Food was once my comfort and hope. I grabbed chips to ease stress and gobbled cookies to stuff anger.  Happier times were a reason to indulge, because food was the answer to everything.  Before God changed my heart and thinking about food, my life was centered around food.

It has been difficult to let go of food as my comfort.  Sometimes I am tempted to reach for cookies instead of praying.  After a challenging day, I opened a bag of potato chips to snack on while I cooked dinner.  Stuffing chips down my body did nothing to calm my stress.  Deuteronomy 31:8 is, “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you: he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Holy Bible, New International Version, 2011)  God comforts me in a way food never will.   Deep down, I know food does nothing to help.  I want to break free of my old dependence on food.

God is my comfort and help for breaking old, unhealthy habits. Gentle nudges that I need to seek him instead of food inspire me to put down the bag of chips.  I am learning to pray first instead of reaching for food.  For too long, I used food to satisfy spiritual needs. Only God can comfort me and satisfy my heart.