Women, Redwoods, laughing, singing… I must have just returned from our church’s annual Women’s Retreat! How fun, right?
I’m going through notes I used for a session on “High Energy Radiance”, which focused on healthy eating. “Super Natural Super Foods”, you might say.
I thought I’d put all the nutritional info in my monthly newsletter, but keep track of key verses in this post. After all, we don’t just live “by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God!” (It’s not just about the food.)
It’s not actually Sunday today, but here’s my “Soul Food Sunday” post, from this weekend’s session on healthy eating:
1.) Eat more natural, whole foods. We can try baby steps, adding a few healthy foods at a time. We don’t have to put anything on a “NO” list, but we can keep the following verse in mind. We don’t want to be “slaves” to sin, with an out-of-control compulsion to eat unhealthy food!
” ‘Everything is permissible for me’–but not everything is beneficial. ‘Everything is permissible for me’–but I will not be mastered by anything.” 1 Corinthians 6:12
2. Avoid “gluttony”. It’s easy to think of gluttony applying to gross pigs. But really, an obsession with food, even uneaten food, is a form of gluttony. Interesting that C.S. Lewis describes gluttony as falling into one of three categories:
- Wanting more pleasure from something than it was made for.
- Wanting it exactly our way (delicacy). Prepared just right, just the right amount. etc. (Pampered instead of becoming strong by suffering the minor inconveniences of life)
- Demanding too much from people (excessive desire for other people’s time or presence). The object of affection is expected to provide an unreasonable amount of company.
“Put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony. ” – Proverbs 23:2
3. Splurging? We all ought to be able to “splurge” on occasion. And we can ask God to bless it, even if it is full of sugar and butter. That might help!
“Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks. For we know it is made acceptable by the word of God and prayer.” (1 Timothy 4:4-5)
4. Contagious Self Control. One of the fruits of the “Spirit is… self-control” (Galatians 5:22). As a witness to others, that fruit of self-control can manifest in our bodies. Studies show the reality of “peer pressure”: When we have willpower, it encourages others. When we fall short, we encourage our friends to fall short. Having self-control strengthens others’ resolve as well as our own.
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
5. What you CAN eat. Think about all the delicious, whole, healthy foods you can eat (that are actually quite delicious!).
“Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” (Philippians 4:8)
