Frustrated with God

But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. — Matthew 6:33

Thought for the Day: God’s goal isn’t for us to be skinny. God’s goal is for us to be healthy — spiritually and physically.

If God is so big and mighty and able, why doesn’t God just fix us instantly? Have you ever wrestled with this question? Many of us have.

Recently, a blog reader typed out this gut-honest response in the midst of reading Made to Crave:

Okay, I know it sounds awful to say this, but I’m frustrated with God. Why can’t He just make it impossible for me to make wrong choices with my eating? Why doesn’t He help me? Can’t He just be bold and say, “Don’t eat that!” Or better yet, why doesn’t He just fix my weight issues? Sometimes it’s so hard to feel like He really cares.

Oh sister, I understand. On the surface it does seem like the kindest thing for God to do would be to fix us instantly. Or at least give us taste buds that sing when we eat raw veggies but gag when we eat cupcakes. Right?

But here’s the absolute truth about God. He is kind. He is loving. He is compassionate. And He’s not giving us quick fixes. This leads me to believe the quick fixes aren’t the kind, loving, compassionate answers we think them to be.

You see, God’s goal isn’t for us to be skinny. God’s goal is for us to be healthy — spiritually and physically.

My weight issues were an external indication of an internal situation.

God wants me to address the internal issue of craving food more than I crave Him. If I don’t address the root of this issue, I will never be satisfied. Even in a skinny body, I would be restless, depressed, anxious, unhappy, and unsatisfied if my soul isn’t craving God most.

Consider this comment from another blog reader: “Please don’t mistake skinny for happy. I tackled my food issues by redirecting my cravings for food to craving attention and affirmation from others. I am thin, but I am not satisfied.”

As I said, God wants us to learn to crave Him most of all. More than food. More than affirmation from others. More than material possessions. More than anything else this world has to offer.

Jesus tells us, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). Interestingly enough, when I looked up the word seek in the original Greek, I found the word zeteo (dzay-teh ́-o), which means “to crave.” Consider this expression of craving:

How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. — Psalm 84:1-2

When tempted to stray from my healthy eating commitments, I have to honestly ask myself, “Am I eating this because I need food? Or am I trying to fill a craving for God in my soul?”

Food can fill my stomach but never ease the ache for God in my soul.

And that’s precisely the reason I now thank God for allowing me to go through this struggle. If I had never had external indications of my internal situation, I would have missed this profound and life-changing discovery.

Dear Lord, I never thought I’d say this about my weight struggles, but thank You. Thank You for giving me an external indication that forces me to look at my internal situation. I want to want You more than anything else. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Excerpted with permission from Made to Crave Devotional by Lysa TerKeurst, copyright Lysa TerKeurst.

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Your Turn

What an honest prayer! Lord, I’m frustrated. I want to be different. I want it to be different (whatever “it” is). May this year be the beginning of a new craving for Jesus in our hearts and minds! May we seek Him above all else. Let’s take our frustration to Him and be reminded that He’s the only One who can fill the ache in our souls. Come join the conversation on our blog! We want to hear from you about God’s desire for us to be healthy (physically and spiritually), not skinny! ~ Laurie McClure, Faith.Full