Made to Crave - Chapter 2: Replacing my Cravings

I'm sharing the high points that I found in each chapter and then I answer the questions at the end of each chapter with my honest feelings. I'm reading the book on my Kindle, so I don't have page numbers for any of the thoughts I have taken from the book. This has been a journey that has spanned at least a decade for me. I'm not where I want to be, but I'm farther along than I used to be. Walk with me and feel free to share your thoughts. Be kind. Be blessed.

Each of the following points were taken straight from the book. No plagiarizing intended.

·        Because this wasn’t really about the scale or what clothing size I was; it was about this battle that raged in my heart.

·        Surrender to the point where I’d make radical changes for the sake of my spiritual health perhaps even more than my physical health.

·        Is it possible we love and rely on food more than we love and rely on God?

·        I had to get honest enough to admit it: I relied on food more than I relied on God. I craved food more than I craved God. Food was my comfort. Food was my reward. Food was my joy. Food was what I turned to in times of stress, sadness, and even in times of happiness.

·        God never intended for us to want anything more than we want Him. Just the slightest glimpse into His Word proves that. Look at what the Bible says about God’s chosen people, the Israelites, when they wanted food more than they wanted God: “They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved” (Psalm 78:18). Yikes.

·        God waited until every one from that generation died before He allowed Joshua and Caleb to lead the younger generation into the abundant life they desired with all their heart.

·        Each time I craved something I knew wasn’t part of my plan, I used that craving as a prompt to pray. I craved a lot. So, I found myself praying a lot.

·        One day the victory tasted better than any of that food I’d given up ever could.

1.      Lysa describes her morning ritual with the scale and her failed efforts to eat healthier as a vicious cycle she felt powerless to stop. When it comes to your relationship with food, what repeated behaviors or events describe the cycle you experience and feel powerless to stop? Eating just because the clock says its time or the family is eating, who cares if I’m not hungry. And when I’m not eating, I’m thinking about what needs to be fixed for the next meal of the day.

2.      There are many reasons we have for wanting to eat differently – losing weight, fitting into a favorite pair of jeans, looking good for an important event. What reasons motivate your desire to eat healthier? Looking healthier, sleeping better, being able to run better, my 20^th reunion, wanting to feel sexier for Galen. Do these reasons give your struggles with food a purpose strong enough to help you resist unhealthy eating? Some days it does, some days it doesn’t. How do you respond to Lysa’s statement, “I had to see the purpose of my struggle as something more than wearing smaller sizes and getting compliments from others… It had to be about something more than just me.” I need to make it about being obedient to God first. If I do that, the rest will fall into place.

3.      “I had to get honest enough to admit it: I relied on food more than I relied on God. I craved food more than I craved God. Food was my comfort. Food was my reward. Food was my joy. Food was what I turned to in times of stress, sadness, and even in times of happiness”. Consider your eating experiences over the last few days or weeks. Using the list below, can you recall specific situations in which you turned to food for these reasons?

a.      Comfort when things don’t go the way I wanted them to

b.      Reward When I ran my c25k successfully

c.       Joy When I am in a super good mood I crave sweets

d.      Stress When there is conflict at home or at church

e.       Sadness When Galen and I have a fight or are distant

f.        Happiness When things are going really well

g.      Keeping the same situations in mind, how do you imagine your experiences might have been different if you had relied on God, craved God, instead of turning to food? If I had stopped to pray or read scripture instead of turning to food… or even turned to a trusted friend for support instead of the fridge.

4.      How do you respond to the idea of using your cravings as a prompt to pray? I like the idea of turning to prayer when I have a craving. I’ve tried in the past, but always stopped because the result wasn’t fast enough. How has prayer helped or failed to help in your previous food battles? It has definitely helped when my cravings have been really strong and I’ve made every effort to fast.

5.      Brick by brick (or craving by craving), Lysa dismantled her tower of impossibility and used the same brinks to build a walkway of prayer, paving the path to victory. Brick by brick is an effective way to dismantle something but it also takes time and careful work. In your battles with food, are you more likely to choose a drastic, quick-fix approach or a moderate but longer-term approach? What thoughts or feelings emerge when you consider dismantling your own tower of impossibility one craving at a time? I would choose a longer term approach. I know if I make little steps day by day that eventually the weight would come off and stay off.