I hate when my pants don’t fit. It’s a sign of something I wish I could ignore because there’s something I have too often ignored: my eating habits.
This morning’s breakfast was no exception. Many unconscious choices were made. Cereal or eggs? Fork or spoon? Extra sugar on top or yogurt on the side? It happened almost by itself.
But it matters. Whatever we bite or sip should be done for the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31).
According to Statistics Canada, about two out of every three people are overweight or obese. The Canadian Medical Association writes that this is due to a variety of factors, including, in some cases, a genetic predisposition toward gaining weight.
But they say at the most fundamental level, what is driving the dramatic rise in obesity in our country is people consuming more energy than they expend. It comes down to our habits, intentional or otherwise, with food and active living (e.g., exercise).
Consider the Sluggard’s Field
All our seemingly minor choices matter. They matter because they can create — if left unexamined over time — a cumulative effect leading to destruction.
In Proverbs 26:30-34, we learn one of the sayings of the wise:
I passed by the field of a sluggard,
by the vineyard of a man lacking sense,
and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns;
the ground was covered with nettles,
and its stone wall was broken down.
Then I saw and considered it;
I looked and received instruction.
A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like an armed man.
The lazy gardener had a lousy garden. Why? Because he made excuses, putting off the right actions for “just a little bit.” The “just a little bit” fallacy leads to his sudden demise.
Don’t underestimate small decisions. Sweat the small stuff, so to speak!
The same instruction is taught in Proverbs 6:6-12, where we consider the ant to become wise. An ant is constantly working towards its purpose, its telos. It does not say, “I will be a good ant for most of the day, but I will stop being ant-like for a time.” No, it always lives according to its purpose.
All our seemingly minor choices matter. They matter because they can create — if left unexamined over time — a cumulative effect leading to destruction.
As humans made in the image of God and as renewed people in the Kingdom of God, we must constantly live according to our telos.
Before popular books like Atomic Habits and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, the wisdom of Scripture warned against a laidback attitude toward seemingly small decisions.
A Prudent Principle
We mustn’t take the “just a little bit” fallacy into soul-sucking legalism. Scripture also endorses moderation. For example:
- “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven” (Ecc. 3:1-8).
- “Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes” (Ecc. 7:18b).
- “If you find honey, eat just enough—too much of it, and you will vomit” (Prov. 25:16).
- “Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread” (Prov. 30:8b).
Moderation could be seen as a rebuttal to the “just a little bit” fallacy. Why worry over every little food habit? The latest sugar-rich cereal may not be the best choice to start a day, but it’s all in moderation, right?
Perhaps you are being too hard on yourself and the biblical support for moderation should relax your practice of counting every carbohydrate. But perhaps “moderation” is your excuse to ignore your conscience.
A year ago, I stepped onto a scale when visiting a friend and was surprised by how high the number was. How could this have happened? I wasn’t going to the gym; it wasn’t muscle mass — it was the cumulative effect of seemingly minor decisions.
The regularity of snacking in the evening. The large portion sizes. The beer. The chocolate. The Kawartha Dairy Caramel Truffle Ice Cream (if you haven’t tried it, it’s really good).
I was eating everything in moderation, I thought. Rarely would I indulge beyond feeling full. It was never that bad. But each bite adds up.
Since then, I’ve increased the barriers between my favorite foods and my stomach. In speaking about self-control, Proverbs 6:27 says, “Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?”
That’s me and that ice cream. It’s not in my freezer right now. I don’t want it to be. I don’t buy it for myself and instead reserve it for special occasions to avoid sinful indulgence.
You Have Agency Over Your Life
A trend I’ve noticed recently is the way we ascribe agency to others instead of ourselves. It’s social media’s fault. Or Big Media. Or Big Pharma. Or the corrupt government. Or systematic racism. Or my genetics. Or my personality. Or otherwise.
I’m not opposed to criticizing these institutions and wisely assessing environmental factors. Working at a personality survey company for five years, I saw the good science behind it. But saying, “I have an ice cream personality,” is no excuse for the sin of gluttony.
I understand it is difficult. Part of the difficulty in taking ownership of our habits is what Alan Noble calls “an inhuman world.” Life is stressful. Ice cream numbs the stress. But over time, you need more ice cream to do the same job that one scoop once accomplished.
You might notice you’ve built up an addiction, and so you try to stop it. And eventually, even if you try to break the cycle, you can get what scientists call “anhedonia,” the reduced ability to experience pleasure.
Stopping any addiction is hard. We can end up hating our bodies as we are bombarded with images of supermodels. This is why a book like What God Has to Say about Our Bodies is so helpful, where Sam Allberry says, “Our first response to our body should be to give God thanks for it.”
The temptation toward self-hatred is always near. So is dietary legalism. We do not begin healthy eating habits out of a desire to earn God’s love for our body or to even earn our own love for our body. No, we begin in gratitude. We begin with recognizing we have been made with a body to steward — to steward for God’s glory and our own good.
What you eat is up to you. You cannot control the price or availability of healthy food, but you are responsible for your actions. If you’re a Christian, you don’t believe that your body is a bag of chemical reactions that resulted from random mutation; you believe you were God-made and God-shaped for God’s purposes.
So, live like it. Make good choices. Paul does not say that secondary matters like food are unimportant; rather, each of us should be fully convinced in our minds (Romans 14:5).
Have you made up your mind? Will your eating habits better reflect Jesus or the sluggard?
Avoid Self-Centric Stinginess
While our eating practices can be individualized, we should avoid the danger of individualism. It is appropriate to ask others to help you. It is appropriate to share your dietary desires with others. But it is also appropriate to set-aside your personal preferences for the sake of others.
For example, avoid unjoyful stinginess. In Proverbs 23:6-8, we find a peculiar character variously translated: “a man who is stingy” (ESV), “a begrudging host” (NIV), “a tightwad” (MSG), or, “him that has an evil eye” (ASV).
The stingy host in this passage has given you bread, but due to his lack of generosity, he is so concerned with the costs of the components the meal causes you to vomit. Gross! The point is this: beware of the person so concerned with every little bit in making food; when you eat with them, there’s no joy.
Biblical wisdom is about joy. As we apply the “just a little bit” fallacy and live in line with moderation, we should avoid stinginess, too.
As you apply biblical wisdom, you’ll flourish. “Eat your food with gladness,” says the teacher (Ecc. 9:7). And the habits you build with food will carry over to your use of social media, your restraint of sinful anger, and your getting to work on time.
For myself, next time I eat breakfast, maybe I’ll have a little less. Next time I’m on my phone, maybe I’ll delete that distracting app. And next time I invite someone over, maybe I’ll serve some ice cream.
