Spiritual Bulimia

Spiritual Eating Disorder Series (Part 2)

Last week my blog talked about how, with anorexia, people control of their appearance by controlling their caloric intake and level of exercise. As a spiritual analogy, that might look like not taking in enough spiritual food to sustain the works we do for God. We look good on the outside, doing all the church-y things, but we are spiritually weak. This week's analogy differs from anorexia, in that the affected person is taking in loads of food, instead of starving themselves, but they somehow remain underfed.

Bulimia is known as the binge and purge disorder. It's when someone takes in an inordinate amount of food (bingeing) and then gets rid of those excess calories by throwing up, using laxatives etc. The point here is that the food they intake makes them feel emotionally good, but they prevent it from growing them physically.

Have you ever encountered someone whose sole entertainment is listening to preaching and Christian music, yet they don't exhibit the fruit of the spirit in their lives? Maybe they spend hours each day reading their Bible, but they are petty, judgmental, greedy and unkind. This, to me, is spiritual bulimia. They are taking in the spiritual food that should strengthen and grow them, yet somehow they are staying spiritually weak and immature.

In Matthew 13, Jesus talks about this very phenomenon in the Parable of the Good Soil.

Matthew 13: 5-6

Some (seed) fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.

As Christians, it isn't enough to immerse ourselves in Christian culture that feels good. We can ride the highs of emotionally stimulating music and motivational preaching, but never let the word do its refining work in us. In one ear, out the other is no different than the binge and purge cycle of bulimia. It's even worse if we regurgitate the word for others without allowing it to nourish us first.

Lord, forgive me if I have taken in more food that I can healthily digest. Forgive me for aborting the process that would make spiritual food sustain me, voraciously grabbing for the next word, the next spiritual high. Teach me how to feast on your word mindfully. Show me how to allow your Holy Spirit to bear fruit in my life, commensurate with the amount of spiritual food I am taking in and should be producing myself. I want to grow according to your plan for me. Amen.

Spiritual Anorexia

Spiritual Eating Disorders Series (Part 1)

This subject has been percolating in my heart for weeks, if not months. I'm hoping that as I write it out, I'll personally get a bit more clarity on what the Lord is trying to teach me.

It started out with me watching a short video about a young lady suffering from anorexia. The video pointed out that anorexia leads to starvation in situations where the person has access to the very food they are starving for. In that moment, the thought came to me, "This happens spiritually, too."

How can someone who has access to food be starving? How can someone willingly put themselves through a process of suffering and slowly dying? Anorexia is oftentimes a response to something else: a trauma, depression or anxiety. The root is often the need to be in control when life feels so out of control.

In today's world, we have more access to God's word than ever before. Most American Christian households have multiple copies of the Bible and various other Bible studies and books just sitting on the shelf. With internet access, thousands of free resources are available at the touch of a button. With all of that spiritual food at our fingertips, how many of us sit down at the banquet and refuse to eat?

Hebrews 5:12-14

12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Are we taking advantage of the rich foods, the meat, God has provided for us? Or are we too stubborn to trust His provision? Do we submit to His food plan and grow, or do we resist, clinging stubbornly to spiritual milk that doesn't provide the nutrients we need to be strong?

You don't become a spiritual giant by starving yourself or working yourself to the bone. How many of us work tirelessly for God, burning more spiritual calories than we are taking in? We run ourselves ragged doing, doing, doing, but not taking in enough to sustain our spiritual health.

Maybe we are diligent in our devotions, but we still feel the extreme fatigue of spiritual malnourishment. If so, we need to take a step back and ask God to reveal His personalized health plan for our lives. What once was enough may not be sufficient as we grow. We need to submit to His plan for us. He made us and He knows exactly what we need. By giving back control, we can recover from spiritual anorexia and grow healthy and strong.

Note: This is Part 1 in a Spiritual Eating Disorders Series. Part 2 will be on Spiritual Bingeing.

My Sister's Keeper

The theme of Christian community, relationships and accountability has been on repeat in my life as of late. In our church's book study of "The Purpose Driven Life" we are looking at what it means to be members of the body of Christ. Is it enough to say the Sinner's Prayer and simply stop-by the local church during "big" holidays? Is it enough to slip into the back of the sanctuary late and slip back out after service is done? Is that what God is looking for? Is that all we should expect from our membership in the family of God?

We had a membership meeting at our church this past weekend and we spent time asking some hard questions about how we are doing as a church at "being family" with one another. Do we welcome people? Do we open our lives to truly get to know each other? Do we search for the one lost lamb, leaving the 99 behind? If we are not doing that, we are dropping the ball.

Building true, authentic community is hard. Some cultures and individual personalities lend themselves more easily to the process, but there are no shortcuts.

John 13:35

35 "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Jesus said that people would identify us with Him, not by our eloquent words or our scripture quotation, not by miracles or even good works; we would be known as His disciples if we love one another.

If we have solid doctrine, but aren't living it out in community, we are fooling ourselves. If we preach love, but never reach out to love others, we are falling short. If we call ourselves family, but avoid accountability and authenticity, we are no better than hypocrites. If we harbor resentment and bitterness against our sisters in Christ, we are falling short of His call to unity. It is easy to embrace a doctrine of love; one that absolves us of our sin and wrongdoing and never look to see how we can be that Gospel, that good news, to someone else.

I am challenged and I hope you are too. This world needs more love, more real relationships. Today I resolve to do that, to be that, in my church and sphere of influence. I will be my sister's keeper. Will you?