On Food, Exercise, and Knowing God: Part 1

Source It all started in the garden. God said, "Don't eat this." But it looked delectably delicious, and Eve ate it anyway. It seems like the struggle for self-control and the attainment of a certain kind of body has haunted humankind ever since. Speaking purely for the female population, I don't know that I have met a woman who has not at some point struggled with what she looks like or how much she weighs. Please correct me if I am wrong. Over the years, I have often conformed and sometimes rebelled. I have frequently acknowledged defeat, while other times I have sworn to never be affected by impossible standards. I have tried diets, exercised in numerous disciplines and venues, and pleaded with God to take the struggle away. I have gained weight and lost weight. Through it all, I have come to a conclusion about what I call the Body Image Dilemma.

This struggle has taught me more about myself and God than probably just about any other struggle I have faced or will face. The Body Image Dilemma has brought me nose to nose with the internal struggle between my base desires (Romans 7:14-15) and the freedom I am promised as a child of God (Galations 5:1).  I can now freely acknowledge that I am human...and He said "It is good!" about humankind and about ME! I have desires, founded in a need for Him. My desires are good...created in me by the God of the universe. The problem comes when I am misguided in how I seek to fulfill those desires. For many people, food or exercise or looking a certain way seems like a good way to fulfill a desire. And sometimes it does...but just for a little while.  I want to learn to allow my desires to point me toward true fulfillment in Him.  And I am still learning. There are still days when I overeat, or choose to be lazy, or sulk in discontentment over how I look. There are times when I obsess over calories eaten or miles completed. Feelings of inadequacy or comparison often surface. 

But I am learning...

-When I am hungry, I am reminded that Jesus is the Bread of Life...the only One who can truly satisfy (John 6:35).

-When I think I hate exercise I am going to die, I remember that I do not run aimlessly. Rather, I beat my body and make it my slave so that I am not disqualified from the prize (1 Cor. 9:26-27).

-When I look in the mirror and am tempted to say Ick, I am reminded that I am a dearly loved child of God, and I am beautiful when I am His imitator (Eph. 5:1).

-When I am tempted to obsess over diet or exercise, I return to Biblical truth: "For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come" (1 Timothy 4:8).

In all things, I seek to remember...though sometimes I feel like a prisoner to my body and the war waging inside me, I have been delivered from slavery by Jesus (Romans 7:25)! The old has passed, and all things are becoming new (2 Cor. 5:17)! I want to choose to live in the the freedom for which Jesus saved me.  Thanks be to God, and His gift in the Spirit, I CAN choose freedom. 
And I can accept His grace when I fall short. 
What about you? What has God taught you through the Body Image Dilemma? *Because I have had several conversations recently regarding this subject matter, I want to take the next few days to share some practical things that I have implemented in my life (or am seeking to implement!). I would love to interact with you on this subject.  Many of you have a much greater scope of wisdom on this subject than I do, and I am ALWAYS trying to learn...so please share your own thoughts! My next post will specifically address FOOD.*