by Coach Debbie
“God has given me power over my food choices. I'm supposed to consume food. Food isn't supposed to consume me.” Lysa TerKeurst
In our emotional eating struggle, we so easily feel out of control, don’t we?
Years ago, I was so upset that I wouldn’t be able to see my favorite DJ who happened to be in town. I know that may sound ridiculous to you, but I am such a fan of his and couldn’t believe he was local for one night only.
Motherhood prevented us from getting tickets and I was crying. My knee-jerk reaction: eat junk food. I basically ordered my husband to get my favorite fast food. I was pouting like adult-sized tantrum. I sulked while soothing myself with fries and chicken tenders.
We want food to comfort us and, by giving in, the cycle of disordered eating continues. We have emotions that we expect food to pacify. We become consumed, idolizing that food. We obsess and we cave.
And during the eating (or perhaps after finishing), the guilt and shame and regret overtake us. We swear to never do that again. But it doesn’t take long for emotions (or boredom) to spring back up, and “just this once” we justify our habits.
Let’s look at 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. This is when Paul was given a thorn in his flesh to prevent conceit, and the Lord would not remove it despite Paul’s pleading….
But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
In my own life, I have gone on this “field trip” countless times. Like barnacles on a boat, I wanted to cling to old eating habits of pizza, cereal, and cookies. I had no idea how bad my obsession was until I had to practice saying “no.” It was brutal, like rehab.
Let’s make it a practice to stay humble and rely on God and deepen our relationship with Him. When we are weak, He is strong! He gets all the credit in those moments when we have the Lord meet our needs, instead of food. We cannot do this alone! Spend some time studying 2 Corinthians 12 and journal too!
“God has given me power over my food choices. I'm supposed to consume food. Food isn't supposed to consume me.” Lysa TerKeurst
Check out Lysa's book "Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food"!