Food Is A Terrible Counselor

Of the many movies I watched in my childhood, none were watched over and over like The Goonies. It’s the story of a bunch of misfit kids from the Pacific Northwest who were about to lose all of their homes in the Goondocks if they couldn’t find the money to pay off the bank to keep them from building a country club. They discover a pirate map and decide to go looking for riches. Along the way, they run into all kinds of problems, from deadly booby traps to a family of convicts knowns as the Fratellis. 

Most of the time, things would’ve gone smoothly if not for the antics of one boy they all knew as Chunk. Chunk was a heavy-set kid who was accident-prone and was always led by his stomach. On more than one occasion, his hunger led to them running into issues. Of all of those times, none was funnier than when he found a cooler full of ice cream.

He was standing in the basement with all the other kids when he caught a sniff of something and simply said, “Ice cream.” He ran into the walk-in freezer only to find hundreds of little containers of ice cream in all different flavors. While he was losing his mind over the discovery of a century, all the other kids just stood there with their mouths standing wide open in fear. As Chunk turned around, there was a dead body frozen like a popsicle. He screamed. The other kids screamed. As a kid, I think I screamed. Everyone screamed. This leads me to the question: how do you walk right by a dead body to get ice cream? When the stomach has that much control, common sense goes right out the door.

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Romans 13:14

We live in a society today that has one thing at the forefront…comfort. We spend outrageous amounts of money on spa treatments, homes that have master suites that can double for a weekend retreat, heated seats in our vehicles, and hot tubs on our back porches. What happens when any of those things aren’t working properly? We lose our minds. It’s as if we are living like paupers if we don’t have our luxuries working at the optimum levels. Are any of those things inherently evil? No. Food isn’t evil either, but when our love of food drives the car for us, we have an issue. 

Have you ever heard the phrase “comfort food?” I know you have. We all know what comfort foods are because we all have them. They are the foods that bring back memories, or they just make us feel better. For some, it’s something as simple as Mom’s fried chicken. For others, it’s an old recipe handed down through the generations that brings back memories of good times with family. While the idea of comfort food isn’t necessarily wrong, it can absolutely lead to something toxic.

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
James 1:14–15

When we suffer loss, we tend to turn to those things that give us comfort, and for many, that means turning to food. In 2009, when my father was in Hospice, I had lost almost 50 lbs and was keeping my dad updated on my weight loss. He was so excited for me, and I couldn’t wait to share my updates with him whenever we were together. When he passed away in November of that year, I sought out comfort in the form of food and gained back every pound I had lost… and then some. I’ve never been an alcoholic, but I have been a food-oholic. To be honest, there’s no difference between the two. Both deal with a deep addiction to something that rules over them. That’s when our love for food becomes sin. This is when our love for something turns into dependence.

“This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
John 6:50–51

There is only one place where we need to put our dependence. That’s in the arms of Christ. While eating too much food leads to heart attacks, diabetes, and liver disease, the Bread that Christ offers brings life. Unfortunately, if we don’t get a hold of our carnal desires and let go of our “need” for comfort when it comes to the food we put in our bodies, we may never experience that fullness of life. Our stomachs will take the lead instead.

If you’ve never done it before, I want to challenge you to fast this week. Take one 24-hour period of time and replace your meals with the Bread of Life. Spend your breakfast, lunch, and dinner times in scripture and prayer. Jesus did this for 40 days. I think we all can do it for one. It’s amazing how the Holy Spirit can speak into the emptiness of our stomachs and show us where we truly find nourishment and comfort.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28–30

Food is not your psychologist, your life coach, or your treatment program. It’s there to feed your body what it needs to live. When it goes beyond that and becomes our savior, it begins to take the place of our true Savior, Jesus. Remember that food is temporary, but Christ is eternal. If we’re going to depend on anything, let’s depend on the One that lasts.