The Way Out

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

—1 Corinthians 10:13 

 

I admit it. I am an emotional eater.

I have struggled with my weight for years—taking if off, putting it back on, taking it off, putting it back on. Only in recent years have I become aware of the root issue. My relationship with food is unhealthy. Food has been my go-to source when I’m sad, when I’m stressed, when I’m in pain, when I’m bored, and even when I’m happy. I know I use food to self-soothe, but I also know that when I do I am only creating a bigger problem. I must get a handle on this and go to God instead of reaching for food.

Every temptation starts with a thought. These thoughts lead to what I call stinkin’ thinkin.’ In order to extinguish my emotional eating, I must replace stinkin’ thinkin’ with truth, which is found in God’s Word. How do I begin? Well, that too is found in God’s Word:

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”—2 Corinthians 10:5

My problem with this is that I am so programmed to reach for food that in those moments I don’t even think about my thinking—and certainly not what’s found in the Word. So recently my goal has been to be mindful of everything I do, to pay attention to those voices in my head.

Here’s a conversation that played out the other day as I was driving to meet a friend. It was a rainy afternoon and my whole body was achy. I knew I had to drive about an hour and a half, so I thought:

I need some chocolate.

This time I caught myself. No, you don’t need chocolate—you need Advil.

I fumbled through my purse for the bottle and popped a pill at a light.

But a couple of chocolate chip cookies wouldn’t hurt.

Well, maybe not…but there’s no place to stop on the way.

There’s the Dash-in.

The Dash-in’s not on the way.

Yeah, but it’s just a little ways up the road.

You’re right…I’ll just “dash in.”

To speed up the process, I pulled my credit card from my wallet and dashed in with just my keys and the card in my hand.

I quickly scanned the shelves.

“May I help you?”

“Oh, no,” I said to the clerk at the counter, “I’m just looking.”

Then I found it…right at eye level. A pack of double chocolate chip cookies.

As I reached for the package, I heard the clerk, “Uh, ma’am…we can only take cash today.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry, but our credit card machine is broken.”

“Well, I’m sorry too, because you just lost a sale.” And I left in a huff.

But as I returned to my car, I couldn’t help but chuckle. Even when my efforts to demolish the argument going on inside my head failed, God stepped in and rescued me from myself. He provided the “way out” so that I could stand up under the temptation.

Now I know that it won’t always happen this way. God doesn’t always rescue us from the temptation. But He will provide the way out. We just need to be mindful and look for it.  And then take the exit. He will give us the strength to do it.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”—Philippians 4:13

Dear God, thank You for giving me a way out when I am tempted to cave in to deceitful lies and destructive action. Give me the strength to choose the right way, the way that is pleasing to You, the way that honors this temple in which Your spirit dwells (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Amen.