If you had asked me in college, “What’s the relationship between nutrition and Jesus?” I wouldn’t have had a good answer for you. However, God has brought me through a lot over the past 10 years and I have found that nutrition and God go hand-in-hand. You may think
I’m going to take the traditional approach – food nourishes our body which is God’s temple, so eat well and take care of it. This idea is very true, however, I want to shift our focus to fad diets and how they provide imagery for our relationship with Christ. Fad diets tend to mirror the fast-paced, performance-based world we live in today. We want others to see our efforts and it should look good on the outside. We want to remain in control without truly changing our lifestyle or our habits. Think of a fad diet, like low carb for example.
What words or thoughts come to mind? Limiting, eliminate, quick-fix, restrictive, rules, yes/no foods, isolating, short-term. So, how could this be related to Jesus?
Philippians 4 reminds us to not be anxious about anything but in everything through prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present our requests to God. And then, the peace of God will guard our hearts in Christ Jesus. Finally (I’m paraphrasing), we are called to fill ourselves with truth.
What are you filling yourself with? Are you treating God like a fad-diet? Are you filling yourself with the expectations of this world or are you filling yourself with God’s truth and His word? Stop filling yourself with lies from the enemy. You are enough, just as you are, because Jesus paid it all for you.
God is calling us to something more than a fad diet. He is calling us to a deep, nourishing relationship with him. It is not an easy, quick-fix, instead it is choosing to pick up our cross and follow Him. It is not surface level but a deep relationship. It is not limiting but life giving. It is not rule following, it is Christ in us which allows us to be who He created us to be. It is not short-term, instead our eyes are on eternity.
Our relationship with Jesus should resemble well-
rounded nutrition. It takes filling ourselves with the true word like fruits and vegetables to nourish us when we are well and when we are sick. It takes God’s forgiveness when we fall or go off-track, because he loves us anyway – even if we had pizza for the third night in a row. It takes time, commitment and planning to form a deep relationship that is unshakable. Good food is most enjoyed and most fulfilling when done in community, and Jesus invites us to do the same. Full satisfaction comes into focus if we see Jesus as our bread of life and not just another fad diet.
Today, I’m writing to you. I have prayed for you and over you as I have written this devo and I pray that something in these words rings true for you and you can delve deeper into your relationship with God, building and solidifying your firm foundation in Christ. Remember who you are! You are a child of God. Know that you are created in God’s image, fearfully and wonderfully made for a purpose. We all have a story to tell. So, grab some friends and a Bible, break bread, and “dig-in”. The bread of life is more satisfying than any cheap meal you can imagine.
Kara Miller, Campus Dietitian