If you have any kind of eating issues or concern about weight gain from consuming food, it’s helpful to remember that God governs in the kitchen!
As a child of God, you reflect the wisdom and intelligence of divine Mind. Divine Mind always makes the best choices, produces the best effect and causes the best outcomes. As Mind’s reflection, you will make the best choice that produces the best effect and brings about the best outcome.
So, don’t leave Mind behind when you enter the kitchen. Acknowledge Mind’s governance in the kitchen! Stay clear that you reflect the wise decision-making of divine Mind whether in the kitchen at the dining table or in a restaurant.
Mind is not influenced by personal wants, selfish desire or vain appetite. Mind does not “leave its senses,” act ignorantly, or make excuses for poor behavior.
Mind is in control of its own thinking. Mind reasons intelligently. Mind makes decisions based upon spiritual facts. Mind is not weak, gullible, stupid, or naïve. Mind is on top of its game! Mind knows what it’s doing, and does it with confidence.
Be Mind in action, and demonstrate dominion in the kitchen!
Thank you Evan for this wonderful affirmation. With all the mortal theories of how to eat healthfully, I became so confused on what was good! My study of CS was so helpful as I turned back to the basics… “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3) became a touch stone in my thought. I also worked with the 7 synonyms of God, recognizing that the expression of balance, flexibility, agility, strength, endurance, and so many other attributes God possesses, and therefore we reflect, are mine to demonstrate. Love to all for a beautiful week!
Thank you, Evan and Janet!!
Be Mind in action, and demonstrate dominion… doesn’t that say it all? Very powerful statement!! Thank you thank you thank you
What wonderful thoughts to have when considering meal choices and patterns of eating. Mind, God is present even in the kitchen. We can reflect that intelligence from God! Also I find giving gratitude to God for the present good available is effective, then fearful, regretful and negative thoughts about food and eating can be dismissed. My biggest challenge is love of a dessert after every meal. Is this a trained response and can I overcome this?
“Mind is not influenced by personal wants, selfish desire or vain appetite. Mind does not ‘leave its senses,’ act ignorantly, or make excuses for poor behavior.” Thank you for this reminder, Evan, and especially for the reminder that we reflect the wisdom and intelligence of divine Mind. I will acknowledge Mind’s governance in the kitchen! Very helpful! And just what I needed to consider as I start my week.
This post is very timely as I am making some changes in my eating habits due to a realization that I have veen consuming food Mind-lessly, resulting in weight gain I am not happy with. “Admit the common hypothesis that food is the nutriment of life, and there follows the necessity for another admission in the opposite direction, — that food has power to destroy Life, God, through a deficiency or an excess, a quality or a quantity. This is a specimen of the ambiguous nature of all material health-theories. They are self-contradictory and self-destructive…” (SH 388) With Mind at the helm of thought I know I can make healthy and wise food choices.
I appreciate your thoughts Evan. Perhaps it’s good to be careful of not assigning shame to people struggling with weight issues such as if you don’t eat right you are “weak, gullible, stupid, or naïve.” I’m sure that’s not your intent.
There are many studies that show that obesity is often linked to childhood sexual abuse — to put it too simply, trying to protect yourself from what harmed you most. Some statistics show the impact: “24 year-old women who were sexually abused as children were four times more likely than their non-abused peers to be diagnosed with an eating disorder; middle-aged women who were sexually abused as children were three times as likely to be obese when compared
with their non-abused peers.”
In an era when we are being asked to prayerfully consider the effects of sexual abuse and how to heal them, I think today’s SpiritView may do more harm than good.
The caricature of overweight people simply lacking self-control is ignorant and wrong. There are much deeper issues to consider and our loving thoughts and kinder hearts would do much more good than falling into the shaming pit.
Today’s blog seems to say that we are made of matter and we are what we eat in terms of quantity. But Mrs. Eddy writes in Science and Health:
“Admit the common hypothesis that food is the nutriment of life, and there follows the necessity for another admission in the opposite direction, — that food has power to destroy Life, God, through a deficiency or an excess, a quality or a quantity. …
… food does not affect the absolute Life of man, and this becomes self-evident, when we learn that God is our Life.”
If you look at healings of weight issues in the early Christian Science periodicals, it was usually a healing of being too thin. The photographs of the early pioneers of Christian Science who did phenomenal healing work show a significant number of them as what we would term overweight or obese today.
Such are the changing themes of mortal mind. But to heal eating problems or being overweight requires much deeper spiritual thinking.
It’s very late in the day to make a comment, but perhaps people will see this. I respect your perspective, and agree we don’t want to make people feel ashamed about a problem. I do think it is just to add that Evan struggled for years with the problem of being overweight because of eating too much. He spoke about his own embarrassment. I remember him talking about this in a lecture, He recorded his healing at least once for Sentinel Radio, I believe he has also written at least one article for the Christian Science periodicals about this healing. He personally struggled through this.
Thank you Curran. I’m glad to know that. But the article still came across harsh and judgmental toward people who may struggle with weight issues. And in the U.S. today, it is the only acceptable prejudice — with more people joining in than ever. Every other shaming activity is condemned as politically incorrect.
I would never judge anyone else’s demonstrations — but there are a myriad number of reasons for being overweight which have to be prayerfully address.
I used to have a weight problem as well, and the most unkind people I ever met about my weight issues were at CS churches. One of them even told me that she was obviously more spiritually-minded than I because she was thinner than I (She was bulimic; then anorexic; ran 5 miles daily to keep her body thin — not really an example of a spiritual thinker). I’m sure she has grown since she made that comment years ago; but prejudice toward overweight people exists in our church and needs to be rooted out.
Hi Mary,
I’m sorry the article came across to you the way you say. It certainly wasn’t written with that spirit. You are correct, that there are many different issues people concerned with weight may be dealing with. With a short blog, I can only touch on a single idea or so.
When I read my blog over, I simply don’t find in it what you saw in it. So, the perspective one is reading it from does affect what one gets out of it. I pray that you read it with the same perspective it was written, which was simply to address one angle of remembering our dominion in the kitchen, if that’s helpful to you. And maybe it isn’t. That’s okay. It was written for people who might find it helpful. That’s all. I never intend to judge anyone.
Much love to you.
I am so grateful for this Blog and all the comments. They are all so very helpful,
Wow only one Mind I was thinking about calling for more help on this issue. So thankful for the wonderful treatments it is just what was needed. I thought of something I used to tell my children as they went off to School which was Divine Mind Directs, Divine Love Protects. I don’t know where this statement is from? I was thinking this would be a help with food issues also. Listening for Gods direction is always first. Thank You All!
Thank you Evan!!! Excellent treatment and so many ideas to help us detect and thereby overcome false beliefs we may be getting fooled into believing. I’ve found that until you uncover error it’s difficult to correct it. So thanks again for “unmasking” so many errors in this blog today!
Jesus said we should pay more attention to what comes out of the mouth than what we put into it. This is just a paraphrase, but I find it a good reminder on what’s really important.
Hi Deborah: I’m late jumping into this conversation, but I wanted to respond to your question about craving dessert after meals, I heard a testimony many years ago by someone who healed overeating by claiming “Love’s sweet control” (hymn 221) and I have thought of it many times since. Love controls our actions and desires and does so very sweetly, so that we are completely satisfied. The sweetness we’re craving really comes from Love – from feeling Love loving us and from reflecting that love to others. There is nothing sweeter than Love! We are not controlled by training, habits, addictions, etc, but by Love’s sweet control! I hope that helps.
Dear Jenny, you’ve covered the question, and Love has the power to control, SWEET LOVE, ever present.
jenny that is so sweetly helpful to me…. no pun intended… thank you ALL!
I have been studying and praying with Mrs. Eddy*s answer to a Ouestion {.I weigh over 200 lbs} Misc. page 47 I do not uhderstand all of her answer yet but I am losing material pounds.
Dear Ginny, I will check that out. My first healing in Science,of a major back issue came from just reading Science and Health. I had no idea what was going on but I started to feel better. The reasons were not important at the time. The humility to just read it was a very great grace, the book did the rest of the work.. Thank you for your story!
So strange how everyone sees something different in an article, I have prepared meals for my family, husband and myself, family get togethers, potlucks, group fundraisers, etc. and the subject of obesity or overindulgence never came to my thought!! Over 60 yrs of marriage and children and grandchildren I cannot begin to count the number of meals I have prepared. We seldom eat out because the joy and satisfaction of loving preparation and sharing far surpasses that need. I have always, except for a few exceptions, been blessed with ideas, balance, supply, inspiration and joy of presenting a meal for myself and those I love. Isn’t this a gift from God herself. From a turkey dinner with all the fixings to scrambled eggs and toast I’m grateful for the heavier to the thinner times in my life and God’s provision. I love you all, light or heavy, and so does God!