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.