The Day God Kicked Gluttony's Butt! | Previous Challenge Entry

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TITLE: The Day God Kicked Gluttony's Butt! | Previous Challenge Entry
By Helen Carr
01/22/15
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I'm sure that each one reading this has, at some stage, over-indulged in one too many serves of Christmas dinner, or one too many slices of mud cake at a birthday party. Perhaps you have even eaten an entire pizza in one sitting? Whilst not recommended, such behaviour does not a 'glutton' make. There is no harm done and, as the after-effects are often so vile, such behaviour is not likely to be repeated any time soon.

No, Gluttony is a sinister creature, whose presence is as much about the mind as it is food.

Gluttony comes to the young person who is different. They try to join the circles of their peers, and feel the sting of rejection keenly when their efforts are shut down. As they walk away, they see a sign in the shop window, "Ice cream - makes you happy." Ice cream would be nice, at least it can't reject me, they think, entering the shop. And as the pattern is begun, so it continues.

Gluttony comes in the middle of the night, when a new mother is struggling with her baby. The darkness magnifies every thought and doubt. She needs to sooth her aching soul. "I want...a packet of Tim Tams that never runs out." Of course, there's the answer to my pain, she thinks as she reaches for a fourth, fifth, sixth chocolate-covered biscuit. Another pattern is begun.

Gluttony is not just a once-time visitor. It stays, tormenting, teasing, tempting. Sometimes the person is strong enough to resist the nagging mind-worm...until their Achilles' Heel is discovered, their weakness, and they finally succumb to the taunts of this cruel resident within. One entire packet of Tim Tams. One Mars Bar. One Cadbury chocolate bar. Oh, why bother stopping there, I might as well eat the donut as well. Tomorrow is another day.

Gluttony might visit alone to begin with, but inevitably its closest companion will rear its ugly head and join the party; shame. Absolute shame, shame that burns with a fury that one cannot imagine unless having faced it. An entire cake? How could I possibly have done that? Lying in one's bed and recounting the type and amount of food consumed in one day, the afflicted is overwhelmed with disgust; sometimes enough to prompt self-induced vomiting, to rid one's body of the physical evidence. Sometimes only tears of frustration. There is no cure for the emotional damage done by the day's actions, no salve for the guilty soul. All one can do is vow to be better the next day. And the next. And the next...

How do I know?

Because I am the young person who didn't fit in, but found comfort in the arms of ice cream.

I am the new mother who didn't connect with her baby, and so turned to 'treats' to fill the emptiness and hide the guilt. Year, after year, after year.

At my heaviest I weighed 127 kilograms. I couldn't hide my 'problem,' so I just ignored it. Denial and guilt were my constant paradoxical state of being. Mirrors and photos were avoided, as was being seen in public. I was ashamed, and felt I'd let my family down.

I was desperate for God to intervene, to do something to stop me from eating myself to death.

Last May, I was diagnosed with Diabetes.

Guilt unlike any I've ever experienced flooded my mind, body and spirit. I was forced to face the things I'd avoided for so many years.

And then, something changed. The guilt was gone; in its place was a deep sense of relief. Something in the diagnosis of diabetes broke the power of Gluttony in my life; God opened my eyes for the first time, showing me that Gluttony was not the friend nor comfort I had made it out to be for so long. It was killing me. And it was time to fight back.

It was - and still is - a battle, but guess what? I'M WINNING!

I now weigh 99 kilograms, and am no longer a hostage to Gluttony. I might have the occasional Tim Tam - they are amazing little biscuits - but nothing tastes as great as living life to the full!

I praise my God for this intervention which saw my life not just saved, but restored. And I pray that my testimony might bring hope to others under Gluttony's seemingly unbreakable hold.

With God, all things truly are possible.

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