Take Back Your Temple reader Tammy Reed shared a powerful declaration she called, “A Farewell Letter to Sugar.”
Although sugar was Tammy’s life-long comfort and friend, she decided she wouldn’t tolerate the “master-slave” relationship it had become. As the Bible says:
All things are lawful for me; but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me; but I will not be brought under the power of any.
– 1 Corinthians 6:12
I’m sharing Tammy’s letter below with her permission. I could relate to what she wrote and I believe many of us can!
Dear Sugar,
You have been my best friend for most of my life. You were there for all my birthdays and graduations. You were there for all celebrations for me, my family and my friends. You never missed any special occasions at work and church.
I could count on you not forgetting me or rejecting me. You accepted me when I had nowhere else to turn. You comforted me in my sorrow. When life got too stressful, you provided a way of escape. We were like two peas in a pod.
I trusted you with my life.
We were friends that no one could separate. But one day, I realized our friendship had become a master-slave relationship.
You wanted my divine attention. You became jealous of my relationship with God. You thought I was spending too much time with Him and not enough time with you, so you made sure I would turn to you instead of Him.
You promised that you would make me feel good in my sorrowful and stressful times. Your sweetness won me over, and I indulged with you every day and often, many times a day!
What I didn’t realize was that you were making me your slave. I lost control over you, and you became my master instead of God.
Then one day, you turned on me. You started making me feel sick. I felt tired all the time. You made me have mood swings, and I was irritable a lot. I had a hard time focusing on my job and lost my fellowship with God.
You had me hooked now. I was enslaved and thought there was no way out. I kept coming to you because I couldn’t help myself any longer. You had complete control over me.
But at last, I got tired of you controlling me. I begged God for forgiveness and asked Him to help me to be free. Of course, you gave me a fight. You were not going to let me go easy.
Finally, one day, I made up my mind that I wasn’t going to allow you to control me anymore.
I turned back to God, who empowered me to walk away from you. So, I am now saying goodbye and good riddance.
I am not looking back.
You can no longer control me.
Jesus has set me free and given me my life back.
I no longer feel sick, tired, or irritable. My brain fog is gone, and I can concentrate on my job better. My life is so much better without you.
Goodbye, Sugar, goodbye!
With heartfelt sincerity,
Tammy Reed
About Tammy Reed
Tammy Reed is an aspiring Blogger who has a heart for the Lord and His people.
Be Blessed with Health, Healing, and Wholeness,
Kimberly Taylor
Author/Christian Life Coach of the Take Back Your Temple Weight Loss Community
P.S. Do you struggle with overeating sugar? If so, you are not alone!
Overcoming sugar addiction was a key factor on my weight loss journey; I lost 85 pounds and dropped from a size 22 to an 8.
In our 14-day Sugar Detox Challenge online course (inside the Take Back Your Temple Community), you’ll get the same success strategies and support to gain peace in your eating habits and achieve lasting weight loss.
Click here to learn more about the Take Back Your Temple Christian Weight Loss Community.
WOW….what a great letter and what a great idea. I could absolutely relate to everything you said. Thank you for your generous heart and sharing it with us all. I feel inspired to do my own farewell letter.
Thank you Genevieve. I hope you do write your farewell letter and please share it with us also.
Hi Tammy. Your letter brought tears to my eyes. You have described very well what caused me to give up sugar over 5 years ago. I will never go back. Now, if I would only give up peanut butter. Lol.
Praise the Lord, Sharlene! God is able to help you but I would also encourage you to seek godly counsel from someone who is trained in helping people with addictions. I wasn’t able to overcome my addictions on my own. If God hadn’t led me to my wonderful counselor almost 4 years ago, I probably would still be struggling. I had two other strongholds in my life that God and my counselor helped me overcome also. Pray and ask God who can be your helper. I will remember you in my prayers.
Praise the Lord, Tammy!! I wholeheartedly second your excellent letter to Sugar. In the end, he’s no sweetie, is he?! I’m so thankful you have run from your old love into the arms of Jesus. I did the same thing and am so thankful I am no longer under the control of cruel masters like sugar and compulsive eating. I’m sure you have and will inspire many sisters to break up with their abusive best friend. Sending you hugs for that courage! May the Lord bless and keep you on your beautiful health journey. ❤️
Thank you Melinda! I do hope to inspire others to give up any addictions they are struggling with. I also had two other strongholds in my life that God and my counselor helped me to overcome. God is good!
You speak for many, Tammy! Thank you for sharing your perfect words. I pray that God continues to bless you with powerful, magnificent words on your blog journey!
Thank you Kathy! I am going to try to get my blog up and running in the new year. I really believe God wants me to share my story and testimony of my journey of healing.
I can relate! We can only serve one master and I choose God. There IS freedom and it’s ao much better. This was good
Love this!!!
Thank you so much Kim for sharing Tammy’s letter. I can totally relate to every word.
Thank you for sharing this!! So many woman can relate to this struggle!! May the Lord continue to bless you and your writing!!
Thank you Lori!
I want to thank Kim for sharing this letter with you all. I hope it will be encouragement and inspiration to let you know that you, too, can be an overcomer. God delights in helping His children, even when we stray away now and then. He loves us so much that He will do whatever it takes to get us back on the right path. God used a wonderful, godly counselor to help me on my journey of healing. Yes, I believe in asking others for help. God made us for companionship and He doesn’t expect us to win this battle on our own. I praise Him and thank Him everyday for what He has already done and what He is going to do. He is leading me to start a blog and share my story with whomever will listen. Please pray for me as I step out in faith into this new chapter in my life. May God bless you all.
You are welcome, Tammy and I give God all the praise for the opportunity! He has blessed you with a wonderful gift and it glorifies Him when you share it to build up the body of Christ. May the Lord bless you in your new endeavor 🙂
Keep going, Tammy! Little by little, He molds us and never gives up on us. You letter so encouraged me
Barbara, I am glad it encouraged you because that is what I hoped it would do for anyone who read it.
Good morning Kim and Tammy,
Yes and Amen. I have been eating grapes by the hand full 4 or 5 times a day seven days a week, about 3 weeks ago I said enough I have not had any grapes since. Praise the Lord. Each day I know the LORD has given me power over food to stop this love hate relationship. I must want HIM more then anything and anyone else. 1 Corinthians 6:12 is my new go to scripture.
Thank you
Nancy
Nancy, that is the key: we have to want Jesus more than anything. Then and only then will He be able to help us. He won’t force us to give up anything but we must willingly surrender it to Him. Once I came to that place of complete surrender, then the victory came. I must choose daily to surrender it Jesus or else I would fall back into the old way. He does provide a way of escape if we keep our focus on Him.
Wow,thank you for this.I can relate very easily.I too pray that God will set me free of sugar as it occupies my mind more than it’s healthy.
Anon, God can help you be an overcomer but you must first be willing to allow Him to help. You must come to the place that you are sick of being controlled by the sugar. I had to be willing to give it up before God could actually help me. He will not force you. I had prayed many times asking God to take away my desire and cravings for sweets but I wasn’t willing to let go. It wasn’t until I became so sick of sugar controlling me, that God was able to help me. Once I surrendered it to God, then He stepped in and gave me the strength to overcome. I have to daily surrender it to Him or else I would fall and give in to the temptations. He will provide a way of escape. Praise the Lord!
Dear Tammy, thank you for sharing your journey and your victory! I have been encouraged to take a stand against my sugar addiction and allow the Holy Spirit to guide me through the process I need to take! Keep up the wonderful writing also