I’m a food thinker.

What’s a food thinker? A food thinker is someone who is ALWAYS THINKING ABOUT FOOD!

That’s me.

In fact, when I eat breakfast, I want to know what I’m going to eat for lunch. After lunch, I thinking ahead to dinner, but not before pondering the snack that I’ll have in-between.

Any other food thinkers out there? Let me hear you!

As a food thinker, I’m not just thinking about the food that I want to eat, but I’m also run an internal dialogue about the food that I just consumed.

Oh, I wish that I wouldn’t have eaten that!

I.want.more. Yum!

I really wish that I eat another Mr. Freeze Wow Cow Peanut Butter No-fat, no sugar ice cream with hot fudge, pecans and real whipped cream ALL OVER AGAIN!!!!

(That last one was a true thought from last week. I miss that sundae.)

Some of us think about food a lot and our attitude drive our thoughts.

We can get a little nutty defending our right to eat our way – and sometimes, we can sniff our noses at those who may have a differing opinions. I’ve noticed that the topic of food can divide up women pretty quickly. Organics versus Mac-n-cheesers or the Vegetarians versus More Meat-eaters or the Vegans versus Burger King Whopper lovers.

I don’t think that God wants food  to divide us or disconnect our hearts from each other – and food surely isn’t supposed to siphon away our desire to focus wholly on God.

How do keep our relationship with food in its rightful place in our lives? How we can enjoy eating, without using food as a way of subtly asserting superiority or using food as drug to cure emotional pain?  

I ran across this verse a few months ago, it got my attention: In other words: What you eat shouldn’t be your measure of righteousness or condemnation AND what/how you eat shouldn’t occupy your thoughts more than your desire to live God’s call for your life.

In Romans 14:17, the scriptural author, Paul, wanted to redirect the people from thinking that they could gain spiritual and social superiority by eating and drinking the right things. Obsession over “right” and “wrong” foods distracted the people from what really mattered: Worshipping God with their lives and focusing on Him rather than self. Rather than over-focusing on are we eating the right or wrong things, how do we focus on what the Apostle Paul calls us to focus on instead:

Goodness: Pleasant inward disposition or attitude toward others

Peace: reconciliation with others and reconciliation with God

Joy: Unfailing inner brightness regardless of our circumstances

Awww, snap.

Here I am more worried about whether or not I’m still gonna be hungry after eating my salad-in-a-jar and it seems that God wants to shift my perspective. Instead of focusing on calories, metabolism, steps walked or what’s been crossed and fitted, the real kingdom question is: How am I doing with goodness, peace and joy in God’s eyes?

How are you doing?  

Q4U: On a scale of 1 (bad) – 10 (great), how are you doing with living out God’s definition of goodness, peace and joy? Where are you doing well and where are you struggling? Let’s have a discussion below!

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