Free To Eat!
Fats
Sweets
Bread
Starchy Vegetables
Candy
Chips
Processed Foods
Butter
I’m guessing you may know what that list represents. Those are all foods which I have avoided, limited, or tried to eliminate at one time or another during my 40+ years of dieting. These foods have been vilified and I have felt guilty when eating them.
The thing is, food does not have moral value. There is no good and evil in food. There are differences, sure. There are varying levels of nutrition and pleasure. But there is no “Thou shalt not…” when it comes to food.
God, in his infinite mercy, showed me that I was doing more harm than good by chasing the world’s standard of thinness. I was setting my body up as an idol. I mentally worshiped it more than I did Him throughout my days as I evaluated everything through the lens of diet culture. And as we know, worship of anything other than the one true God leads to captivity and enslavement.
I worried over every single bite.
I was embarrassed by my reflection.
I judged others based on their appearance.
I was mortified by the number on the scale and felt guilty for it.
I exercised to earn food.
I exercised as punishment for eating “too much”.
I rehearsed lies about what my weight said about me.
All of this rumination took its toll on my mental health. I was borderline depressed most of the time and worse some of the time. I was discouraged and thought there was something inherently wrong with me. I was distracted from what God had called me to and I’m sure I missed a multitude of opportunities to be the hands and feet of Jesus because I thought they were too big.
So God helped me heal my relationship with food and step into a new freedom which I had never thought existed.
It was HARD work. There were so many lies to replace, habits to unlearn, and attitudes to renew! For me, it started when I began doing some things to improve my gut health. YUM! I didn’t know it at the time (I was still pursuing weight loss) but mental health is directly impacted by the health of our microbiome.
When God got me to the place mentally that I could begin to hear what He had to say about my body and food and their purposes, I was eager to soak in TRUTH! These truths were found in scripture and began to take root in my heart.
Food was made for our pleasure! (Ecc 9:7)
My body is good! (Gen 1:31)
I don’t have to lose weight to please God! (1 Jn 4:18)
I am free to eat! (1 Tim 4:4)
Our culture judges by appearance but God judges the heart! (1 Sam 16:7)
I can exercise and move simply for the joy of it! (Acts 17:28)
I am not too big! (Ps 139:13-14)
The number on the scale is one small part of health! (Ps 147:3)
There’s so much freedom!!!
We are free to eat food in a way that brings us both pleasure and nourishment!!
The link above will take you to the course I’ve created based on my experience. There are Bible studies, journal prompts, action steps, a resource list, teaching videos, and much more! If you’re looking for a balanced, non restrictive relationship with food which is free from guilt and shame and fear, it is waiting for you!
