My Latest Read

Right now I am reading Love to Eat, Hate to Eat by Elyse Fitzpatrick (subtitle: Breaking the Bondage of Destructive Eating Habits). This book seeks to tackle the issue of the heart behind over eating (or under eating). It comes at it from a Christian perspective and with the idea of serving God and not food.

I'm halfway through the book. In the chapter Making Godly Food Choices, the author goes through a list of questions to ask yourself before eating anything. The list forms an acrostic, spelling out the word/s D-I-S-C-I-P-L-I-N-E-D Eating (okay, the acrostic is a little weird, but the questions are intriguing). I thought I would list the questions here for your consideration:

Doubt: Do I doubt (for whatever reason) that I can eat this food without sinning?

Idolatry: Does eating this particular food demonstrate either a heart of independence or a heart longing for pleasure? It is important to ask yourself whether you are eating because you are hungry and you need nourishment or if you are eating for reasons that, ultimately, are idolatrous.

Stumble: If I eat this, will it cause a weaker Christian to stumble?

Coveting: Am I eating this just because I saw someone else with it and I'm coveting it?

Inroad: If I eat this, will it create an inroad for sin? For instance, I (Elyse Fitzpatrick) know that whenever I eat chocolate it opens a door for me to desire more and more and I end up eating a lot of candy over a number of days--much more than I should for good health.

Praise: Can I eat this food with thanks and gratitude? Is my heart overflowing with songs of praise to Him?

Life: Would eating this food harm my health in any way?

Illustrate: Am I modeling good eating habits for others and encouraging them to be self-discplined, or do I encourage others to self-indulge?

No: Am I able to say "no" to this even if I know I can eat it without sin? From time to time it is beneficial just to say no to your desires even if you are physically hungry for a particular food. I (Elyse Fitzpatrick) must keep reminding myself that satisfying every whim of my body is self-serving, even if I do have Christian liberty.

Emotions: Does the desire to eat this flow out of a heart of anger, fear, frustration, or depression?

Distract: Will preparing or eating this food distract me from something better that God has for me to do?

Enslaved: Does eating this food, bring me under any kind of bondage? You may have Christian liberty to eat this food, but is it profitable? Will you be mastered by it?