Do you remember the movie "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory"? I loved that movie as a kid.
My favorite scene was the part when all the kids entered the factory for the first time after each found a golden ticket.
It was a chocolate/candy paradise with a chocolate river, mushrooms with chocolate sauce in them, and gumdrops and candies of all kinds.
I wanted to live there!
Just yesterday, I recalled the movie and realized that God could have made the Garden of Eden like the Willy Wonka chocolate factory if He wanted.
God could have designed us to live off of sugary sweet stuff.
But He didn’t.
Instead, since God created our bodies, He designed foods that would benefit them most.
He filled the Earth with foods that keep His people strong, healthy, and vibrant.
God loves you that much.
Consider this promise from Psalm 103:5. It describes God as He: "...who satisfies your mouth with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."
You were meant to soar!
You were meant to enjoy a fruitful life as long as you live.
Are you on track to receive God's blessing of abundant health? If not, it's not too late to get started.
Your body is a miracle and you'll discover 6 ways in which it is renewing itself...right now as you sit in your chair!
The first instruction God gave to man regarding food was in Genesis 1:29:
And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food."
When you think about food, you may only think about calories, fats, proteins, and carbs.
However, there are thousands of other nutrients that your body needs that scientists don't even know about fully yet.
But God does.
These nutrients:
- Jump-start your metabolism
- Supercharge your immune system (to fight against disease)
- Keep your nerves lively and responsive
- Give you the building blocks for tissue repair to make you as solid as a brick house!
Sure you could take artificial (factory made) vitamins and minerals but it is unlikely that they are as good as the real thing.
When your nutritional choices are poor, then your body is starved of the fuel needed to run like a well-oiled machine.
Imagine this: Suppose you have a friend with a high performance car. The car manual tells your friend the recommended fuel for the car to performs its best.
But instead of that fuel, your friend fills his tank with rubbing alcohol! You ask your friend why. He says that he doesn't like the recommended fuel.
He says that rubbing alcohol will do just fine.
Now, just because the friend does not like the recommended fuel, does that change the manufacturer's requirements for the car?
No, it wouldn't.
Would you say this friend's choice is wise?
Most of us wouldn't.
If the friend's car ran at all, it probably wouldn't be long before he started having car trouble.
Your friend might try to blame the car manufacturer for his car trouble, but you know better.
The manufacturer did his part through informing the car owner about what works best for the product he designed.
It was your friend's responsibility to do his part through following the manufacturer's recommendation.
Getting back to your body then, your best option is to choose foods that fit the Lord's specifications most of the time and use recipes, herbs, and spices to adapt them to your taste.
You create a win/win situation when you eat foods that taste good and are also good for you!
Here is a miraculous fact: According to Dr. Jonas Frisen, a leading biologist, the average cell age in an adult’s body is 10 years-old or less!
For example, here are the average ages of some cells in your body:
- Stomach lining cells: 5 days
- Skin cells: 14 days
- Red blood cells: 120 days
- Liver cells: 1 – 1 1/2 years
- Bone cells: 10 years
- Rib cage muscle cells: 15 years
This is good news! Even if your eating habits haven't been the best in the past, you can start rebuilding your body with better food choices today.
To modify a line from the old T.V. show, "The Six Million Dollar Man":
We can rebuild her...We can make her better than she was before. Better, stronger, faster."
When you start eating God's way, you can create your own "golden ticket" to health and win with every bite.
It is okay to visit the chocolate factory on rare occasions, but you don't want to live there!
Be blessed in health, healing and wholeness,
Kimberly Taylor
Author/Christian Life Coach of the Take Back your Temple program