A New Year's Resolution (a little late)...

Do you ever feel yourself making food an idol? Maybe around the holidays? Or a birthday?

Is "idol" too strong of a word when it comes to food? I sit here telling myself that maybe it is too stong, but I really feel in my heart that food has become an idol in my life. I have no self-control over what I eat. Is it my emotions? Probably. Am I bored? Maybe. Do I eat food just because it is there? Most definitely.

Over the course of the winter, I have gained nearly 25 pounds. That is hard to swallow (no pun intended). I often chalk it up to turning 30 and getting older - but there are so many other excuses as well... I know I am not excersing as I should - it is too cold. My doctor has been working on my thyroid medicine as that seemed to go haywire late last fall. I got past the holidays and Jackson's birthday and then we were hit with an emotional bomb of losing a pregnancy. It has been a roller coaster, but all of these things are just plain excuses. I have no more room for growth in my clothes. That kills me.

However, what should kill me even more is that I am hurting God's temple and I am sinning whenever I sit down (or stand up for that matter) and put any kind of food in my mouth. Whether it be a snack or a meal only because almost a 100% of the time I eat way too much. I don't eat to just satisfy my hunger, I eat to satisfy my fleshly desires and/or emotions of either sadness, boredom, etc. Wayne and I have a running joke about being able to always eat. He would ask if I am hungry and I would always say, "I can always eat", even if I am hungry or have already had breakfast, lunch, and a snack. That's aweful.

I was doing a little research on gluttony this morning and found this from Got Questions.org:

Physical appetites are an analogy of our ability to control ourselves. If we are unable to control our eating habits, we are probably also unable to control other habits, such as those of the mind (lust, covetousness, anger) and unable to keep our mouths from gossip or strife. We are not to let our appetites control us, but we are to have control over our appetites. (See Deuteronomy 21:20, Proverbs 23:2, 2 Peter 1:5-7, 2 Timothy 3:1-9, and 2 Corinthians 10:5.) The ability to say “no” to anything in excess—self-control—is one of the fruits of the Spirit common to all believers (Galatians 5:22).

God has blessed us by filling the earth with foods that are delicious, nutritious, and pleasurable. We should honor God's creation by enjoying these foods and by eating them in appropriate quantities. God calls us to control our appetites, rather than allowing them to control us.

I also found from that same website that gluttony is a sin that Christians like to ignore. What a true statement. We shouldn't ignore it though. It is just as bad as smoking, drinking, and even murder. Proverbs 23:1-2 reads, "When you sit down to eat with a ruler, observe carefully what is before you, and put a knife to your throat if you are given to appetite." Literally speaking, you are better off dead than to gorge yourself with food and be gluttonous.

I spent some time in prayer over this sin this weekend and I will continue to pray over it. It obviously has taken over my life and I want to take the control back. Putting it out there allows me to be accountable. I actually was going to try and be bold enough to post my weight and measurements, but that boldness hasn't hit yet. Please help me pray for this. Only God can help me get over this sin and help me correct my errors.