by Cathie Rosemann | Jan 21, 2015 | Blog
“And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man who, he had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” (Gen. 2:8-9) – “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.” (Gen. 3:6a)
In other words, what the Lord God himself had already provided to Adam and Eve was simply not enough. Eve wanted more. And when the serpent came and offered her something supposedly even better than what the Lord God had already so graciously provided to her, she made an agreement with the enemy … at the total disregard for the Lord’s clear warning of consequence … simply because she wanted something more than what she’d had already been given.
I think what’s even worse, is what Matthew Henry’s Commentary says …”She saw no harm in this tree. When there is thought to be no more harm in forbidden fruit than in other fruit, sin lies at the door, and Satan soon carries the day … Perhaps, it seemed to her to be better for food, more grateful to the taste, and more nourishing to the body, than any of the rest, and to her eye it was more pleasant than any.” I realize afresh that if God gives us boundaries to abide by, regardless of what those are, we are opening the door for the enemy (Satan) to carry our day when we essentially tell God we choose not to obey what he’s told us to do, but instead choose our own way.
How I wish I couldn’t identify with this. But I can. After all the Lord has given me to eat I still find myself wanting more. More times than not I am not looking to be sustained by the faithful hand of the Lord, but I am “seeing that the tree is good for … AND … AND … AND …” wanting “MORE … MORE … MORE …” which entices every greedy bone in my carnal body. This, in essence, is why I’m not losing the weight I am after. As Thin Within shows on “The Hunger Scale”, “If you eat consistently from 0 to 5 you are following the guidelines for healthy eating. This will result in a slow release of excess weight until you are down to your natural, God-given size, which you will maintain since 0 to 5 eating represents the appropriate amount of food to sustain a healthy weight. If you consistently eat from 3 to 7 you will remain overweight. And if you consistently eat from 5 to 10 you will gain weight.” Whether you believe this or not is irrelevant because it is the truth. Ask anyone in the program who eats within any one of these boundaries. I’ve seen it for myself. When I consistently eat within the boundaries of 0 to 5 I begin to watch as the weight is released. And when I don’t I either plateau or gain.
Isaiah 56:11 says, “Like greedy dogs, they are never satisfied. They are ignorant shepherds, all following their own path and intent on personal gain.” 1 Corinthians 5:11 says, “ I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people.” Colossians 3:5 says, “So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.” My goodness that’s powerful!
I wake up some days telling myself that I need to start eating healthier, or abstain from sugar and processed foods, or exercise more. And yet, while those are good and evenly godly goals, they don’t deal a death blow to the “sinful, earthly thing (of greed) lurking within me.” No, that my friends, comes when I consistently resist the enemy and live within the boundaries God has already given me.
What about you? Do you find yourself always wanting more than what the Lord has provided for you? Or do you see that his provision is always sufficient for our best? Which set of boundaries are you living in (0 to 5, 3 to 7, or 5 to 10)? Feel free to join me in repenting of wanting more and not trusting that what He provides is sufficient for all we need.
by Cathie Rosemann | Nov 19, 2014 | Blog
Written By Cathie Rosemann
This past weekend was intended to be a great getaway with a dear girlfriend shopping at an area Trade Days, relaxing at a recommended B&B, eating food we don’t normally enjoy, and just catching up. This is an annual event to celebrate our birthdays. However, this year would be different with regard to my eating. So, I strategized with Heidi as to my battle plan for the weekend, and sought to prepare my heart before we took off on Saturday morning.
The morning drive went well and when I was offered warm, yummy-smelling muffins I enjoyed a couple as I was just approaching a 0 and knew we wouldn’t eat again until lunchtime. However, upon entry into the Trade Days we passed a vendor who was making corn dogs and funnel cakes and my friend said we had to get some. I half mindlessly agreed, justifying to myself that we would walk off the calories (old mindset) and likely wouldn’t eat again until late in the day. Nope. A few hours later and still not hungry we passed a vendor making homemade fried green tomatoes and ranch dressing and we agreed to try them out. They were delicious, and while I didn’t eat to a 5 I didn’t start at a 0 either. The next day wasn’t much better because we still had the delicious breakfast to enjoy before checking out of the B&B … yet I still wasn’t at a 0. Did that stop me? No it didn’t. Again, I never did eat past 4-5, but I didn’t start from a place of 0 either. In other words, I was in full violation of the God-given boundaries that I’d armed myself with. Even sadder is the fact that I rose early, before the other B&B guests on Sunday morning and repented before the Lord rearming myself with truth for the coming day. He of course, was faithfully waiting for me when I arrived in my bath rope and slippers. He gently reminded me of something I’d read in the “Hunger Within” book (pg. 47), “God gives us the freedom to observe and correct, to fail and succeed … And when we fail, God is always there to pick us up. He will continue walking with us until we have our ultimate freedom …” How sweet is that!
So what happened? How could I be so confident and prepared going into the weekend, and yet so quickly violate my boundaries? I was 
determined to find out (observe & correct). And so bright and early Monday morning the Lord again was waiting to visit with me over my morning coffee before the hustle and bustle of another day would hit. And he showed me two primary reasons for my failure. The first was that I stopped paying attention. I got so excited about the glorious weather, all the fun stuff for sale, and the yummy food I was “permitted” to eat that I neglected to pay attention to the faithful promptings of the Holy Spirit. Bottom line, the weekend became “all about me” and little about Him. My focus turned inward. Second, I was more interested in people-pleasing my girlfriend than I was pleasing the Lord. In fact, when I apologized to my friend for being such a poor influence on our eating she responded by telling me that she would have eaten what she wanted regardless of what I did. So my people-pleasing backfired on me all the way around! Oh my, that was a tough one to swallow when the Lord brought that to my attention. I was reminded of Genesis 39:9 where Joseph is confronted with pleasing himself and Potiphar’s wife or pleasing the Lord by honoring Potiphar’s (Joseph’s master) authority. He chose pleasing the Lord.
What about you? Have you ever started out full of momentum to succeed using the Thin Within tools in a potentially challenging situation but ended up failing at the outset? Did you take the time to meet with the Lord and ask Him why this was/is? If not, learn from me. He is waiting for that one-on-one time together so He can share the truth with you. And it’s never too late to spend that time with Him, especially if it means learning something about ourselves.
by Christina Smith | Sep 17, 2014 | Blog, Inspiration, Renew Mind
You are going along happily in your Thin Within journey and you are finding freedom from diets, when BAM, you are tempted to look back at those diets. There are situations that can tempt us to look back (not being happy with the number on the scale, breaking your boundaries too often, feeling like you will never overcome, and so on). We think, “Oh, maybe my set of boundaries (0-5) don’t work, so maybe I should go back to _______, or maybe I should try ______.” Sound familiar? I know it’s very familiar to me since I have essentially looked back SO many times. In April of this year (2014), I was sharing with my husband about how I was thinking and felt tempted about going back to Weight Watchers because I knew it worked (even though I had sought freedom from tracking points). He said, “Going back to Weight Watchers would be like Lot’s wife looking back.” Ouch! It was something I needed to hear though. And then he said, “Weight Watchers is like a Band-Aid.” He has seen me walk my Thin Within journey, overcoming obstacles, gaining a healthy pregnancy weight, releasing inches and weight after baby was born, being free from obsessing, etc. He KNOWS this works! He has seen the transformation work God has done resulting from me choosing to renew my mind and letting myself to be free from the chains of captivity. And I needed to see through my husband’s eyes as he shared this wisdom with me: don’t look back.
Luke 17:32 says, “Remember Lot’s wife.” That’s seriously all it says. This was a scripture the Lord led me to after my husband shared that truth with me. I felt like it was a warning, a word of caution from the Lord about how very serious He is that I don’t look back, but to press on, to persevere. (The Lord gave me a word for 2014: persevere. And He has shown me He wants me to continue on this year with what He showed me last year, that He has brought CHANGE to my eating and is helping me overcome. God’s reminder to me to persevere has helped me climb out of some ruts).
So why should we remember Lot’s wife? What happened to her?
In Genesis 19:12-29, the story about this account is found. The summary of what happened was that God was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah for their sin. Angels told Lot and his family to flee the city:
When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.” And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed (verses 15-17).
And then the Lord did exactly what He said he would, “Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground” (verses 24-25).
But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt (verse 26).
That’s some pretty serious stuff! She looked back, after God had told them, “Do not look behind you!” And then she turned into a pillar of salt. Yikes!
I wonder why she looked back? Maybe she had fond memories of the place? But you know what, it doesn’t matter why she looked back, but that by looking back she was disobeying God.
So when God tells me, through my husband, to not look back like Lot’s wife did, I would have to say He’s pretty serious. I don’t believe God is going to turn me into a pillar of salt, but He is showing me how detrimental it is that I obey Him and submit to Him. Did you notice that Lot’s wife “looked back behind him?” Who was this ‘him’? It was her husband. And I’m guessing she was not only disobeying God, but she was not submitting to Lot. God instructed Lot and Lot led his family out of the city that was going to be destroyed. Lot’s wife looked past her husband and God and looked back. And POOF, she was a pillar of salt.
So why would Jesus say, “Remember Lot’s wife”? Because He doesn’t want us looking back. He doesn’t want us going back to those things that He has called us away from. For me, He’s asking me to persevere and continue on in what He’s shown me to do, to not look back. Christ came to save us from our sin and set us free from those things that held us captive. God was saving Lot and his family from the destruction of the city. He told them to “escape for your life!” It was for freedom that Christ has set us free (Galatians 5:1). Don’t look back. Why would we want to look back? But we are tempted to look back and sometimes we do look back.
I’m not sure where you are in your Thin Within journey, but I do know this, God doesn’t want us held down, ensnared, or under any kind of captivity. There are plenty of areas in our life that this can touch on, but what I want to deal with is the area of looking back at the diets and the food restrictions that have held us captive for so long. I’m not saying “looking back” for you is disobeying God, but I am saying for myself that looking back for me has meant that I have not submitted to God. It’s like saying, “God, I know you don’t want me looking back, but that life worked for me. That diet worked for me (and failed me). Just let me go back. I can’t believe you are taking this away from me.” It’s pride. It’s basically saying, “God, my way is better than your way.” Ouch. It’s saying, “Lord, I don’t trust that Your way will get me what I want, so I’m going to make sure that I am happy, so I will do it my way.”. Has God given you a clear direction of not going back to diets? Is He asking you to submit to Him about this area of your life, or even other areas?
Unknown source and author
I saw that cartoon (above) recently on Facebook and it brought tears to my eyes. What a beautiful illustration of what God wants to do in our lives. We think when He asks us to give up something that it’s doing us a disservice, but really, He has something so much greater that He wants to give us in place of our sacrifice. He says to die to ourselves so we can gain Christ (Galatians 2:20).
Through what the Lord spoke through my husband to me, it’s very clear to me that I am not to go back to a diet…unless I want to be like Lot’s wife. And, um, looking back didn’t really work out for her. So why would I want to go against what God has said?
Another scripture God has encouraged me with is James 4:7, which says, “Submit to God. Resist the devil and he must flee.” So when the enemy tempts me with looking back, the Holy Spirit brings this scripture to my remembrance. It reminds me that I am to submit to God, to follow His lead (away from diets) and to not look back. God is looking out for me. He has a big ole teddy bear hiding behind His back that He wants to give me. *smile*
The enemy’s temptations to look back are becoming more and more quiet as I continue to submit to God. I have a lot more to say about the topic of submission, but I will save that for a future post. I am tasting more and more freedom as I continue to renew my mind and put my thoughts under the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).
As far as the lie about thinking my Thin Within boundaries weren’t working: of course they work (I see the physical evidence as well). I like the way Barb Raveling puts it in her book Taste for Truth (Day 15), “When we find ourselves breaking our boundaries right and left, we don’t think, I need to renew my mind so I have the strength to follow my boundaries. Instead we think, I need to find a new set of boundaries because these boundaries obviously don’t work. Here’s what we are doing: we’re trusting the boundaries [we are looking back]. We’re believing the lie that somewhere out there is the perfect set of boundaries. And when we find them, they’ll be easy to follow. The sooner we get that lie out of our system, the better. We’re transformed by the renewing of the mind. Not by the boundaries.” This is exactly what would happen to me when I was breaking boundaries right and left. Instead of renewing my mind, I would think my boundaries must be broken, so I better go back to Weight Watchers, or not eating carbs or sugar. Lies! We think our boundaries will save us, but only God can save us. Only God can transform us. So the more we renew our mind and put on God’s truth, the more we actually do follow our boundaries. It works together, hand-in-hand. We follow our boundaries because God transforms us. We are transformed because of renewing our mind.
Renewing mind —-> Transformation —-> Following Boundaries
Romans 12:2 says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
My boundaries do work. I will submit to God. The devil will flee. I will follow the boundaries God has given me (0-5). I will walk in freedom!
How about you? Have you tasted freedom from dieting, but you are tempted to go back into dieting because you keep breaking your boundaries? Breaking your boundaries is an opportunity to draw closer to God. Go to Him. Pray. Praise Him. Renew your mind. Submit to Him. Walk in freedom! Don’t look back! God is doing a NEW thing!
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by Christina Smith | Sep 12, 2014 | Blog, Inspiration, Renew Mind
Image courtesy of nongpimmy at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
We get so discouraged when we break a boundary. We eat when we aren’t hungry (zero). We blow past satisfaction (5). We bring out that “club of condemnation” one more time (sigh). But wait! STOP! Pause. Freeze it right there! Come a little closer to the screen. Yes, there. Now let me tell you a little secret (hands cupped over your ear): Failure leads to victory! Sorry, did I shout that into your ear instead of whispering. Sorry! I just get a little excited!
It’s true! It’s not about following your boundaries 100% all.of.the.time. It’s about going to God if you break your boundaries. We get so upset when we break our boundaries. We feel bad about ourselves. We think we will never be able to follow our boundaries. So then we overeat because we feel bad about ourselves. It’s like this vicious cycle that is perpetuated by our thoughts, beliefs, despair, thinking we will never be skinny anyway, so we might as well eat. Sound familiar?
But what would happen if we looked at every boundary breakage (aka failure) and renewed our mind instead? What if instead of feeling bad about ourselves and discouraged, we got really excited because we get to get closer to the Lord because of our failure?
I tell you what would happen: we would have victory!
I’ve seen it! I’ve experienced this! I’ve tasted it! When I break a boundary, I get so excited that I get to sit with Jesus and talk things over. Maybe I’m just an odd one…wait…I KNOW I’m an odd one! But really, I do get excited to renew my mind and bring all of my thoughts and feelings before the Lord. I love that as I am real with Him, He shows me His truth.
So how does this work? How does failure turn into victory?
Here’s an example: Evening was the most tempting time for me to want to overeat. I had a really hard time breaking the habit of eating outside of my boundaries in the evening. I would put my daughter to bed and then immediately I would make some popcorn or grab some sort of snack, and then eat it in front of the TV (distraction, mindless eating). It wouldn’t matter if I was hungry or not, that’s the habit I had developed over the years (and well before my daughter). I knew I wanted to change it, but I kept on doing it. I would feel so bad and would feel like I failed yet again. My solution (well, God’s solution) was that after I put my daughter to bed, I would sit and read through my truth cards, or I would answer a set of questions from I Deserve a Donut in my journal, and reading scriptures. I took that time to renew my mind. Change didn’t happen right away, but as I took the time each night to renew my mind, little by little, day by day, the Lord was transforming me, until one day I no longer had the urge to grab something to eat after putting my daughter to bed. And since then, I just wait until I’m hungry to have an evening snack. And sometimes I am not hungry for a snack, and I’m totally ok with that. That’s a huge change! Victory!
It wasn’t self-control. It wasn’t will-power. It was GOD who changed me! My part was being self-disciplined in taking the time to sit with Him and renew my mind.
Failure led to victory!
We try to change our outcome through our own strength. We think if we change our habit or behavior first, then our thoughts and beliefs will line up. But it’s actually the other way around. First, we have to change our thoughts and beliefs, and THEN we will change our habits and behavior. We tell ourselves that we will “do better next time.” We strive and put forth all of our own human effort to see change in our eating habits, but when we lean upon ourselves to make it happen, we will only become weak and tired. It’s God who helps us overcome. It’s not in our own strength. So each time we go to Him and repent after we’ve sinned, we are transformed more and more to His likeness. When we renew our mind after overeating, we are transformed.
I look at failure as opportunity to grow. I look at failure as practice.
It took Thomas Edison 1,000+ times before he had the invention of the light bulb “perfected”. Every failure led to victory. He didn’t give up. And just because we overate just now or last night, it doesn’t mean we smash all of the light bulbs and give up. It means we keep going forward. We renew our mind. We go to God. We think that because of failing to follow our boundaries, that we need new boundaries. Maybe you’ve been really trying your best to follow your boundaries of eating between hunger and satisfaction, but you keep overeating. Does that mean your boundaries don’t work? No way! It means it’s time to renew your mind. It’s time to go sit at the feet of Jesus and drink in His truth.
So the next time you are tempted to fail: go to Jesus. Renew your mind. The next time you break a boundary: seek His truth. And know that each time you do, you are one step closer to victory! Sweet, sweet victory!!
Would you like to know more about renewing your mind? There are so many great resources on this website and blog about doing just that. Do you have a set of truth cards? If not, you can learn more about it here. I also have recorded a set of my truth cards on a Sound Cloud file that you can find here. Do you have a set of questions to help aid you in renewing your mind such as Barb Raveling’s I Deserve a Donut? How else can we, at Thin Within, help to encourage you to renew your mind and see failure as victory?
by Christina Smith | Aug 15, 2014 | Blog
Image courtesy of Apolonia at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
It may be controversial, but I think we blame the food too much when it comes to our weight. When it comes to releasing weight and getting thin within, I personally believe it’s not about the food. In the past, when we want to shed the pounds, we change the way we eat. We count. We measure. We weigh. We change what we eat. Essentially, we blame the food and start to label food as “good” or “bad”. There’s way too much emphasis put on the food, but not about the emotions or the habits…or the heart and mind. Our physical weight and even the mental “weight” is just a symptom of what’s going on deep inside of us. It’s not about the food itself.
People can get really defensive about food. It has become a really personal and passionate topic. The opinions on food changes day to day from person to person.
We can have all sorts rules when it comes to food. We can limit our food intake. We can count and track, but ultimately, that’s just an external change. The thing that sticks is the internal change, in our heart, mind, and soul. Because really, how many diets exist in this world? Hundreds upon hundreds! And some of us have gone from one diet to the next, from one eating style to the next, from one restrictive plan to the next, and we lose weight, we gain it back, and then we lose, and then we gain MORE back. Why is that? I personally believe it’s because it’s not about the food; it’s about our heart. When we don’t get to the core issue of our eating habits, we lose sight of what’s truly important. Our eyes are on the types of food we eat and the quantity of food we eat, and we never glance at the condition of our heart and the patterns of our thinking. So if food isn’t the issue, why do we keep blaming the food?
When I first started this journey, I had a lot of fear about food. I thought that if I ate sugar, that I was tempting God and that it would kill my body. I had an extremely hard time pushing past the fears and the thoughts that plagued my mind. I cried out to the Lord for help and He answered my prayer. He showed me His truth. Even before this part of the journey started, I tried all sorts of ways of eating: food combining, eating right for my blood type, eating only raw foods, juicing, counting, weighing, measuring, etc.
We know what the always-and-forever-changing opinions of this world say about food, but what does God say about food in His Word?
- He has given us every herb and tree to eat of. (Genesis 1:29)
- Every animal is food along with herbs. (Genesis 9:3)
- Food has taste. (Job 6:6)
- He causes it to grow for the service of man. (Psalm 104:14)
- He gives all animals as food. (Psalm 136:25, Psalm 147:9)
- He gives food to the hungry. (Psalm 146:7)
- Eat only as much food as you need. (Proverbs 25:16)
- Food is for nourishment. (Proverbs 27:27)
- He gives us food. (Ezekiel 16:19)
- We aren’t to worry about what we eat. (Matthew 6:25)
- Food doesn’t defile a man. (Mark 7:19)
- Life is more than food. (Luke 12:23)
- Food strengthens. (Acts 9:19)
- All food is pure. Don’t eat with offense. (Romans 14:20)
- Food is for the stomach and vice versa. (1 Cor. 6:13)
- Food doesn’t make a difference in our relationship with God. (1 Cor. 8:13)
- No one is to judge us in food and drink. (Colossians 2:16)
- God created food to be received with thanksgiving. (1 Timothy 4:3)
I wrote down scriptures on notecards and read them each day until those fears dissipated. I knew from His Word that I can eat and enjoy all foods, but I needed more of an understanding of what God meant.
I looked up Galatians 5:1, which says, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”
And 1 Timothy 4:1-5, which says, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.”
And then I looked up both sets of scriptures in the Matthew Henry’s commentaries. These are the notes I wrote down in my journal:
- We are to look upon food as that which God has created; we have it from Him, and therefore must use it for Him.
- What God has created is to be received with thanksgiving. We must not refuse the gifts of God’s bounty, nor be scrupulous (strict) in making differences about food where God has made none; but receive them, be thankful, acknowledging the power of God, the Maker of them.
- Not only has He given us permission to eat all foods, allowing us the liberty of the use of these things, but He also promises to feed us with food that’s convenient for us.
- Every creature is God’s, for He made all. Every creature of God is good.
- The blessing of God makes every creature nourishing to us.
God also says in His Word, “Have you found honey? Eat only as much as you need, lest you be filled with it and vomit” (Proverbs 25:16). This is what Matthew Henry has to say about this verse (what I wrote in my journal): He talks about how we are allowed a sober and moderate use of the delights of sense. Honey is not forbidden. We may eat of it with thanksgiving. God has given us permission to make use of our taste buds. “Eat as much as is sufficient, and no more. The pleasures of sense lose their sweetness by the excessive use of them. Eat food with sobriety.” Eat between hunger and satisfaction (0-5).
Before anyone throws rotten tomatoes at me for sticking up for ALL foods–I also want to add that everyone has different convictions and preferences when it comes to food. When Paul was addressing the food issues in Romans 14 (it’s a really good read on this topic), he was letting us know that Christ has given us the liberty to enjoy all foods. He says not to be judgmental about it. He says not to eat food offered to idols. He says to eat with thanksgiving. He says not to make others stumble by what we eat.
So let no one judge you in food or in drink. Colossians 2:16a
When I was at a certain place in my journey where the Lord was showing me that I can eat all foods, I was so tempted to go back to some of my old ways of completely cutting out sugar because the lie was still there that sugar is evil. So as the Lord was showing me His truth that I could eat sweets within my boundaries (eating between 0-5 of hunger and satisfaction), the enemy was also trying to ensnare me with the lies that if I ate sugar then something really bad would happen. Someone even made a comment to me that sugar is “poison”. Wow! And they compared it to drugs. Ouch. Honestly, that was another hurdle I had to jump over with the Lord’s help. We have to be SO careful about our convictions and what we say to others. I bet that person had no idea that what they said would trip me up and cause me to stumble. Obviously, that person is passionate about not eating sugar, but God has been working so hard to free me from any rules man has made about food. Now, this doesn’t mean that all I eat are sweets; I believe in eating in moderation. What we eat over a long period of time is what counts; it’s not one meal or one day of eating that makes or breaks us.
Image courtesy of akeeris at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
And then there’s also foods that some of us cannot eat because it makes us physically ill. Maybe you have a gluten intolerance. Or maybe you are lactose intolerant. Whatever the case may be, I think we can be mindful of the food our body enjoys and be careful and considerate about sharing our convictions when it comes to food.
On pages 186-189 in Thin Within, it talks about how there are pleasers, teasers, total rejects and whole-body pleasers when it comes to food. The pleasers are foods you know you enjoy, maybe even by specific brand. They “hit the spot and bring physical satisfaction” (page 186). The teasers are foods that you don’t really think about until you see a picture of the food or someone mentions the food. They aren’t as satisfying of foods, so we may think that “more is better”. Total rejects are foods that are “simply not worth eating”. They may be too sweet, salty, artificially flavored, etc. Whole-body pleasers are “foods that make you feel good overall”. It’s the “foods that your body calls out for, are enjoyable while you eat them, and they leave you feeling energized afterward” (pages 188-189). I really like how Thin Within talks about these different ways we respond to foods. I believe different foods will fit in different categories for different people. What may be a whole-body pleaser for me may be different for someone else. Most of all, I just love the freedom God gives us when it comes to food.
I can either listen to what the world and the diet creators say about what I should or shouldn’t eat, or I can listen to what the Creator says about food. I will choose the latter because that’s where my peace resides. I’m choosing to turn my eyes away from all of the babble and confusion about it, and I’m choosing to fix my eyes on Jesus. He won’t lead me astray. I will listen to His voice. This is where it all boils down to–Jesus. He came to set us free from the law. And I believe in that freedom, He meant for us to be free even in what we eat. The world makes laws and rules about food, but God gives us the liberty to choose what is satisfying to us.
How about you? Have you been bombarded with all of the “billboards” about what the world says about food? Will you take a stand with me and turn a deaf ear to it and listen to the One who knows your needs when it comes to nourishing your body? Maybe you do have some passionate opinions and convictions on this subject, would you be willing to join me in being extra careful about sharing those convictions? Let’s walk in love!
P.S. Heidi wrote a great post about this a little while back. Click here to read!
