A life of food bingeing is a living hell. I know because I once lived there.
It was a life lived on an emotional roller-coaster of sugar highs and crashes.
I felt out of control and berated myself for the lack of self control.
I felt frustrated and bewildered. It appeared I had everything else in my life under control; why not this?
In the meantime, my weight paid the price of my food bingeing habit.
I knew I was headed for disaster. After all, my grandmother died of a stroke when she was just 47 years-old.
What I didn't realize then was that I was on the wrong side of a game of ''Choose your Own Adventure.'' That's the power of Choice.
Proverbs Chapter 9 speaks of this power and the two paths a person can take in life:
- The Way of Wisdom
- The Way of Folly
I highly recommend studying Proverbs 9 and appropriating its words for yourself!
Wisdom is defined as: ''the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment.''
Folly is defined as: a ''lack of good sense; foolishness.''
Voices from both paths call to us every day.
Each voice tries to convince us to take their way: “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here! (Proverbs 9:4 and Proverbs 9:16)”
Wisdom gives us truth: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For by me your days will be multiplied, And years of life will be added to you (Proverbs 9:10-11)''
The ''fear'' in ''fear of the Lord'' is best translated as ''awe''; it means reverencing, honoring, and respecting the Lord enough to do what He says.
Picture a person bowing before the presence of a King. It's a position of humility.
On the other hand, Folly discounts God. It says, “Stolen water is sweet, And bread eaten in secret is pleasant (Proverbs 9:17).”
Folly deceives a person in making impulsive choices for the moment, not heeding the warnings of future consequence.
Folly puts the person in a dangerous place of self-will and rebelliousness, which is a position of pride: ''You can't tell me what to do.''
Folly applauds illicit activities of stealing and hiding, even with food.
Folly plays on the fleshly thrill of ''getting away with it". Or so the person thinks!
But Folly is a liar. It denies the truth of Galatians 6:7:
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap."
Proverbs 9 concludes about the person who takes Folly's path: ''But he does not know that the dead are there, That her guests are in the depths of hell.''
I can attest to this: food bingeing kept me in a living hell!
But back on December 11, 2003, I decided to take a different path. I had a chest pain that I thought would kill me.
God spoke to me in the midst of that pain: ''It is not supposed to be this way.''
After years of food bingeing interrupted by periods of fruitless dieting, I had a choice: Would I believe what God said?
My answer was ''Yes''! How about you?
I decided to renew my mind and take the path of wisdom and healing, with God on my side:
- When I lacked wisdom in my food choices, I asked God for wisdom to choose foods to heal my brain and body according to the promise in James 1:5.
- When I stumbled, I checked my path and removed the stumbling blocks, making a straight path for my feet (see Hebrews 12:13).
- When I lacked strength to make the right choices, I asked the Lord to strengthen me with might through His Spirit in my inner man (see Ephesians 3:16).
Has wisdom's path been easy? Not always. But even when it is challenging, it is worth it!
Wisdom's path is life-giving and life sustaining.
I implore you to do what I did; follow the wisdom of Proverbs 9:6 - ''Forsake foolishness and live, and go in the way of understanding.''
Wisdom is the only way to escape a living hell.
My prayer is that you choose the path of life every day because eternal life is your destiny as a child of God, not a living hell.