Seduction of Food

I've been trying to shed a few pounds. Who isn't? The only way it works for me is to say 'no' to foods I want. Not all foods, but some. I've realized just how tied I am to some food choices, such as that bit of chocolate in the afternoon. Or the butter in my oatmeal (now I've really confessed).

Sweets in particular can all but take over every holiday, if you think about it. What is Valentine's Day without chocolate? What are birthdays without cake? What is Easter without a basket of candy? What is Christmas without cookies, pecan pie, gingerbread? ...my mouth is watering...

I've been doing without sweets (mostly) for a while now, and guess what? They don't have as big a hold on me as they did.That doesn't mean I don't want them. I just don't want them as much. I can live without them.

Food can be a seductress. I mean, we have to eat everyday, right? So it's natural that what we eat is a matter for thought regularly. And after all, food was the object of the first temptation. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree! My father used to say "I don't live to eat, I eat to live". I can't quite claim that as my mantra. But I am trying to put food in it's proper place - as a tool for living. I hold the tool. It doesn't hold me.
Jesus said life is more than food and clothes. I think He meant that there is meaning in life far beyond what we see, hear, taste, or touch. After all, chocolate can only so so much for you, and then it lets you down big time. I don't want to be seduced by anything.

What is your relationship to food?