Eating has always been a “thing” for me. I’ve been obsessive about my weight since I was fifteen and broke a hundred pounds on the scale. 104, to be exact. I’ll never forget it. That same week my dance instructor told me “You’re gaining weight. Watch that.”
Not sure if I thought I’d live my entire life under a hundred pounds, but breaking the three figure plane devastated me. Did I exercise? Of course not. Everybody knows I hate exercise and just started doing it last year. It’s always been about my eating. What I eat. When I eat. With whom I eat…it’s a thing. Since eating is such a big part of my life, it only made sense to incorporate that part of me into Shine TYC.
Eating is a Thing.
Everybody knows about the Last Supper. Even if you don’t know the passage in Mark 14, you’ve seen the Leonardo da Vinci painting, right? It’s also in John 13 and Matthew 26. It’s a thing…not just for Jesus and the disciples. Everybody was eating at that time because it was Passover. Jesus wasn’t hosting a special meal. It was His last supper, but having a celebratory dinner (Seder) at passover is still practiced today. The rest of us have lamb, collard greens, and sweet potatoes for Easter dinner. No? Just me? Okay.
Eating is social. It’s spiritual. It’s a thing. Passover was the last “supper” Jesus had with the disciples. It was not the last meal. After the resurrection in John 21:12, Jesus ate with the disciples again. “Now come have some breakfast” Jesus said. One of the last things Jesus did with his friends before the cross was eat. One of the first things Jesus did with them after the resurrection was eat. One of the biggest criticisms of Jesus by his opponents was that he was always “eating with scum.” It seems to me that eating— itself— is a thing. So let’s do it.
You Need to Eat
I will not belabor my keto testimony. The way I eat fuels my physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. All through the Bible, people were encouraged to eat when the struggle got real. In 1 Kings 19 Elijah was running from Jezebel, afraid for his life. He fell asleep under a tree. The angel of the Lord woke him up and told Elijah to “Get up and eat.” (v.5) He ate and went back to sleep. Then in verse 7 the angel of the Lord woke him up again and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.”
We need to eat to live. I spent many years trying to eat very little. Consequently, I had very little energy, physically and emotionally. Fasting with prayer is great for clarity and building your relationship with Jesus. Intermittent fasting (not eating all dang day) is good for your body and mind. However, years of not fueling your body makes the journey of life “too much for you” as the angel said. You need to eat.
Don’t Worry. Eat Something.
Some people lose their appetites when life gets out of sorts. All through the Bible when worry and anxiety threaten appetites, somebody gives the godly advice to eat. In Acts 27, Paul told a group of shipwrecked sailors who had not eaten in two days, “Please eat something now for your own good.” In Mark 5:43 after Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead he told them, “Give her something to eat.” When life gets crazy, remember to eat. It’s important. It’s WWJD.
While some people lose their appetites in crazy times like these, others begin to stress eat. Proverbs 25:16 makes it plain. “Do you like honey? Don’t eat too much, or it will make you sick!” There is nothing wrong with indulging a little for comfort. However, our ultimate comfort should come from God, not food. I know it’s hard when there is a literally a thing called “comfort food.” Resist eating too much of it. Especially if you are eating just to calm yourself.
Keto or Not
I’m keto. I eat a ketogenic or keto-friendly diet. It works for me. If you love carbs— Everybody does, don’t let them fool you— have at it. You’ll get no judgement here. I just want you to eat healthy and be healthy physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I’m a huge fan of Romans 14. Do what works for you and honors God. #thatsall
There is no wrong or right food. That’s right. I said it. I’ll say it again. There is no wrong or right food. Biblical wisdom dictates that we eat as we’re led to eat. When you pull up in McDonalds for the third straight day, I know the Holy Ghost taps you on the shoulder. When you go for that second big hunk of cake, I know you hear God saying…”Now see.”
Be Led in What to Eat
I don’t eat a ketogenic diet out of religious obligation. It works for me. It works for who God created me to be and the unique journey He’s given me. You will find the healthy living principles that work best for you. The Shine TYC tribe, like everything else we do, eats in faith. Whatever you chose, include God in the choice and you’ll be fine. “For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him?” That’s Ecclesiastes 2:25, y’all.
I used to drink a lot. I stopped drinking so much for two reasons. First, I was drinking to numb pain that only God could heal. Second, I was getting old and I felt like crap in the morning. I didn’t need a trumpet to blow from heaven to know that God was asking me to fall back on the fruity martinis. Read your Bible and listen to your body. That’s how it works.
A Few More Things…
When I said “read your Bible” to determine what you eat, I don’t mean Leviticus. Lord, Lord, don’t send them to Leviticus! There’s plenty of guidance on religious and ceremonial eating in the Old Testament. I—as previously stated—hang my eating theology on Romans 14:22-23. If you don’t see anything wrong with what you’re eating, knock yourself out. “Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right.” If God taps you on the shoulder, in the tummy, or on the scale for what you’re eating, then… “But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it.”
Shine TYC living is healthy for your body, mind, and soul. I want you to have tremendous physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. My goal is for you to let your light shine brighter and bolder than ever. Eating is a thing. It’s a thing that helps fuel that light inside of you. It gives you the strength you need for the journey ahead.
I’m keto! It works for me. Regardless of whether you’re paleo, whole 30, vegan, vegetarian, or a carnivorous vulture, remember this…
“If I can thank God for the food and enjoy it, why should I be condemned for eating it? So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:30-31
As an Amazon Associate, Shine TYC earns from qualifying purchases.