Stress Eating and Freedom: Galatians 5:13-26

I stress eat.  If I’m hurt or sad or angry or frustrated or if Daniel is just crying and I can’t make him stop, I eat.  I’m not a whole bag of Oreos in one sitting eater, but I am a grazer.  I’ll eat a cookie.  Then a few M&Ms.  Then a handful of chips.  Then a piece of leftover Halloween candy.  Before I know it, I’ve eaten all day long, and I feel disgusting.  I did what I wanted, but nothing about it felt good.

We have all been there, haven’t we?  We’ve done something we thought would make us feel better, and it only served to make us feel worse.  I read Galatians 5:13-26 this morning which talks about having freedom in Christ but also cautions that freedom should not be used to satisfy ourselves.  When I first read the passage, it seemed contradictory.  Paul said that in Christ, the Galatians had freedom, but then he gives them all kinds of cautions about what they should and should not do.

Basically, he says that they should not seek to satisfy the desires of their flesh giving examples like hatred, discord, jealousy, envy, and selfish ambition (v.19-21).  Instead, he instructs them to walk in the Holy Spirit and practice love, peace, patience, gentleness, and self-control among others (v.22-23).  I don’t know about you, but the second list sure sounds more desirable.  It seems like it would be an easy choice.  But it really isn’t, is it?

Think about it this way.  For six months, I have been trying to lose my baby weight.  I used to be tiny, and I bought clothes that go on a tiny waist.  My waist is not tiny anymore, and I have the dreaded love handles.  Even with only a few more pounds to lose, my dresses just don’t fit.  Most of my other clothes will hide my extra weight, but not those dresses.  You’d think that the incentive to get back into my dresses would be motivation enough for me to eat carrots instead of cookies, wouldn’t you?  Often times it just isn’t.  It is still a real battle for me to avoid the sweets and snacks – especially when I’m home all day with an available pantry.  The limited satisfaction of the cookies is often a stronger pull than the long term satisfaction of getting my body back.

From personal experience, I know the same is true of those “fleshly desires” Paul discusses.  When I gave the examples above of those desires, I picked ones with which I have struggled or am struggling.  Take discord.  It doesn’t feel good to be at odds with someone else (even when they don’t know you are at odds with them), but sometimes I can’t help holding on to feelings of bitterness and resentment.  I have such a hard time letting those things go and letting peace and patience and gentleness take the place.  I think that I’m gaining something with my indignant feelings.  I’m having it my way.  But really, nothing about it feels free.  The truth is that I’m actually a slave to that person and their actions.  My feelings are all caught up in how they behave.  And that is just ridiculous.

If I want true freedom, I will choose to do life God’s way.  Which means, when I have a choice between anger and gentleness, I’ll choose gentleness.  When I have a choice between envy and patience, I’ll choose patience.  When I have a choice between hatred and love, I’ll choose love.

The choice will probably not be easy, just like the choice between a carrot and a cookie is really hard – especially when the baby is crying!!  But if I can keep a long term goal in mind, maybe I can achieve it.  I know this sounds crazy, but sometimes it helps me to look at old pictures of myself.  Andy and I have a picture of us on our wedding day on the refrigerator.  Sometimes, I can avoid the cookie by looking at that picture, and by seeing that cute going away dress I’d love to wear again.  I think the same is true with how to live.  If I can keep a visual reminder it might help me to remember that my long term goal is freedom.  Andy and I have an empty wall in our kitchen.  We knew we wanted a Bible verse on it, but we’ve been debating what verse to order.  After reading the scripture today, I’m wondering if Galatians 5:22-23 is the appropriate scripture.  Maybe it will serve as a reminder to keep walking with the Holy Spirit and to keep making choices that will lead me toward my eternal goal.  And to remember that if I fail, like I often do, I can know that tomorrow is another day and my chances for choices start brand new.