made to need...to eat
when skipping meals becomes a matter of spiritual warfare
I love food, but eating is the first thing to go when I feel overwhelmed with other priorities.
Skipping meals is often my misdirected attempt to honor God in the good works he has prepared for me in the day to day. In doing so, I neglect the very means he has provided in order to physically strengthen me to do those works.
When I play the martyr in the name of serving God, ignoring my growling stomach in favor of checking off another item on my to-do list, I’m not actually honoring God or the body he has given me. I am made to need--to need God, first and foremost, as well as to need the life-sustaining provisions of rest and nourishment. It’s easier to remember the typical spiritual disciplines, like reading my Bible and praying, but far too often I find myself in the rut of focusing on one (needed) area, to the neglect of another (needed) area.
Sometimes it takes a moment for me to make the physical-body-to-need-of-food connection.
» I may feel overwhelmed and anxious, pausing for deep breaths to keep myself from spiraling or spouting off.
» I may be snapping at the kids, in a rush to move on to the next thing, and the next thing, and the next thing.
» I may begin to feel the weight of defeat and despair, wondering why I can’t be productive and kind, energetic and emotionally stable.
» I may may feel tension in my neck, pressure in my temples, not a result of the presence of so much noise, but simply because of the absence of food.
Once it clicks in my brain (rather, once the Holy Spirit nudges me to pay attention to the cues my body has been giving me to pause the hustle—of even good things), I have a choice to make. Will I choose the next good thing or the next right thing?
Who knew that eating could feel like spiritual warfare? I often have to make a Spirit-empowered, conscious decision to stop rushing around doing all the things; to pause and consider what the most God-honoring thing for me to do in that moment is; to choose to eat.
I'm sure for many this sounds incredibly basic and obvious, maybe even easy. But for me, taking these steps is literally a matter of obedience to God, an act of faith. I swallow (rather, repent of) the pride that makes me think I can live out my day by my own power. I agree with God that he is Creator, and that his means of providing me with physical strength is good. I trust that even if I can't keep all the plates spinning, he controls the whole world, so it's okay to pause my day.
I'm thankful that God is a compassionate Father who doesn't scoff at my weakness, but graciously bears me up, even when it takes time for me to remember I need his strength.
After all, he knows my frame. He knows that I am dust.
Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. James 4:17 nlt
I have a post coming out in a few weeks about my struggle with lack of sleep. It’s so true, even simple things like eating and sleeping can feel like spiritual warfare when looked at through the lens of faith. Honoring our bodies is honoring to the Lord and it’s so easy to forget that or neglect ourselves in the process. Thank you for bringing this to light! 🙏🏼