part of the “give me more” culture, perhaps we need a revision of our attitude toward consumption in general? Maybe less is better? Could it be possible…?
“Godliness with contentment is great gain,” the Bible mentions. True contentment doesn’t come from consuming more. It comes from spiritual mindedness and feeling close to God. Prayer, quiet moments with God, discipline, dominion and commitment to improving oneself spiritually and morally, lead to a truly happy state of mind.
God made each of us complete. We don’t need more things, more food, another dessert, an extra helping of food, to be happy and satisfied. It’s not more matter that makes us happy. It’s more spiritual understanding.
When it comes to “bigger is better,” the rule applies only if the “bigger” is a greater and grander view of spiritual reality. Go for it! It will have a good effect on your waist.
With all the focus on keeping weight under control over the last couple of decades, and the utter failure to succeed, I can’t help but wonder if the problem is much bigger than simply what we put in our mouth.
We are in a culture of get more, more, more. People want more money, more status, more choices, more attention, more fame, and more success. Consumers buy bigger cars, bigger houses and bigger closets to house their overflowing wardrobe. Connected with the craving for more, we order bigger helpings, down larger quantities and spend more time indulging the senses and entertaining the palate.
Is the overweight epidemic only a matter of what we eat? Or could it include how we view eating altogether? As part of the “give me more” culture, perhaps we need a revision of our attitude toward consumption in general? Maybe less is better? Could it be possible…?
“Godliness with contentment is great gain,” the Bible mentions. True contentment doesn’t come from consuming more. It comes from spiritual mindedness and feeling close to God. Prayer, quiet moments with God, discipline, dominion and commitment to improving oneself spiritually and morally, lead to a truly happy state of mind.
God made each of us complete. We don’t need more things, more food, another dessert, an extra helping of food, to be happy and satisfied. It’s not more matter that makes us happy. It’s more spiritual understanding.
When it comes to “bigger is better,” the rule applies only if the “bigger” is a greater and grander view of spiritual reality. Go for it! It will have a good effect on your waist.
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Does it matter what you eat?
Have you ever wondered what Jesus Christ meant when he told his followers to take no thought for what they ate or drank? Was he saying we could eat whatever we wanted, however much we wanted and whenever we wanted without any bad effects?
Temptation to over-indulge abound in our daily schedule from the calorie laden made-to-order coffee in the morning with a couple of donuts to put it down, a Biggie fries for lunch accompanied with a giant soda pop, chocolate for a snack, and ice cream after dinner. It’s not uncommon to see people living on such diets.
Should any of it matter if we are to take no thought for what we eat?
I suppose if we truly were not taking thought, it wouldn’t make a difference. But if the truth be known, people eat out of whack diets because they are taking thought—the wrong kind of thought.
A man trying to lose pounds asked me why he couldn’t eat several donuts every morning if he wasn’t supposed to take thought for what he ate. I asked him “Why would you ever eat so many donuts every morning? Why not skip them and eat something else?” He replied, “Because I really like donuts!”
My point was quickly realized. He loved those glazed confections. He was taking immense thought for what he ate, even though his attraction had become unconscious because of his long-running habit. Those donuts were like a god to him. He loved sugar! And that is taking thought! And is exactly what Jesus was counseling against.
When Jesus told us to take no thought, he didn’t mean eat and drink absent-mindedly and without moderation or temperance. He was instructing his followers to avoid making a god out of food.
There is one God, the divine Spirit, and to truly love Spirit, we can’t be in love with sugar, greasy foods, soda pop or even lettuce.
When we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll know what we’re truly worshipping. Is our thought focused on God or food?
I find it helpful to keep attention centered on understanding God better and truly valuing spiritual mindedness above gastronomical indulgence when making food choices.
I don’t follow any diet plan according to accredited dieticians, because that would be taking excess thought too. But I test my choices by asking, “Can I not eat this and still be happy?” Or “Can I eat vegetables and fruit and be just as happy as eating a dessert?”
Ideally, we eat what is put before us. But we must be sure it’s not gluttony and dishonesty that is piling our plate high with food we don’t need.
Temptation to over-indulge abound in our daily schedule from the calorie laden made-to-order coffee in the morning with a couple of donuts to put it down, a Biggie fries for lunch accompanied with a giant soda pop, chocolate for a snack, and ice cream after dinner. It’s not uncommon to see people living on such diets.
Should any of it matter if we are to take no thought for what we eat?
I suppose if we truly were not taking thought, it wouldn’t make a difference. But if the truth be known, people eat out of whack diets because they are taking thought—the wrong kind of thought.
A man trying to lose pounds asked me why he couldn’t eat several donuts every morning if he wasn’t supposed to take thought for what he ate. I asked him “Why would you ever eat so many donuts every morning? Why not skip them and eat something else?” He replied, “Because I really like donuts!”
My point was quickly realized. He loved those glazed confections. He was taking immense thought for what he ate, even though his attraction had become unconscious because of his long-running habit. Those donuts were like a god to him. He loved sugar! And that is taking thought! And is exactly what Jesus was counseling against.
When Jesus told us to take no thought, he didn’t mean eat and drink absent-mindedly and without moderation or temperance. He was instructing his followers to avoid making a god out of food.
There is one God, the divine Spirit, and to truly love Spirit, we can’t be in love with sugar, greasy foods, soda pop or even lettuce.
When we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll know what we’re truly worshipping. Is our thought focused on God or food?
I find it helpful to keep attention centered on understanding God better and truly valuing spiritual mindedness above gastronomical indulgence when making food choices.
I don’t follow any diet plan according to accredited dieticians, because that would be taking excess thought too. But I test my choices by asking, “Can I not eat this and still be happy?” Or “Can I eat vegetables and fruit and be just as happy as eating a dessert?”
Ideally, we eat what is put before us. But we must be sure it’s not gluttony and dishonesty that is piling our plate high with food we don’t need.
Friday, May 5, 2006
Trying to lose weight?
Are your eating habits out of control? Do you need to lose weight?
One fear dieters often confront when trying to get a lust for food under control is the argument of “If I don’t eat, I’ll get hungry.”
Gluttons get in the habit of stuffing their mouths at will or whim. It brings pleasure, they believe, and also prevents them from feeling hungry.
“Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled,” Jesus taught.
When I committed myself to spiritually losing weight over 20 years ago, I saw the need to reduce snacking between meals. I wanted to pray more instead of weigh more! But 11 a.m. would roll around, and I’d feel starved.
One day, after struggling with the temptation to snack, I realized that I didn’t need to fear hunger. Waiting until noon to eat was not going to kill me! I didn’t live to stuff a stomach. I lived to glorify God, and eating more than I needed did not glorify God.
As I prayed daily for spiritual support and strength instead of going to the kitchen for more cookies, the dreaded hunger pangs left. I soon found it easy to wait until mealtime to eat with no snacks in between.
I lost the extra weight, and I’m wearing the same size pants today that I discovered in the new me back then.
Don’t fear hunger. It won’t hurt you. God is giving you everything you need internally to feel happy, contented and well without having to chomp on something between your teeth.
One fear dieters often confront when trying to get a lust for food under control is the argument of “If I don’t eat, I’ll get hungry.”
Gluttons get in the habit of stuffing their mouths at will or whim. It brings pleasure, they believe, and also prevents them from feeling hungry.
“Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled,” Jesus taught.
When I committed myself to spiritually losing weight over 20 years ago, I saw the need to reduce snacking between meals. I wanted to pray more instead of weigh more! But 11 a.m. would roll around, and I’d feel starved.
One day, after struggling with the temptation to snack, I realized that I didn’t need to fear hunger. Waiting until noon to eat was not going to kill me! I didn’t live to stuff a stomach. I lived to glorify God, and eating more than I needed did not glorify God.
As I prayed daily for spiritual support and strength instead of going to the kitchen for more cookies, the dreaded hunger pangs left. I soon found it easy to wait until mealtime to eat with no snacks in between.
I lost the extra weight, and I’m wearing the same size pants today that I discovered in the new me back then.
Don’t fear hunger. It won’t hurt you. God is giving you everything you need internally to feel happy, contented and well without having to chomp on something between your teeth.
