Comfort Food and Delicious Freedom

There have been times in my life when I woke up thinking about what I would eat that day. It gave me motivation for the day. Until I began to learn to live for more.

See, everyone wants to feel good. And there's no shame in that. In fact, God gave that to us. But we can get so off course when we begin to use these things as a cover up. We are hurting deep inside, sometimes in places unbeknownst to us. We just want to feel something positive, so we surround ourselves with good food, people who won't challenge us, lots of money, shopping, busy-ness that gets us recognition, drugs, alcohol, sex for the sake of physical gratification, etc. The sad thing is, none of these things will cure our hurt or last forever. In fact, because our senses can get used to things, we'll always want more. Eventually, these cover ups will become things we resent, because they aren't doing their jobs.

One day a few years ago, God began an ongoing work in my heart to rescue me. He showed me that food was becoming my comfort, and it wasn't doing a good job. He was jealous for my heart, because He wanted to comfort me with the love, freedom, and supernatural joy He created for me (woah!)! Here's how it started:

I was at work one day as an EA for a CEO. I initially hated my job, and I stressed constantly about what people thought of me based on my performance. I always brought snacks to work, and I noticed that at a particularly stressful moment, I was ravenously eating my Trader Joe's fruit bar. :) All of a sudden it became clear that this was a crutch. God showed me I was using this nervous energy to ignore the problem and self-medicate. I stopped immediately. I didn't want to put the food down, but it was as if He was saying, "Stop numbing your heart, put your meds down, and let me see that wound."

It took time, but I would never be the same again. What ensued were years of His healing and new delight. When I became nervous, I learned to stop and pray. It may not be eloquent, but He hears. Even if it's just a cry for help, He will listen intently. Sometimes it's in the form of a friend texting and saying, "You are on my mind. How are you?" Sometimes it's His peace that descends on you, or maybe He leads you to a Bible passage that helps you see and remedy the problem.

Soon, I didn't even want to take out a snack. I just wanted to pray, or listen to worship music. If it was really intense, I may text a Jesus-loving friend and ask them to pray for (or maybe even with) me. There's power in having people agree with you in prayer.

Then other things began to change in my life. The foods I used to crave changed. I noticed that a number of my favorite foods were "comfort" foods. I exchanged them for foods I still enjoyed, but were much healthier. I didn't need food to comfort me anymore, so I was free to find the foods that were good for me and created to nourish my body. It came so naturally, and I didn't have to force it!

Another sweet thing happened, too. Instead of waking up and thinking of what my food (or relational or work-related) comforts would be that day, I awoke to enjoy the company of my loving Heavenly Father! I was more aware of His voice. He gave me a sweet dream once where He was singing the words, "Longing for you each day!" He longed to be with me, and that meant the world! Instead of seeking crutches, I began to look forward to the ways He'd show me His love that day, and the ways He would involve me in caring for others around me! That was much sweeter than eating a donut whose pleasure died with one swallow.

I still am tempted at times to go back to the old, but He's always here to help, to gently and patiently lead, and to listen to my struggles. He never berates, but always believes the best for me. I know He'll get me where He wants me to be!

So if you struggle with food or self-medicating, whether it be to overeat or to deprive yourself (denying desire doesn't help the situation, ether), know that there's so much more for you. All things are possible with God, no matter how dire the situation. If God can raise people from the dead, like He did with Jesus and many others, He can heal your heart and comfort you through the process!

And always remember this. God made us to all-out-DELIGHT in life. The lie our culture tells is that there's no true pleasure in being healthy. They call junk food a "guilty pleasure" and chocolate cake, "Devil's Food." Sorry, but the Devil makes cakes of coal, not chocolate. :) God is the one who created sugarcane, cocoa, coffee, wine, flowers with fragrances and sweet sap, sunshine, intimate relationships, dancing, music, starry nights, sunsets, water to quench thirst, and on and on!

Further than that, He gave us senses to delight us and to help us experience Him. There are even senses that are largely untapped! These are opened up as we get to know Him better, and it's out of this world. It's kinda like the movie Lucy, but without all the coldness and weirdness. These are GOOD senses, like being able to sense angelic presence, hear the music of Heaven, feel the closeness of God. Ohhhh, delight.

So let Him renew your senses. There's no limit, and you will begin to know satisfaction like you've never imagined! Simply ask, "Jesus, will you show me how to experience real delight?" Then, brace yourself!!!