Eating disorders, diets, delicious food and a beautiful God

Once upon a time, I was convinced that as soon as I truly loved God as I ought to, food would cease to be important. And that, I thought, was how He wanted it to be. I would finally understand the sublime sufficiency, goodness, and beauty of God. I would eat only enough to survive and attain the slender, holy appearance of women depicted in religious art and literature.

What didn’t occur to me until much later was that the beauty, tastiness, and appeal of food—the explosive sweetness of a ripe cherry; the smooth, clean saltiness of fresh mozzarella—aren’t accidents. Food is neither a temptation to lure me from God nor an invitation to gluttony; it is a way for me to taste and see that my Creator and Provider is good.

{from an essay that appeared in the pages of InTouch. You can read it online here.}