"And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it." Luke 12:29
This past weekend at church, we heard a good sermon on what's controlling us. The first story we looked at was in Luke 18 where Jesus told the wealthy man to sell everything he had and give it to the poor then to come follow Him. The man left sad because he rich. The speaker made this point: it wasn't necessarily about money for all of us - some of us become controlled by money, but some of us are controlled by other things.
He then asked the question, what do we have our hands on so tightly that we would be sad and 'miss Jesus' calling' if He asked us to give it up? While possessions may not matter, maybe it's control over a person or situation. He said maybe it's a title or position. Maybe it's work we do. He gave the example of a mom who came to him and told him all about her son who wasn't living the way she wanted him to. He said this mom was so upset, she was all but screaming until the end and her blood pressure was sky high. At the end of the day, while the mother wanted to control the son's behavior, his behavior was controlling her. She was the one losing sleep and upset while he was doing what he wanted. He asked again, what haven't we given over to God? What do we think we need to control?
The sermon series is called 'flip side' and the point is that when we give God the control, He in turn gives us freedom. The next set of verses from Luke 12 began my wheels turning.
Do Not Worry
22Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[l]? 26Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? 27"Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
32"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Where was my treasure? Recently we were asked to do a 5-day fast where we ate nothing but rice & beans to get a feel for how the truly poor lived. Wanting to lose some weight in the process, I tried to have nothing but one meal of rice & beans so I could truly experience the 'poor life.' The speaker (I'm not sure if he's the pastor, but I know he's at least the youth leader if not the youth pastor of the church) said that when we fast, we often have SEVERE cravings that come up in our lives. Often, when we're giving up food, we start desiring specific foods in a way we never thought possible. The lack of what we want makes us grumpy and it starts controlling our thoughts. We as Christians then realize that if food can have this powerful effect on us, there are other things that can control us that we don't even realize as well.
I was listening intently as originally I thought maybe it was food controlling my life. He wasn't kidding about those cravings. I wanted pineapple (of all things) in the worst kind of way! But the more the sermon went on, the more I realized that once again what I had allowed to control my thoughts was the desire to be thin and healthy. I don't remember if it was that morning or the morning before as I was going jogging, I thought to myself "if I could double my workouts, maybe I could lose some weight before my birthday." So, I began thinking about getting up early to work out and then doing it again while my children napped. Then I began obsessing about what I could eat during those next couple weeks (this birthday one is a 'big' one for me...ugh!).
As we read the verses about 'do not worry,' I began to hear God once again reigning me in. I hadn't done anything to accomplish my previous weight loss. And when I start trying to control it, it seems like my eating becomes anything but healthy and I put on more pounds rather than shed them. You see, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. I had been allowing my desire to become healthy to start being my treasure and therefore affecting my heart and actions. I was more concerned with it than with Jesus and what He is calling me to do. I was ashamed to go back to the same evil of obsessing over food - only this time, it was wearing a disguise.
Life is more than food, the body more than clothes. We're not to worry about what we're going to eat. That means we don't have to 'diet' per se. We are to eat what God tells us to and not go crazy. We're not to be gluttonous and yet we're not to starve ourselves. God knows what we need. He designed our bodies and He knows how they operate best. His Holy Spirit is ready, willing and able to prompt us on good choices, and by all means we should follow Him. But, we don't need to take the reigns and dig our claws in so tight that we're no longer giving God the glory or allowing Him to work in us and through us. This pursuit had started controlling me, my thoughts and my time (without any success, I might add).
The sermon ended with this powerful note: if God took whatever it is that you've dug your claws into so fiercely, could you still love Him and be happy with life? (Okay, so that's not word-for-word, but it's basically how I understood the question.) Could I stay overweight if God so desired and still be head over heels in love with Him, honor and serve Him, and give Him my life? I cringed at the thought. I knew the answer had to be yes. Still I was struggling. So, I admitted to God that I was struggling. I told Him my desire, but I also told Him that I loved Him and it wasn't about my body, which is here today and gone... well, hopefully not tomorrow, but soon enough! I told Him I would serve Him until the end, and I was taking my claws out of this pursuit. It wasn't about me, anyway.
The next night, I saw a glimpse of a VERY attractive young blond gal who had just lost the battle to cancer. It was the only reminder I needed. I would give anything to see my kids grow up and hopefully their kids someday. I'm happy with the body God has given me. While I want to treat it respectfully, I'll be honored to serve God in whatever vessel He's given me.
I continue to work out. It makes me feel good, and I know it's good for me. I'm still trying to get up early to do it, because I think that's what God is calling me to. I also ate healthier this week than I have in a long time. But, I'm not obsessing over it. I'm taking one day at a time and not living for my own glory, but the Lord's.
This was a good reminder for me, and I hope it also helps you as we glorify God together with our bodies. Let's not set our heart on what we'll eat or drink (and I could even go on and on about what cravings can do to us! But that's for another post someday!). Let's seek Jesus first and His kingdom. I believe God will add everything else in His time, whether in this life or the next. Much love, my sisters (& brothers, if any read this blog).
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