Empty or Full?

Made to Crave – Day 7

I want you to picture in your mind this scenario:

You wake up, the birds are singing, the sun is shining, you eat a healthy breakfast, get ready for work, pack your snacks for the day, decide what you will be eating for lunch and dinner and head off to work. Doesn’t this sound nice? But then something happens right in the middle of your wonderfully planned day and your whole plan crumbles. Something triggered a response and you find yourself eating something you know you shouldn’t have. You now feel that your day is ruined, you feel like a failure and you return home after work feeling defeated.

So what triggered you?

• Was it a stressful project that your boss asked you to do with very little time?
• Was it a co-worker out sick that had you doing all of their work and your own?
• Was it treats brought in to your office for a special occasion?
• Was it a friend asking you to lunch to their favorite restaurant that doesn’t have healthy options on the menu?
• Was it returning home to find your kids arguing, your sink clogged, the check engine light coming on in your car or a telephone call that wasn’t good news?

The best way to deal with these moments which causes a trigger like response is to pause. Lysa Terkeurst suggests that we pause and ask ourselves, “Do I want to eat this right now because I need nourishment or because I’m feeling empty emotionally or spiritually?” If I need nourishment, I can choose a healthy option. If I’m just feeling empty, I must realize food can fill my stomach but never my soul.

If you’re not physically hungry then you must need to be filled in another way. The Bible tells us to seek God to fill that emptiness inside ourselves.

“Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” (Ephesians 3:17-19 NLT)

Do you see the truth in this scripture? God can help you through those times of struggles and challenges. Because face it, we are going to face challenges and struggles every day of our lives. Some will be small and some will be big. But the truth you need to understand and remember is how wide, how long, how high and how deep God’s love is for you.

So remember to pause, and if you are truly hungry, wait and choose a healthy snack and then you will be truly full.

Thought for the day (from the Made to Crave devotional) – “The only way to negate an emotional eating trigger is to match it with truth.”

Blessings,
Jill