Four years ago, I received a letter from a Christian Scientist who brought a friend to a lecture I gave on Christian Science healing. She wrote that after the lecture, she took her friend out to eat and during dinner the guest have been wolfing down a plate of pasta and sauce. At one point, mid-sentence, the guest dropped her fork and wailed, “Oh my gosh. I’m not supposed to be eating this food. I have a severe case of acid reflux.” She thought for a moment and then exclaimed, “But I’m feeling fine!”

The Christian Scientist assured her guest that she was healed from the truths voiced at the lecture and she didn’t need to worry about eating certain foods any longer. The friend wasn’t so sure, but after a moment of silence agreed. She felt healthy, which was a first after many months of terrible suffering, and something within her affirmed things were different now. Time proved her to have been instantaneously cured of that illness. She no longer stuck to a stripped down diet of simple bread and water. She ate a full-fledged menu once again.

In thinking about this healing I can’t help but see the so-called impact of food on the stomach and body to be an illusion. This person had lived for months in fear of food. She had been taught by mortal mind that something was wrong with her internally, there was a penalty to pay, and eating food was one of those penalties.

The Bible tells us that God gave man dominion over the earth and everything upon it, including food. Food does not have power over man. Man has God-given power over food.

I asked myself, “What changed in the two hour period this woman was transformed from being victimized by acid reflux to being able to eat anything?”

Nothing material was done to her body. It was her thinking that changed. In some way, she glimpsed her spiritual individuality to a greater degree than ever before that assured her she had dominion over matter, including food, and matter did not have dominion over her.

We are taught from all directions today that food has power over us…power to make us fat, to make us sick, to make us well, to make us hyper…and on and on. This is an unfortunate course of reasoning, for the better way to health and freedom is to understand God’s power over us that results in dominion over food and diet.

We are not fundamentally organic material beings controlled by what we put in our mouth. We are spiritual beings, reflecting the glory of God, and it helps to know that the glory of God is not subject to meat and potatoes. The glory of God exists independently of matter and is sustained by Spirit.

I rejoice in knowing that we don’t have to bow down to food. God is our creator and maintainer, not sugar, carbohydrates and protein.

It’s better to stick to a diet of Truth than worship and fear fiber and fat. It’s healthier and happier that way.