Lately, I have been skidding down a road I do not want to be on.  I confess, I have eaten too much in the evenings. Some nights, it is after 8:00 p.m. before I am able to eat dinner and I eat too fast.  Other nights, I am so exhausted that I blindly stuff food into my mouth, when I am no longer hungry. Most days, I only eat what I should for breakfast and lunch, but overeat later in the day.  I have not gained weight yet, but I my weight loss has plateaued.

I know what I need to do, so now I must do it.  Hebrews 12:1-2 is “…let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith…” (New American Standard Bible, 1995)  This race I am running, eating only the food my body needs, is a marathon.  Over the rest of my lifetime, I might go through times such as this where I need to refocus.  In the past, I would continue overeating until my pants no longer fit.  At least my heart is now sensitive enough to recognize that my eyes are no longer fixed where they should be.  To lay aside the sin of overeating, I must be willing to stop eating food my body does not need.  Over the past few days, I have continued to eat past the point when I have eaten enough.  My body feels bloated later and I see the effects of overeating.  I must not let these mistakes get me down.  In the past, I felt guilt anytime I overate.  To deal with this guilt, I tried to justify my overeating.  I was afraid I had messed up so many times, that God would give up on me.  I now know that God loves me too much to leave me trapped in a pit of sin.  He just wants me to reach out to Him for strength.

This week, I will make extra effort to fix my eyes on Jesus and not the food.  I will remember that He paid the ultimate price for my sins, enduring a painful death so I can be free.  God has freed me from overeating and I will use His strength to stay away from the excess food.