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Past Thought for the week messages Victim or Victor?
Past Thought for the week messages Victim or Victor? | Victim or Victor? |
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One of the major keys to successful weight regulation is, I believe, to discover the root cause (or causes) of your disordered eating. My book, How to Stop Dieting and Start Living seeks to cover all the bases, exploring in depth such issues as: stress, loneliness, boredom, low self-esteem, unresolved pain, fear and unsatisfied spiritual hunger, When people come to see that food isn’t really the issue then they appreciate that dieting can never be the solution! Jesus said, ‘The truth shall set you free,’ (John 8:32)and it is the testimony of many that once they have discovered the mental and emotional reasons behind their inappropriate eating that healing and deliverance follows. This was certainly the case with me. There is, however, a danger that once this discovery is made; once the level of self-awareness is raised, it can easily, if we allow it, give rise to another huge obstacle - that of self-pity, which leads to a victim mentality. One definition of a victim is ‘a person to whom life happens. For some of you reading this it may well be that you have been on the receiving end of all manner of abuse, neglect or insensitivity perpetrated deliberately or unconsciously by others, so it is little wonder that you have found solace in eating – that food has become your comfort, medication, way of escape, in short a coping mechanism. But it isn’t just those who have suffered emotionally who can become imprisoned by a victim mentality. Less obvious, but just as debilitating, can be a mode of thinking that commonly accompanies stress. Since the bottom line of stress is often that excessive demands are being made upon our lives, leaving us without the necessary time, energy or resources to complete all that we have to do, we may start to see ourselves not so much as victims of other people’s weaknesses but certainly as victims of our circumstances. Part of seeing ourselves as victims (for whatever reason) is that we start to blame others for our condition. This leads to passivity whereby we feel helpless to do anything about our condition and expect others to fix it for us. When solutions are offered victims always have a ‘Yes, but…’ to put in the way. However, if we can’t take responsibility (not for the situation itself but our response to it) then we will always be a victim - and we cannot remain victims and heal! If, however, we actively seek to do something, be it practically by changing the dynamics of our situation, or by changing our own attitudes (eg by forgiving those who have caused us pain) then we will cease to feel like a victim and instead become victors, taking control of our lives again. The psychological effect of this alone is powerful: it renews hope and strengthens us with the resolve to see that things really can change. You do not have to be trapped within your fat body; you do not have to cave in at the sight of food; you do not have to remain a captive to your own thoughts and feelings. Listen! God has all the answers……. You need healing from your emotional wounds? He is your healer. You need deliverance from your bondage to food? He is your deliverer. You need to change your way of thinking? He promises to renew your mind. You need to know what you can do to reduce the levels of stress in your life? He is Wisdom and He will guide your steps. God’s Word declares that ‘we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us.’ (Romans 8:37)You can’t be a conqueror and victim at the same time! The choice is yours.
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