Grace the Glutton

This is a topic close to my heart, and even closer to my stomach: food.

As someone who’s highly energetic, and blessed with a reasonably well-functioning metabolism, I tend to eat a lot. I mean, A LOT. [A guy friend actually once told me I needed to stop eating so much cause he never gets any leftovers when we eat out!] [We don't talk anymore.] [Jokes! :)]

However, I’ve become aware that I treat food as an idol, and that I’m not being godly in the way I treat my body, nor in the way I use food, e.g. last year I struggled a lot with sinusitis, and apparently one thing that can cause tons of PostNasalDrip is dairy. So I tried cutting it out for a while, but kept on going back to it, even when I realized that eating dairy has a negative effect on my sinuses, oh happy days. Another example was that if food was available, I’d eat to the point of being as stuffed as a stuffed turkey, especially during my most stressed out times.

Now this might seem pretty silly to you, but that just shows how lighthearted a sin as gluttony has become. And I use the word 'sin' consciously, ‘cause turning to anything apart from God first is sin.

So now I’m being more thoughtful about my eating habits - am I really eating cause I’m hungry? (Quite often I’ll eat for other reasons, such as stress or boredom). If I’m not hungry, am I using food to replace God’s role in my life? (Am I turning to food as stress-relief, instead of trusting in God?) If I am hungry, is what I’m eating going to beneficial to my body so that it shows that I am treating my body as a temple of God? (I’ve cut out a lot of artificial sugar, but I still have a nice treat every now and then!) These are just some things to think about.

I’ve also started saying grace before meals again – for the last two years I’d only been saying grace when there were other people with me, ‘cause I was of the opinion that you should only say grace if you mean it, and I didn’t really. But it’s good for me 'cause then I get reminded of God’s place in my life (as King and Lord) and food’s place in my life (sustenance that provides energy so that I can work for His glory). [on that note, have a look at Talking to our Father.]

I don't think we're called to follow the example of those hard-core old-school dudes who worked out what would be best nutritionally for their bodies, and didn't eat anything else apart from that. We're reminded that "everything that God created is good" (1 Timothy 4:4), and that God is a God "who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment" (1 Timothy6:17). But I do think that we are called to be critical and discerning of why and how we act, and that we are called to change if we are not acting godly..

Bon appetit!