The REAL reason you keep reaching for food
|
Hello Reader, There were nights during my paramedic years when I’d get home around 4:00 in the morning. I was technically working 12-hour shifts. But between late calls, paperwork, and driving more than an hour each way, those 12-hour shifts had a funny way of becoming 18- or 20-hour days. Sometimes I’d stop at White Castle or Burger King on the way home. Then I’d get home and eat the food my wife had left for me in the refrigerator. So was I hungry? Probably. But was hunger the whole problem? Not even close. I was exhausted. Burned out. Stressed. Miserable. And after a day that had taken almost everything out of me, food was one of the easiest ways to feel good for a few minutes. That’s where emotional eating gets complicated. Because sometimes you actually are hungry. But you may also be angry. Lonely. Ashamed. Overwhelmed. Or so exhausted that you’re looking for anything that offers a little relief. And look, food isn’t the enemy. God made food. He made your body capable of feeling hunger, enjoying a meal, and receiving strength from what you eat. Scripture doesn’t treat eating as some dirty little necessity. Paul writes: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.” — 1 Corinthians 10:31 BSB There’s the standard. Not: Never enjoy food. Not: Feel guilty every time you eat dessert. Eat under Christ. Enjoy the gift without turning the gift into your master. Because food can answer hunger. It cannot give you the rest you refuse to take. It cannot repair your marriage. It cannot forgive your sin. It cannot make loneliness disappear. It cannot give you peace with God. It may distract you from those things for a few minutes. But eventually the meal ends, and whatever was underneath it is still there. That’s why I think the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness matters so much here. Jesus had fasted for 40 days. Scripture tells us plainly that He was hungry. The need was real. And that’s exactly when the enemy tempted Him to turn stones into bread. Think about that. The enemy didn’t have to invent a fake need. He tried to use a real need to pull Jesus away from obedience to the Father. Jesus didn’t pretend He wasn’t hungry. He simply refused to let hunger become lord. That’s Christian self-control. Not pretending the body has no needs. Not punishing yourself for having them. Bringing those needs under Christ instead of allowing them to rule you. Paul puts it plainly in 1 Corinthians 6: “I will not be mastered by anything.” So the next time food starts looking like the answer, don’t immediately start beating yourself up. Stop. Ask a better question: What do I actually need right now? Maybe you need food. Great—eat. Thank God for it and move on. But maybe you need sleep. Maybe you need to call somebody. Maybe you need to apologize. Maybe you need to have the conversation you’ve been avoiding. Maybe you need to admit that the way you’re living simply isn’t sustainable anymore. Maybe you need to pray something like David did: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the way everlasting.” — Psalm 139:23–24 BSB
That’s where this becomes more than nutrition. It becomes stewardship. Integrity asks: What’s actually happening here? Wisdom asks: What do I really need? Discipline asks: What response actually fits that need? And perseverance says: If I don’t handle this perfectly, I’m going to learn from it, repent where necessary, and keep moving forward. Because Christ isn’t calling us into some miserable cycle of indulgence followed by shame. He calls us into truth. And truth gives us the freedom to see food for what it actually is: A gift from God. Not a savior. Not a master. That’s what this week’s episode of The Rebellious Remedy is about: Why You Keep Eating When You’re Not Hungry | Christian Emotional Eating—[WATCH THE SESSION] The next time you find yourself in front of the pantry, refrigerator, or drive-thru, stop long enough to ask: What am I actually asking this food to do for me? Then bring the answer under Christ.
P.S. I created the Spirit-Led Response Protocol specifically for moments like this. It’s a free eight-step journaling process that helps you name what you’re feeling, identify what triggered it, examine the story running through your mind, and choose a wiser response under Christ. [GET THE SPIRIT-LED RESPONSE PROTOCOL]
|
Dream Root Wellness
At one point, I wrote this prayer in my journal: “God, I know You have so much more for my life. Reveal to me the purpose You have for me.” And over time, the answer became pretty clear. Dream Root Wellness needed to serve Christians clearly. Jesus needed to stop being someone I mentioned when talking about spiritual health and become the foundation of everything I was building. I knew what needed to change. But knowing what God was calling me to do meant I actually had to do it. And that’s...
There was a point during my paramedic years when I weighed more than 240 pounds. And I remember looking in the mirror and barely recognizing the guy looking back at me. Now, I didn’t get there because I woke up one morning and decided to destroy my health. I was working ridiculous hours. A scheduled 12-hour shift could turn into 16, 18, sometimes close to 20 hours away from home. I had more than an hour of driving on each side of it. I’d stop at White Castle or Burger King because it was...
In high school, I had a 3.9 GPA. I had friends. I was involved in band. From the outside, my life looked like it was headed somewhere good. I was also deeply depressed and thinking about whether anybody would even notice if I were gone. Those two things existed at the same time. I was performing well while I was emotionally dying. Eventually, Christ rescued me. I surrendered my life to Jesus, the depression lifted, and the suicidal pull broke. I’m not going to water that story down. Jesus...