Cheating God is Making Me Fat

Well, I'm learning alot about myself through this journey of learning what it means to love.  Today, I stumbled upon a devotion that I cannot ignore because it directly relates to me and this journey I am on.  Here's the deal:  it's no secret that I like food...alot.  Let me be totally honest...I love food!  (There's that word...love...I bet God wants to show me something!).  As a result of my affinity for all things delicious, I am somewhat...er, rather...well, quite a bit overweight.  I know I have an eating problem, and try as I might, I cannot seem to overcome it.  While being healthy is important to me, as is feeling good about myself and being able to play football and softball and run around with my kids, I have resolved myself to being overweight and having to just "deal with it."  Then I found a free 21 day devotional book concerning food and today i read day one. 

"OK God, you've got my attention - I hear you loud and clear!"

Here's the big reveal - turns out that I am loving food more than I am loving God.  I have actually thought this is the past, but I didn't have the correct perspective.  This past Friday we hosted our first small group study on Francis Chan's book "Crazy Love" and we talked about how BIG God is.  God is so far more than we can ever possibly imagine, and I have chosen to replace Him with steak and potatoes,  burgers and fries, Ronald McDonald and Wendy(s).  I know I've always been an emotional eater, meaning when I get sad or depressed I go find something to eat.  When I get bored, I eat.  When I am mad, I eat.  When I am nervous I don't eat anything, but I make up for it later on when I am no longer nervous.  But here's what I came to realize today...I should be turning to God in those times, not a bag of chips. 

To some of you this may seem like no big deal, but here I am trying to learn about what it means to love God and love like God, and He shows me that I love food more than him.  What if one of my kids was upset and wouldn't say a word to me, but went to the pantry and grabbed a snack instead.  I'd feel like they were robbing me of an opportunity to show my love for them.  When my kids are hurting, I want to hold them in my arms and tell them things will be OK, that we'll get through this together.  As big as God is, He wants us to turn to Him for comfort, yet I essentially say, "No thanks, God...I've got "Five Guys" who I'd rather have help me feel better.  This is absolutely stupid on my part.  I've been cheating God out of a chance to show me the greatness of His love.  It stops now!

So today is day #1 of a new part of my journey...the part where I ask for forgiveness, and then start turning to God instead of food.  When I am sad - there's God.  When I am tired - there's God.  When I am frustrated with my job - there's God.  When I am bored - there's God.  When I don't feel like getting up a few minutes earlier in the morning to go exercise - there's God.  I have to stop relying on food, and rely first and foremost on God. 

Just a 'Feel-Good" Story?

I have been moved by the recent story of Ted Williams.  No, not the guy who once hit over .400 for the Red Sox, but a homeless man living in Ohio who has a "golden radio voice."  In case you haven't seen it yet, here's the video:



Now, this guy has great voice!  And I am genuinely thrilled that the Cleveland Cavaliers stepped up and gave him a job.  I am thrilled that he has been reunited with his 90 year old mother.  It's great to see a guy go from rags to riches!!  Reminds me of the movie with Jamie Foxx called "The Soloist" - homeless guy on the streets who has a great talent and finds redemption.

But my heart aches for all the other homeless people who do not have great radio voices or who couldn't play the cello in a closet let alone in a performance hall.

What about them?  Why is it that we are so quick to overlook people who can't help themselves?  I include myself in this...I admittedly am attracted to the emotional, feel good stories of a guy like Ted Williams getting another chance.  How many times have I failed to even give spare change to the guy on the corner?  Too many to count I am sad to admit. 

This blog is about love.  Too many times we take the easy way out and love those that we deem to be worth loving.  I mean, it's so much easier to love a guy with a great voice, or a cello player or a decorated Army veteran.  I'm not here to suggest we shouldn't help those types of people, but what about the guy who has had both arms amputated?  What about the woman who was disfigured after being beaten by her abusive husband for years?  What about the children in orphanages who have down-syndrome?  Where's the feel-good story there?  No one will get any media attention for  helping them and I'd like to find a way to step out of my comfort zone and pay attention to the ones that we normally overlook.

Remember all those "WWJD" bracelets and bumper stickers that were so popular years ago?  I do and I ask the question, what would Jesus do?  Would He find the one guy with special talent and exalt him to some position and give him a house and food and have him appear on talk shows?  I don't think so and here's why:  time and time again we saw that Jesus spent time with the "outcasts" of society and I believe that he would paid attention to the ones nobody loved.  Lepers...no one would go near these people, but Jesus did.  Blind, lame, bleeding, possessed...these were not people with special gifts, but rather things that people considered curses and yet Jesus went to them and healed them and then made a big scene and got lots of attention as a result.  No, he didn't do that did He?  He didn't look for attention.  He didn't hold press conferences and tell the world how he healed a blind guy, or stopped a woman's bleeding.  He healed, He fed and He gave a second chance to people who had no hope of ever getting it.

I am thrilled for Mr. Williams and I will keep tabs on his story and I genuinely hope he stays sober and clean and takes this opportunity to change his life.  But I pray that I will remember the ones who are still standing in the cold without food or water and without hope. 

Genuine love means taking the road less travelled.  Genuine love means walking past the cameras, past the ones with special gifts and helping those who have no hope.  Genuine love means sacrificing what we value as good no matter the cost.