Is Your Heart Tired?
Have you ever reached for food when you were not hungry at all?
Last Sunday I told you about a woman who wanted the cookie more than she wanted God’s help.
I have been there too. More than once I ate when I was not hungry at all, because my heart was worn out.
By a worn-out heart, I mean the kind of tired that sleep does not fix. It comes from carrying stress, disappointment, and everyone else’s needs until you have nothing left for yourself.
I did not need food. I needed comfort, and food was the nearest place to find it.
This week in our Breakthrough Method cohort, we are studying emotional eating. Here is a question our cohort will ponder this week, and I invite you to ponder it too.
Am I hungry in my body, or is my heart tired?
Maybe you know this one. It is the end of a long day, or the house is quiet, or a hard conversation just ended.
You are standing at the kitchen counter, and you are not hungry. You eat anyway, and afterward you feel ashamed.
If that is you, you are not the only one. After almost 40 years of walking with women, I have sat with so many who love the Lord and still reach for food on their hardest days.
Food answers the hunger in your body. A tired heart is hungry for something else, like rest, comfort, or company.
Those hungers are real, and there is no shame in them. They show you where you need God and the people He has placed around you.
Isaiah 55 is God’s invitation to people in exile, far from home and worn out from working for things that never filled them. Right before our verse, He says, “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters.” (verse 1)
Then He asks a loving question:
“Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.”
Isaiah 55:2, NIV
God is inviting them to stop working for what leaves them empty and to listen to Him. That invitation is for you today.
What is true of following Him is true of how you care for your body. When you reach for comfort, ask what you are really hungry for, and bring that answer to Him.
This is our Stay Steadfast, God’s Way month at Weight Loss God’s Way. Staying steady means you pause, ask, and come back to Him each time you reach for comfort, however many times it takes.
Try This Today — Ask Before You Eat
Weight Loss God’s Way changes small habits one or two at a time, and here is one you can try this week.
Before you eat between meals, pause and ask, “Am I hungry in my body, or is my heart tired?” Then notice what comes up: tired, lonely, stressed, bored, or truly hungry.
If your body is hungry, eat and thank God for the food. If you forget to ask, begin again the next time you reach.
Imagine a community of women who ask that question with kindness, and know exactly where to take the answer. You do not have to figure out your own heart alone.
Whether you are already part of our community or you are reading this for the first time, let me pray over you.
Father, You know what every woman reading this is really hungry for. Meet her at the kitchen counter, in the car, and in the quiet house, and give her one honest question to ask You today. Help her come back to You sooner, without shame. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Stay Steadfast, God’s Way gives you a short teaching and one small step every day for the moments when your heart is tired. You can start today.
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Stay Steadfast, God’s Way 31-DAY DEVOTIONAL & COURSE A short teaching and one small practical step each day for your weight release, with a devotional and a worship song to keep your heart in it. $47, and it is backed by a 30-day guarantee. |
Coming back to Him with you,
Cathy 💜
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