Made to Crave - Chapter 13: Overindulgence

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.

• On the surface it appears that all we’re talking about is food and the amount we consume. In reality, there is a more serious issue at the root of gluttony. Over-stuffing ourselves with food or drinking until we get drunk or getting wrapped up in the affections of an adulterous relationship are all desperate attempts to silence the cries of a hungry soul.
• Our souls have the same ravenous intensity as my mother’s vacuum cleaner, that’s how God created us – with a longing to be filled. It’s a longing God instilled to draw us into deep intimacy with Him. The psalmist expresses this longing as an intense thirst: “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirst for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? (Psalm 42:1-2). “I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land” (Psalm 143:6).
• If we fail to understand how to fill our souls with spiritual nourishment, we will forever be triggered to numb our longings with other temporary physical pleasures. When those pleasures are food, the resulting behavior is what we often hear referred to as “emotional eating.” But this issue is bigger than emotions; it’s really about spiritual deprivation.
• But I’ve realized when the desires for treats is triggered by difficult emotions, it’s not really a desire for treats – it’s a thinly veiled attempt at self-medication. And self-medicating with food even once triggers vicious cycles I must avoid. It’s also important to note that not all gluttony is caused by emotional responses. Sometimes it’s just an overindulgence because we lack the self-control to say enough is enough.
• In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.” (Exodus 16:2-4) In other words, god planned to use the Israelites’ food issues to teach them the valuable lesson of daily dependence on Him.
• Because these recently freed Israelites continued to grumble against God and turn their hearts from Him, god took them on a forty-year detour. Instead of heading straight to the Promised Land of freedom, they had to wander in the dessert for forty years while they learned how to truly depend on God.
• So, how did God teach His ancient people to depend on Him daily? Each day the Israelites were to ask God for their portion of food. Then God would rain down exactly what they needed for nourishment.
• God wanted them to take only their portion for one day.
• It was a process intended to put them in the habit of dependence on God, and only God, each day.
• Whatever the situation, I keep asking God to be my daily portion – of companionship, provision, patience – over and over. And one day I will find victory over those things instead of just looking back over a pile of tears and cake crumbs.
• Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; Therefore I will wait for him.” (Lamentations 3:22 – 24, emphasis added)
• God doesn’t mince words about His expectations or His promises: You shall have no foreign god among you; you shall not bow down to an alien god. I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it. (Psalm 81:9-10).
• Whether we are talking about food, wine, sex, shopping or anything else with which we try to fill ourselves, nothing in this world can ever fill us like God’s portion. Nothing else can truly satisfy. Nothing else is unfailing and absolute.
• “for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things” (Psalm 107:9).

Personal Reflections

1. What are the unspoken truth about food at your church or in your circle of Christian friends? I don’t think we have any unspoken truth in my circle. We enjoy food in a social setting. Most of us are interested in the healthier options. We don’t force our choices on anybody else or make them feel bad for their choices. In terms of how they eat and related to food, is your Christian community an asset or a liability to your healthy eating goals? My circle of friends has become very aware of healthy eating. They share recipes and other resources often. We try to support each other as much as we can.
2. Gluttony of any kind – food, alcohol, drugs, sex – could be described as a desperate attempt to silence the cries of a hungry soul. Have you ever thought of overeating in this way, as an attempt to silence your hungry soul? Yes. How might this perspective help you gain new insights about your battles with food? It helps me tremendously to put things into perspective. When I have a desire to eat but I’m not hungry, I ask my self why I want to eat. If its for an emotional reason (angry, sad, bored) I am learning to drink water and find something to distract me from the desire to stuff my emotions.
3. If your soul is like a ravenous vacuum cleaner, what kinds of things have it sucked up over the years in its longing to be filled? Bad relationships, trying to be who somebody else needed instead of being myself, the confusion between wanting to be wanted by my husband and yet not wanting to be intimate as often as he does (if I was fat maybe he wouldn’t want me as much and I wouldn’t have to feel so guilty for not wanting sex), feeling of aloneness when hubby was on the road all the time for work.
4. Lysa uses the Exodus story to demonstrate how God taught His people to depend on Him by giving them just what they needed each day. In what ways might this story be an encouragement to you? I love the story of trusting God daily for all you need to eat. He cared for their needs, even as far as their clothes go (they never wore out!) Are you in the habit of depending on God for what you need each day – to be your daily portion of companionship, provision, strength? I’m learning more and more to lean on him and trust him to provide everything I need. What “manna” do you long for most from God? I want most peace in my situations. To be satisfied with my home, my finances, who I am, what I look like. Contentment in all things would be nice… but also the ability to be more obedient in all areas.
5. Have there been times in your life when you struggled because you didn’t have what you needed? Yes, financially, emotionally, spiritually… you name it! I have gone through several phases of lacking…. How might these experiences of deprivation impact your ability to trust that God can give you what you need each day to deal with food? He’s always gotten me through each situation. He’s provided ways of escape and strength to make the right choice. I know that he will get me through this one. He will give me what I need to walk the path that I need to walk in this stage of my life.
6. “For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things” (Psalm 107:9). How do you respond to this promise? It speaks to my heart and makes me smile. I know the truth of it now more than I ever did before. He has blessed me so much in the past year. If you could ask God for one good thing that would help you to feel a deep and soul-filling satisfaction, what would it be? The desire deep inside to keep working towards my personal goal of getting healthy. Finding that 1 thing to keep me motivated has been so challenging.