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I have just been taking a look at this very question on another Christian weight-loss site (It’s always good to read what others are saying.) The writer wastes no time developing her argument…. We put on weight when we eat excessively, and the definition of gluttony is ‘to eat to excess’. Therefore all overeating is gluttony. Not only is this sin but even to associate with gluttons is sin (Proverbs 28:7) and when we overeat we are examples of evil to one another. She goes on to say that overeating: • destroys your body, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit • steals your energy, zeal, and ability to serve the Lord physically • is public proof of your lack of self-control • reveals flagrant hypocrisy which ruins your Christian witness • reinforces your values of instant and excessive gratification • displays your obvious self-centred overindulgence It is difficult to argue with the logic of such a presentation. It is, after all, based on Scripture, but it leaves me feeling cold and (if I were still trapped in my prison of overweight) would probably have sent me running to the biscuit tin for comfort! I was overweight or obese for my entire adult life, from the age of 16 to 55. I struggled constantly with this, even though I loved God with all my heart and had been in full-time Christian service since I was 28. As part of my Christian discipline I would fast from time to time, often for two weeks or more (which I now appreciate was probably a factor in upsetting my metabolism) Whenever I dieted, which I did often with varying degrees of success, I always prayed that God would help me to stick to my self-imposed dietary rules and I thanked him when the weight dropped off. I tried whipping myself into shape using the kind of arguments listed above thinking that if I could only see how heinous a sin my over-eating was, then I would be able to truly repent and God would set me free. But all I felt was condemnation, condemnation, condemnation and I dare say that as you read these lines just now you probably felt the same. Jesus said that he had not come into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved; Paul (the apostle) wrote that that the letter of the Law (the commandments of God as recorded in the first five books of the Old Testament) kills us, but that the Holy Spirit gives life. Many sincere-minded religious people have tried this approach of whipping themselves, some even literally, in order to try and bring their fleshly passions under control, but it just doesn’t work. All it does is leave us feeling guilty and ashamed so that we lose our confidence towards God. These feelings of guilt and shame are compounded by the world in which we live, which focuses on body image and presents us with goals which are unrealistic and unattainable for the vast majority of us. The slimming and beauty industries thrive on our sense of defectiveness and inadequacy – how else would they make their money? Slimming clubs, with their performance-orientated approach, cause us to focus on the number on the scales all the time and also leave us feeling ashamed whenever we fail to measure up. For the over-eater, shame is usually a terrible motivation for change for, ironically, all it does is make us eat all the more! So, does God care if I am fat? I’ll tell you what God does care about… He cares that many of us are carrying so much unresolved pain that the only way we can cope is by self-medicating on comfort foods; he cares that because of sexual abuse we have developed layers of fat for self-prtection; he cares that we hate our bodies so much that we turn to self-abuse using food as our weapon of choice; he cares about our broken relationships and the deep inner emptiness which causes us to consider food as our only safe friend; and he cares about the toll that the stresses and strains of 21st Century living heap unmercifully leaving us little time to prepare healthy meals and eat properly in a recuperative, relaxed way. I do not glorify God in my body by being slim; I do so by respecting my body and eating in a controlled way in obedience to the Holy Spirit and he will always lead us to eat in freedom those foods which support good health, not destroy it. Let the Holy Spirit convict of sin, if this is necessary, and when he does let us be swift to repent and receive forgiveness. But remember, we cannot please God by our self-efforts. However, thankfully, by the mysterious working of his power in our lives he is able to achieve far over and above all that we could ever ask or think. All we need to do is to yield and let him have his way. He will lead us into all truth; he will set us free from our inappropriate use of food and he will fill us with his love. Does God care if you are fat? Wrong question! He cares about YOU. His arms are long enough to reach all the way round your body whatever its size! Let him do that for you now. He doesn’t condemn, he forgives; he doesn’t point a finger but reaches out his hand to lift you up. He knows your need; he knows you through and through, but only when you are secure in his love can you even begin to address the deeper issues of disordered eating. Trust him. |
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