Please, no, I couldn’t eat another bite…. well maybe just a little more…
Posted on March 11, 2007
Filed Under Generally Spiritual (few if any geek references) | Leave a Comment
[author's note: the following is an email sent in mid January 2006, but somehow I thought it would be good to "front page" it for a little while before archiving it]
I can’t believe that the holidays are behind us. Starting around Thanksgiving our family schedule went something like this: Go to a friend’s, eat. Visit with family, eat. Have neighbors over, eat. Get up at Zero-Dark-30 on Christmas day to open presents, eat; play with toys, eat; take a nap, eat; play with more toys, eat; watch a new video, while eating; pause the video for The Big Eat (a.k.a. turkey dinner with all the extras); clean up dishes after The Big Eat, (eating up the leftovers as we go), read a little, go to bed – but first a little snack.
And then came the day when I had to go back to work.
That morning, I reached into the closet and grabbed the first pair of pants that I could find, so I could throw them on and head for the car. Hmmmm. I can’t get the waist button to work right. It must be defective. I’ll just have to push a little. Uuurrrgggghhh!. Push harder! Harder! Phwew. There. Buttoned. Now that wasn’t so bad, was it?
30 seconds Later:
Whoa! I feel like these pants are cutting me in half! I can hardly breathe! I can’t drive to work like this. I can barely sit down let alone operate a motorized vehicle.
I can see it now: In today’s news a commuter passes out and causes a traffic accident. Officials believe the he was suffering from TTPS (Too Tight Pants Syndrome). “It can be a serious problem,” says Dr. Schmuckenstein, an expert in lower body circulation. “It’s an issue that is on the rise, especially during the holidays. It can even cause a lack of blood flow to the brain….”
No doubt about it. I need to get a grip on my food intake. And get back to exercising. God made food to produce calories. But calories are meant to be burned, not worn about the waist.
(This is all very “interesting” you say, but is there some spiritual point to this story?)
Uh, well, I’m not sure. . . . . Give me a second, I’ll think of something.
Ah! got it. Sometimes we can get spiritually “pudgy around the waist” in the same way that our bodies can get pudgy. It’s good to take in lots of spiritual “food.†But on the other hand, if it’s junk food or if our intake exceeds our “fuel consumption,†then we can develop what could be called “The Mr. Incredible†syndrome.
(So, Brent, is this the part where you start getting preachy?)
Well, yeah. But it won’t be too preachy, honest.
The first thing to do is to avoid spiritual snack food. A good way to know if it’s snack food is to ask the following questions: Was that message entertaining or did I find myself digging deeper spiritually? Does this song inspire me in the fruit of the Spirit, or does it only make me feel good? Is my small group holding me accountable in areas where I need help or do we stick to topics like the latest technology or our kids’ activities? Does my small group fellowship only, or do we actually make the effort to study God’s Word?
In short, if it’s easy, convenient, tastes really sweet, doesn’t involve much preparation, commitment or effort on your part, gives you a buzz yet leaves you spiritually unchanged in the long haul, then it’s probably spiritual snack food. And that’s the stuff that makes us spiritually pudgy, which in turn will lead to a lack of spiritual strength. In the nutrition world they call it a “Carbohydrate Crash.†You get a buzz, you feel good, and then suddenly you have no energy. Spiritually, it can be the same way. Load up on spiritual snack food and you’re destined for a spiritual roller coaster.
But there are other ways to start “bursting at the seams” spiritually. The Pharisees, for example, didn’t mess around with spiritual snack food. Far from it. They were into the High Protein stuff. But the Pharisees would devour the meat of the Scriptures for it’s own sake, not for the sake of ministering to others. It made them spiritually out of shape and it showed in their arrogance and pridefulness – and their lack of compassion. Pharisees were like the spiritual Sumo Wrestlers of their day. Enormous intake of spiritual food, able to “throw their weight around,†but in truth they were in terrible condition spiritually. They were very intimidating, but overall of no use to anyone.
Spiritual calories are like physical ones, they are meant to be “burned.” We take in the Word of God not to store it up in our heads, but to use it in becoming more like Jesus. And in becoming more like Jesus, we will “burn” spiritual calories as we pray for others, bear their burdens, minister to them, and labor with them.
SUMMARY: Avoid spiritual snack food and go for the meat. But in so doing, get in lots of spiritual workouts – that is, follow Jesus. Care for and minister to the lost and hurting; let God stretch your faith and bear the fruit of the Spirit.
PS: As for my TTPS issue, I wonder if my sweat pants would pass for business casual?
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