I was in the bookstore yesterday, and I saw a book entitled "The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted: And Other Small Acts of Liberation" there. Naturally, it caught my attention. I glanced through the book, a collection of short stories, and the title started me thinking about freedom. I really have no idea what the book is about, or even whether it's good or not (it looks promising), but my thoughts on freedom started from the title.
Is freedom really doing whatever you want? In the arena of food, I have to say that the answer is a resounding NO. As a recovering foodaholic, I can definitely say that the food made me its slave (and still does sometimes). Freedom in this case means freedom from the compulsion to eat when I'm not hungry, freedom from the compulsion to eat way too much chocolate, freedom from desire for food, and freedom to focus on other things. Even right now as I write this, I am wanting to eat chocolate. Lots of it. I feel compelled, but instead I will have a sugar free hot cocoa and curl up with a book. I want to be free from the chains that have bound me for so long, and the act of liberation here is to say NO to the food that enslaves. Food is pleasurable, true, and can be used for good, but it can also be used for evil. The pastor of our church often says that we don't sin - rather, sin does us. There is a lot of truth in that. I have been set free, and I am being set free, and I will be set free, by the grace of God. A long journey, but a rewarding one.
1 comment:
Tammy, what a great post. You said it well. I had to write an essay on this topic for a college English exam (to test out of basic English). I wrote some similar things to what you expressed. It's an interesting deception that often what looks like freedom ends up being bondage.
Cheers -
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