Galatians 5:22,23

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." 

Galatians 5:22,23 (ESV)

As Christians, we are called to strive to mirror characteristics of our God and Father. We are blessed that He graciously equipped us with both the example of His Son, Jesus Christ, and His Word. Through Jesus' actions and the rest of the Bible, we can identify dozens of characteristics we should attempt to emulate. Galatians 5:22,23 is a verse that is full of virtues that we should work into our lives on a daily basis. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Each and every one of these virtues is greatly important in our walk with Jesus, but I would venture to guess there is one or two virtues that we each consistently struggle to carry out depending on the season we are in. One of mine lately is self-control. Specifically when it comes to food. You can call it cliche or the American way but I honestly come before God now asking for His forgiveness in this area of my life.
In the summer of 2012 I was doing yard work and herniated a disk in my back. Up until that point in my life I had always been very physically fit and generally a healthy eater. Occasionally I would over indulge, but overall I kept good care of my body. In the months leading up to my injury I had been faithfully training for a half marathon. I was devastated when I could no longer train because it was almost unbearable to even walk. That fall, my doctor put me on a medication that made me incredibly hungry all the time. I remember one night going to Chili's and eating a meal I usually split with someone and then followed it with a dessert. I could physically feel my stomach full with food, but I was still hungry. After finishing my medication sixteen days later, I had gained about ten pounds. I was upset, but I blamed it on the medication.
Christmastime came and I continued overindulging. I continued to gain weight. I lied to myself that it wasn't because of my lack of self-control but because I couldn't exercise because of my back. I told myself once Christmas was over, I'd be better. January came and and my boyfriend and I unexpectedly broke up after two years. So what did I do? I ate my feelings away. Thankfully, this was also the time that I asked Christ to be the center of my life again and began faithfully following Him, but to this day, I still struggle with self-control when it comes to food.
When I am happy, I want to eat to celebrate. When I am sad, I want to eat to distract myself. If I complete something, I want to eat to reward myself. If I'm working on something difficult, I think I deserve a snack to get me through. Not only is this habit unhealthy for my body, it is incredibly unhealthy for my spiritual life. When I'm happy, I should thank Jesus. When I'm sad, I should find comfort in Jesus. If I complete something, I should praise Jesus for His help. If I'm working on something difficult, I should as Jesus for His guidance. Even here in Guatemala, I find myself going to the store to buy myself a Coke or candy bar just because I'm homesick or tired.
Proverbs 25:28 clearly states, "A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls." Over the past couple years I have allowed Satan break into my city and convince me that I have to eat to control my emotions. Our emotions are an important part of our humanity but I should never use them as an excuse to refrain from casting my cares on Jesus.
Personal Application
Today I will only eat when we are fed. I will not make excuses to get into the snack bin if I am not hungry. If I think I am truly hungry and need a snack, I challenge myself to drink a bottle of water while reading over Proverbs 25: 28. I will prayerfully ask The Lord if need to eat, or I'm just having an emotion I need to Jesus.