I like food. I mean, I REALLY like food. Unless it’s okra. Okra is gross. Seriously. It’s not food. In the words of Jerry Seinfeld’s nemesis, Newman, it’s a “vile weed” – though, to be fair, he said it of broccoli. But this really isn’t a post about my dislike of okra. Instead, it’s a post about the perils of liking pretty much every other food, and drink.
Now, I am drafting this post with full admission that I am on a year-long bender. During this time, my diet has fallen well short of optimal. Heck, it’s been pretty poor, if I am being honest. You see, for the second time in several years, I had lost a lot of weight. Most recently, it was 40 pounds. Sadly, though, just like last time, I put it all back on.
Why? It’s simple. I like food. Almost “like like” it. Oh, and there is also the fact that when the main self-identified pillars of my life (Church, Family, Career) are unstable, I have no diet discipline. That means I will turn to food as a feeble source of wellness. I do even even though I know it’s a load of horse puckey.
So, as I draft this, I am much heavier and less healthy that I prefer or should be. Study of Edwards resolution 40, is a painful alert that it’s time to renew my discipline for a better diet and overall wellness.
Jonathan Edwards Resolution 40
Edwards’ Resolution #40 (as it was written)
40. Resolved, to inquire every night, before I go to bed, whether I have acted in the best way I possibly could, with respect to eating and drinking. Jan. 7, 1723.
Edwards’ Resolution #40 (in my modernized language)
To question myself every night if I practiced healthy diet habits. (Did I uphold Resolution 20?)
Food fills many voids. But not always well. Many (maybe most) of us have a toxic relationship with food and wellness. Here are some ways we can resolve to repair it.
A Good Diet for Your Temple
In Mark 11:15-17, Jesus cleansed the temple of impurities. He was angered at the toxic ways his temple had cut off the Gentiles from worshiping him. Arriving at the Temple and, finding it unclean, he made a whip to drive out the toxins( an act that completes a prophecy Malachi 3:3-4).
In this account, we see both power and oppression. The Jews believed themselves superior. The gentiles, in the Jewish opinion, were not recipients of God’s heart. So they segregated them into a specific space of the temple. In addition, they turned that space, known as the Gentile court, into a marketplace. The Jews put themselves into an exalted position, keep the gentiles distant from God and using them for their own gain.
Jesus rebuked the Jews, making it clear that the Temple was not of position. It is a freely open temple and available as a house of prayer for all nations.
In the same way, your body is a temple for honoring God. Remember, a toxic temple cuts off God’s people.
Staying Committed to Your Wellness
Resolution 20 sets a tone for diligence in pursuing a diet that leads toward wellness. It is vital to living upright and with clarity of mental focus and emotions.
And yet, I too often fail to uphold Edwards 20th resolution, even while I genuinely want to do so. In my weakness, I allow sickness or emotional hardships to ruin my diet. I don’t just eat more, I eat more things (most of which are highly refined and drastically unhealthy). These things, I know, are not conducive to health.
I rationalize it using the “feed a cold” folk wisdom. While that may be true (or maybe not), it certainly does not mean, feed it candy bars and tons of junk foods. But I tell myself it is just a little fix to get me a superficial lift that will fill gaps. The little charge, I tell myself, will help me power through.
Unfortunately, it just powers me through to the next one. And then, here’s the irony of it; I am probably Ill because I had made too many poor diet choices leading up to it. So my voracious appetite is really a result of my own undoing.
How to Get Out of a Food Junky Spiral
The cynical might suggest that if our bodies are temples, perhaps they should be a temple for all foods and drinks. That, though, is nonsense. The reality, Jesus cleansed the temple of corruption and filth. The things that were unhealthy for all to enjoy the benefit of worshiping and glorifying God. We would, therefore, be wise to rid our bodies of similar toxins.
You see, when we enter into a spiral of junk food madness, it terrorizes us. Before you can exit it, though, you must want out. After that, there are four other steps. However, all four must be done concurrently. So they are less like steps, and more like pillars of a platform.
A 4-Step Platform For Exiting Toxic Spirals
1) Commit to a Better Way: If you want it bad enough, you must commit to change. If you cannot commit to change, your desire for what is remains stronger than your desire for what could be. It’s always a challenge, and it’s one that must be triumphed over every day.
2) Seek God’s Strength and Favor: Some would contend that seeking favor and strength from God should always be the first step. If you were to seek if from God to turn your heart and to help instill a desire for change, I would agree. But, if you are not first desiring change, and committed to it, it’s not likely that you would genuinely seek anything from God, other than a bit of forgiveness.
3) Hold Yourself Accountable: If there is anything I have learned from studying Edward’s resolutions, it’s that you must hold yourself accountable. That’s why he often baked accountability resolutions into other ones.
4) Forgive Yourself: At the end of the day, we are all human. We all are going to fall short on things, even the things we are desperately seeking to do in God’s name. When it inevitably happens, have grace enough to forgive yourself. Remember that your pardon has already been purchases. God loves you just as much in your failures as he does in your success.