The First Steps

So, I might as well clue you in on what I have been doing so far in gaining this self-control. My mom ocassionaly reminds me that I will rarely be taken seriously as an overweight minister. Ministers are called to flow with the fruits of the Spirit, and if we're lacking in one area (self-control) we could be lacking in all others. Obesity often flows from a lack of control over eating habits. My adventure in gaining control over my eating habits starts with cutting out white flour and discovering throughout the Bible what God has to say about food. Also, my mom has me reading "The Life You Want" by Bob Greene, but so far I've only read the intro.

When I was in Eugene, OR a few weeks ago visiting my grandparents, I was walking through the neighborhood and saw a neighborhood organic garden that had been developed in an open patch of land between two houses that at one point was supposed to be a road, but they probably decided they didn't need a road there. When I walked by, all I could think was, "this is the way it's supposed to be." Now, am I right about that? I'm not sure yet. But thinking about the creation account in Genesis, God creates the earth, and with every new thing He creates, He always says it's good. Now, if God created all things good, then why don't we live like that.

Where I'm at in this adventure right now, is I'm thinking that if God created all things good, then why would some things not be good for us? Anything in excess (besides the Holy Spirit of course) is not good. Eating an excessive amount of food is gluttony. I think that God created some things good for us to eat (which give us the nutrients we need to sustain us and keep us healthy) and then some things that if we were to eat would harm our body (chemicals, steel, wood chips). Can this also be applied to the food we eat? Genesis 1:29 says "And God said, 'Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.'" (The verse right after this is very interesting too, but I'm not going to get into vegitarian vs. carnivore stuff right now). Right now, I'm really thinking and nearly believing that God made foods affect us in certain ways. Some foods are necessary and some are not. Why do we eat the foods that are not necessary? Why do we mix certain ingredients (that can be good) together with another ingredient (which can also be good) in order to make something that has a negative effect on our body (i.e. Twinkies).

So, in my adventure for healthy eating, this is where I currently stand. I am going to eat the things God created good for me, and avoid those that can potentially harm my body.