But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Galatians 5:22-23
How did you do over the Thanksgiving Holiday? Did you keep it on the straight and narrow, or did you go totally off the rails? Somewhere in between, maybe?
During December, there are many minefields of celebratory food to navigate. So how do we win the battle over holiday eating?
Focus on Family
This year, I spent the Thanksgiving holiday with my cousins and my Aunt and Uncle, who are in their 80s. No sweet potato casserole could be any sweeter. However, maybe your family works differently. I encourage you to love people where they are for that one day. Remember that God put you in your family on purpose. You may not have great relationships in your family, but you can be the light.
Formulate a Plan
Make a plan if passing by Grandma’s Pecan Pie is more than you think you can bear. Here are some options:
- Take something you can eat.
- Fast before you go if you know you will consume foods not on your plan. Plan, plan, plan your food intake.
- Eat before you attend so you aren’t starving when you hit the door.
Find Forgiveness
My overeating binges went something like this… “Well, I’ve already blown it. I might as well eat the whole fill-in-the-blank.” I felt that I couldn’t overcome my failure and wallowed in my bad decisions.
These are some tips I used to break that vicious cycle:
- Come to terms with the mistake and forgive yourself.
- Start over the very next time I ate anything. The very next time is critical. Don’t wait until the next day or Monday if it’s a weekend.
- Stop Negative Self-Talk
The key to this is depending on the Holy Spirit. Notice that in the Galatians verse, the Holy Spirit that lives within us produces the Fruits of the Spirit. It is not us, in our power, that can defeat our addictive and overindulgent natures. The person of the Holy Spirit living within us has the strength.
