God Has Zero Calories

You’re probably wondering about the ridiculous title, but it’s an expression that I have been repeating to myself over the past few days.

The past few weeks have been filled with anxiety, frustration, and doubt which means it’s also been filled with mostly unconscious desires to stuff my face with all things sugary, processed, and fattening.  I eventually realized that I had returned to eating foods that I have banned from my house and my mouth. The evidence was there; Oreo cookie crumbs on my desk, candy wrappers in my handbag, and a recycle bag filled with juice boxes and a couple cans of pop. There was no denying that I was trying to ease (or possibly ignore) my anxiety by consuming junk food. It was time to face whatever it was that was causing myself to be uneasy and I knew the only way for me to do this was to turn up my faith practices.

Turning to God with your fears, hopes, disappointments and so forth, is not always an automatic response for us. I approached God in prayer with the following words, “Aaarrgghh, o.k. God!” Whenever I say “O.K. God!”, it is never a happy occasion. I usually only say this when I’ve attempted to do things my way and have failed. This expression comes as a result of not following my gut feelings, my intuition, and most importantly the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

My default response to having anxiety that is off the Richter is to turn to food. I have had to work hard to disable this automatic behaviour.  Turning to food is always a lose-lose situation; turning to God is always a win-win situation.

Some Benefits of Turning to God Instead of Food:

• God has zero calories
• His Spirit guides you towards making healthy decisions in response to whatever is worrying you
• Experiencing growth in your faith and an increase in trusting God and yourself
• Anxiety, fear, and worry decrease
• Feeling a sense of calmness
• You engage in mindfulness and meditation which has numerous benefits for the mind and body
• Negative thoughts slowly turn into a heart and mind filled with hope
• Not feeling alone

For others their experiences will result in a different list of benefits. I’ve written this post as a reminder for all of us that turning to food never helps us deal with life challenges. For those who turn to exercise instead of food, that might be a healthier alternative, but it is still a form of avoidance. Once you’re through exercising, undo your laces, put down the weights, lock up your bike, whatever you need to put aside; and take the time to pray to God about all that is causing you uneasiness.

Isaiah 55:6 “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.”

QUESTION: Are there any automatic responses that you’ve developed as a reaction to continuous stress, anxiety, or worry? Do these responses help you to face the cause of your uneasiness or do they enable you to avoid looking at what is troubling you?

ACTION: When you are stressed, worried, or filled with anxiety, take all those mental and emotional burdens to the LORD. He is there waiting for you, He is with you already, you just have to acknowledge his presence.

Find bible verses that address the topic of stress and use the ones you like as a form of meditation. Meditate on these verses when you feel overwhelmed with anxiety or worry.

 May you be blessed by the peace God has given you!