When good food goes bad.

I am starting to realize more and more that the battle I'm facing is not about the food I eat or how much I weigh. It's an issue of the heart. The food I choose to eat, whether healthy or not, can bring me closer to God or it can get in the way of my relationship with God.

 

I started to really think about this one day last week after lunch. I've been working really hard to learn to eat smaller portions and to stop eating when I don't feel hungry anymore, not necessarily when I feel "full". I've been filling in the places where I would have eaten sweets after my meal or as a snack with fruits and veggies instead. Sounds like a good plan, right? I mean, that's what all the diet plans say. You can have as many veggies as you want.

 

So, I had finished lunch that day-a small bowl of leftover spaghetti and a good sized salad. I sat my bowl down and I thought to myself, "Wow, I can't believe how much that filled me up! I must be doing something right." No problems, so far. I'm full, I'm going to stop. Go me!

 

The next thing I thought, however, was a little different. I thought, "I need something sweet to follow that up. Wonder if we have any bananas left I can have for dessert."

 

And that's when the red flag went up in my heart. I didn't want a banana because my stomach needed to be filled. I wanted it because my sweet tooth needed to be filled. I had already had a meal to take care of my hunger and I felt full, but I did not feel SATISFIED. I was not content with what I already had. I wanted something more.

 

Once again, I was looking to food to fill a space in my life it was never designed to fill. When I try to find my satisfaction and contentment in the food I put in my mouth, I will soon find myself hungry again. The only way I can find lasting satisfaction is by looking to Jesus. He will fill me in way that will sustain me not matter what is or isn't on the plate in front of me.

 

So instead of having a banana for dessert that day, I enjoyed a heaping helping of thankfulness for what God had provided to nourish my body and for what he had revealed to me to nourish my spirit. Days later, guess which one is still filling me up?