Eating Wisdom from a 17th Century Monk

“When an occasion of practicing some virtue was offered, (Brother Lawrence) addressed himself to God saying, ‘Lord, I cannot do this unless Thou enablest me’. And then he received strength more than sufficient. When he had failed in his duty, he only confessed his fault saying to God, ‘I shall never do otherwise, if You leave me to myself. It is You who must hinder my falling and mend what is amiss.’ Then, after this, he gave himself no further uneasiness about it.”

How many times have you failed with your “best laid plans” for eating in a more healthy way? How often have you not stopped eating when you knew you’d had enough to eat? How many times have you not gotten off the couch to move your body in some form of exercise, instead giving up for the hundredth time?

My daughters and I have been slowly working our way through the classic book, The Practice of The Presence of God. This book shaped me in my young adult years; only now do I see how much it laid the groundwork for me to know how to walk closely with God throughout my ordinary days. When I read the above quote, I immediately thought of my struggle with overeating and the challenges of many women I’ve met through the Releasity course. My favorite line is, “It is You who must hinder my falling and mend what is amiss.”

There is so much joy and freedom that can come when we stay in close communication with God throughout the day, talking to Him about our thoughts, feelings, hopes, and frustrations. He wants to help us learn to eat a reasonable amount of food each day, following our hunger and fullness cues and finding other activities to keep us occupied rather than recreational eating. When we acknowledge before God that we need His power and presence to make wise choices, He is thrilled and will come to our aid!

Confession is another aspect of Brother Lawrence’s teaching that has helped me greatly. 1 John 1: 9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us and to purify us from all unrighteousness.” For me, I need to confess when I go to food to comfort me or keep me company the way God wants to. When we go to created things (food) rather than the Creator to give us life, we turn the food into a mini-god.

Let’s go to God like Brother Lawrence modeled, naming the places where we cannot make wise and beneficial choices for our bodies. As we quickly confess when we have gone astray, we can ask God to “mend what is amiss” with the way we treat our bodies.

Dear Lord, Thank you that you are compassionate toward all you have made (Psalm 145). We know that times will come when we do not make wise and beneficial choices with our bodies. Help us go to you for comfort instead of the food. Help us look to you for life instead of making a diet our god. We love you and we need your help every moment of every day. Amen