Dear Diary, 22 January 2012
An Utterly Lengthy Piece on Food
I do such long posts, don't I?
Food sustains us by giving us nutrients. The taste excites
our senses, effecting our emotions and our physical wellbeing. It can
invigorate or discourage, indulge or tantalize, liberate or oppress. Perhaps
you haven’t thought of food in these terms, but if you think about it all these
descriptions are true.
Personally, I think food is wonderful. Such an endless
number of combinations, spices, seasonings, grains, fruits, breads, and yes,
even vegetables. God gave us food that was good to eat, and He expects for us
to enjoy it.
Unfortunately, we live in a fallen world where McDonald’s
Big Macs reign supreme. A jumbo Diet Coke, a super-sized order of fries, and
not a second thought. So many foods taste really good, but if we look at the
statistics, and the biology, we know those foods aren’t good for our bodies.
What are we supposed to say “yes” to, and what should we avoid?
The Bible talks a lot about people who pig out, who never
have enough. While this could be synonymous for a greedy person who harbors
money, possessions, and emotions like food, it can also mean someone who uses
food to fill some part of their life that is lacking. This isn’t right! God
needs to be the one to fill all those cracks. He’s actually the only one who
can. Trying to compensate with anything else will only result in discouragement
and a bad stomachache.
I’m guilty of this, though. I tend to eat a lot, especially
when I’m under a lot of stress. “My History class is really driving me up the
walls…where’s that candy bar I saved from Christmas?” Eating seems to make
everything better…at the time. This is something I’ve struggled with for a long
time, but more than usual during the last six months. I think it is the deluge
of new responsibilities, and the forebodings of more to come, that has
increased this negative habit. For a moment, I can escape with food. I can feel
really good while I’m eating it and easily dismiss the fact that it’s probably
hardening my arteries and encouraging some terrible disease I’ll experience in
the future.
The thing is, this isn’t only a bad habit, this is a sin.
Because looking beyond the face value, looking beyond the deliciousness of that
extra slice of cake, it’s really not about the food. It’s about dissatisfaction. I’ve thought a lot
about this subject before, but it’s so important. It seems life roads keep
bringing me back to that crucial word. The question isn’t “Can I spare the
calories?”, it’s really “Why am I not going to God with this?”
Upon closer analysis, I can always find that there is some
ulterior reason for my wanting to pig out. I could be going through a really
stressful time full of confusing decisions or overloads of schoolwork. Suzanna
Collins describes days like this as “hollow days” in the Hunger Games. Days
when you just feel hollow, like you can never eat enough. Worrying can
instigate overindulgence as well. Again, because food can be such a sweet
escape (and I mean that literally!).
God doesn’t want our life to be bland, filled with celery
sticks and raw broccoli stems. He describes Christians as “salt of the earth”.
Salt gives flavor, it excites! That’s what He wants for us. But He also wants
us to go to Him before we go t the food. I love Luke 12…I go to it a lot
because it’s such good stuff! But verses 29 through 31 say:
“And
do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For
the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need
them. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.”
A few of the miracles Jesus performed involved giving people
food. Banquets were festive occasions of fellowship and friendship in those
days, and to this day eating is more than just a meal in the many cultures.
“Food brings people together”, I once heard.
God gave us food so that we could always remember that He
sustains us. At least three times a day, the growling of my stomach reminds me
that I have needs that I can’t fill on my own. “Don’t worry about it”, God
says. He will take care of me so long as I depend on Him. Being satisfied by
God in what I eat will not only save me something else to worry about, it will
also benefit my body.
“So
whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
1
Corinthians 10:31
“I have
set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be
shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will
rest secure, because You will not abandon me to the grave, nor will You let
Your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; You will
fill me with joy in Your presence, will eternal pleasures at Your right hand.”
Psalm
16:8-11
An utterly long post on food, calls for and utterly long comment!!! Haha :)
ReplyDeleteYes, food can be used to fill God's place in people's lives, in many ways. Being greedy is something no one ever wants to be, but often it happens!
Some foods aren't the best for you, (hence the big macs) but I believe no foods are actually BAD. God created all foods to be good, from cheeseburgers to lettuce, from milk to milkshakes. It's when we eat TOO MUCH when things start to go amiss. You wouldn't want to eat junk food all the time, but having it every so often isn't going to give you heart failure :)
Another thing that's hard for me to remember, is food is fuel. It's just food. Yes God created it for us to enjoy, but food is food and nothing else. Basically the only reason we eat, is too (quite frankly), survive.
I think our culture tries to make is seem like so much more- "if you eat so and so, you're gain ten pounds and your life will be ruined because you have this disease....." Stuff like that. Of course that could happen but, everyone makes food seem so terrible! It's only food. We eat it so we can have energy.
People (including myself sometimes,) obsess over it in different ways. While it is important to have a fairly healthy diet, I don't want to spend all my time thinking about it, because then it becomes my idol and put on a pedestal, and God's in the corner going, "Excuse me? Jana? It's only food, have you forgotten me?"
It's something I struggle with....obviously, but God's really helped me, and put people in my life to help me :)
Sorry this was such a ranting confession-y comment. Haha. Sometimes I spill too many of my guts out on you! <3