Diet Devotion

" It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it glorious to seek one's own glory."

-Proverbs 25:27

Diet- a word dripping with disdain as beauty standards encourages women to starve themselves into skinny stick-figures who disappear behind lampposts. The deadly sin of vanity, echos in the words of our naturally super-model sized friend lamenting about her "fat rolls" when she sits down and bends in any direction.  The result of the seeking unattainable ideals results in mal-nutrition to the point of losing menstrual cycles and possible eating-disorders.

  Yet, the opposite type of diet our when western culture encourages engorgement occurs only with expecting women. "Your pregnant, eat whatever you want!" provides a path for the deadly sin of gluttony. I, as a mother of four who managed to gain an extra fifty pounds (losing some) after each pregnancy mastered the art of overeating. During my first pregnancy, I treated myself to half a dozen donuts in one sitting. Instead of enjoying just one brownie, I justified stuffing my face with four in honor of each of my children in my latest pregnancy. I ate with greed wrapped in the self-righteous ribbon of deserving too large portions due to my pregnant condition. The result, straining my body with weight gain over two hundred pounds to the point of clinical obesity.

  Such extremes mentalities of starving or stuffing, originates from fear. Vanity whispers "you are not pretty enough" while gluttony shrieks "there is never enough so grasp for more."  Only temperance silences such sinful noises through faithful discipline and humble self-control. A line from the Lord's prayer provides the perfect devotional diet "give us this day our daily bread." "Daily bread" not bread crumbs nor a several days worth of bread consumption.  This requires trust that the right balance and portion of food daily provides the nutrients and energy needed to sustains oneself and gratitude not greed for the right amount that satisfies hunger. A daily dance of fasting and feasting of feeling the pain of hunger and the gratitude for a full yet  not engorged stomach.

   By admitting and addressing my personal struggles with gluttony, internal attitudes affects external behaviors. I am grateful for my daily bread and admit my weakness towards eating too much chocolate asking for the living bread that sustains with prayer and gratitude. This extends to other areas such as overshopping,  over-phone scrolling, and over-drinking. Moderation allows for true celebration as temperance creates healthy dependence on the daily-bread as I steward my body and soul to refine for His glory as a vessel to care for my family.

So diet with devotion my sisters in Christ to defeat the sins of vanity or gluttony!