Emotional Eating

Food.  It seems like a relatively simple topic, right?  Not for the person dealing with emotional eating.  For them, it is the furthest thing from simple.  I too have had my own bout with emotion driven eating.  As I was preparing for a support group meeting dealing with "Taking Care of the Caregiver" my first thought was to zero in on 1 Cor. 6:19&20.  But truthfully most Christians know their bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, that they are not their own because they have been purchased at a price.  So the question is where is the breakdown?  How do we get from knowing the truth to living the truth? 

Let's start from the beginning.  We are a spirit.  We have a soul.  We live in a body.  Our soul is made up of our mind, our will, and our emotions.  This is the primary place of attack for the enemy.  You see after we receive Christ our SPIRIT is born again, but our soul (mind, will, & emotions) then has to be renewed.  This process is called sanctification and unlike salvation, which is instantaneous, sanctification happens little by little changing us from glory to glory.  Romans 12:2 says "Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the entire renewal of your mind ..."

Our spirit is what connects us to God.  Genesis 2:7 tells us God "breathed into his (Adam's) nostrils the breath or spirit of life."  If you read through creation in Genesis you will see that man is the only being God created in this manner.  That is why you could pack an arena with animals and have Billy Graham give the gospel's saving message and not one of those animals would come forward to receive Christ.  They are not connected with His spirit ... man is.  Man was God's crowning achievement crowned with glory and honor (Psalm 8:5).  God is a spirit, and we were made in the likeness and image of Him (John 4:24, Gen. 1:26). 

Our body is an earthly vessel or home for our soul and spirit.  The process of renewing our soul to the things of the spirit takes place in the body, so doesn't it make sense that our body will either reap the benefits or suffer the consequences?  In fact the word "transformation" is derived from the Greek word we get the term "metamorphosis."  Think about the metamorphosis that a tad pole or a caterpillar goes through ... changing from the inside out.  And then there is the change that comes from just being in the presence of God.  Look at both Moses and Jesus encounter with God.  (Ex. 34:29/Matt. 17:2)  What was the outward physical manifestation of these encounters?  They GLOWED!  Paul wraps up his letter to the Thessalonians saying "And may the God of peace Himself sanctify (the renewal process) you through and through ... separate you from profane things, make you pure and wholly consecrated to God ... and may your SPIRIT and SOUL and BODY be preserved sound and complete and found blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."  (1 Thes. 5:23)

Spirit, soul, and body are very closely linked.  Whatever is being experienced in one area will have an affect on the other areas.  You have no doubt experienced this yourself.  Have you ever read a great book or listened to a motivational speaker and all of a sudden your up, your motivated, you have energy to conquer the world!  Have you ever watched a sad movie or talked with a friend who is going through a horrible tragedy and now your down, your sad, and so tired you can't clean your house.  It happens to us all.  The good news is when you strive to make improvement in any one area it affects the other two.  But whether changes are made for the good or the bad they tend to have a snowball effect.  One good and healthy decision will give way to another one or vice verse. 

What does any of this have to do with emotional eating, you might ask?  Here is a clue.  Which part of our being is made up of our emotions?  If you said "soul," you are right.  Those who fight emotional eating already know it's not a need to eat in order to sustain life but to help deal with life!  The mistake is that we are trying to apply what is meant for the body to the soul, and we are faced with the reality that it doesn't work.  Do you know what I'm talking about?  Eating that Snickers or ice cream or fast food and finding you feel no different when you are done, other than now you're probably feeling guilty too! 

I know in my own struggle those feelings of guilt didn't come right away.  I was trucking along doing my thing when all of a sudden the guilt came every time I indulged.  Over time the feeling intensified.  Satan was really beating me up, or so I thought.  Then I finally realized it was the Holy Spirit convicting me of what I was doing.  Remember He is the teacher, guider, and COMFORTER of our soul.  My emotional or soul need should have led me to my emotional helper, my soul guider, my comforter ... not to a Snickers bar.  (I know they say it satisfies but let's face it, there are somethings it can't satisfy.)   Scriptures like 1 Corinthians 6:12 began to speak to me "Everything is permissible for me; but not all things are helpful.  Everything is lawful for me, but I will not become the slave of anything or be brought under it's power."  Who do I want to have power over me?  Anything we place before God to cope with life we have given power to and become idolaters toward.  No matter how you dice it, that is sin. 

I am convinced God knew we would deal with emotional eating.  Here are just a few scriptures to back that up ...
1.  "And I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you."  Psalms 63:5
2.  "For He satisfieth the longing soul, and the hungry soul with goodness."  Psalm 107:8
3.  "Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread?  And you labor for that which satisfieth not?  Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness."  Isaiah 55:2
4.   "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."  Matt.5:6

Amazing how food and hunger are equated with the soul here and NOT the body.  These scriptures (and many more) clearly show us that a truly satisfied and fulfilled soul is found only in Him.  All those times we reach for a treat to make us happy, fill the sadness, and reward ourselves for a hard day; we are reaching for a physical solution to a spiritual problem.  We are trying to use food to do something for us that only God can do.  No wonder it doesn't work.  In fact food can be a stumbling block.  It doesn't take long to find situations in the Bible where food contributed to downfall.  Adam and Eve caused sin and death to enter the world by eating an apple.  Esau sold his birth right to Jacob over a meal of red lentils and bread.  The Israelites became tired of manna and actually contemplated going back to a life of slavery in Egypt for fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic ... too bad they didn't have 1 Cor. 6:12!

So now what?  Now that you see emotional eating for what it is, what should you do?  Let me tell you what you shouldn't do. The absolute worst thing you could do is try to overcome this on your own, or you will become more frustrated.  "Not by might, not by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord of Hosts." (Zec. 4:6)  What you should do is pray about it.  Lift it before your loving Heavenly Father and ask for forgiveness.  Ask the Holy Spirit to help you and guide you in being transformed in this area.  Let Him lead you in walking in the spirit so you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh (Gal. 5:16).  You can do it and all the while get all the comfort you need.

*I've never done this before, but just like with my support group I am going to give you a challenge.  They say it takes 30 days to break a bad habit and establish a good one so for the next month I encourage you to keep a record of what you are doing to care for yourself.  It can be physically, spiritually, or emotionally.  (Ex. Took a walk, daily devotional, talked with an old friend).  Remember your choices have a snowball affect and all three areas are connected so whatever good, positive, healthy decisions you make in one area will extend to the others.  Use your journal to not only keep up with what you are doing but how you are feeling about the change and how God is helping you.  He is FAITHFUL and you will be amazed at the work He does in you after 30 days!  God Bless!