Passing the Buck

Genesis 3 tells us the story of the first recorded sin in the Bible.  Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  Yes, they were tempted by the serpent and even lied to by the serpent but then thats normal - the enemy will always lie to us to try to trap us into sin.  When God came to walk with Adam and Eve they hid from God.  But God called and Adam answered.  God asked them if they had eaten the forbidden fruit and Adam's first response was to blame Eve.  Eve's first response was to blame the serpent.  It would seem our natural human tendency is to pass the buck - to blame someone else for our mistakes.

I'm not sure why this is our natural tendency - maybe because we don't want to take responsibility.  Maybe we don't want to admit we've failed.  Maybe we don't want to admit we need help.  That was me.  I blamed everything else for why I ate.  I blamed it on the person that made me mad or the situation that caused me stress.  It almost seems like I thought if I was eating in response to a situation that the calories didn't count or they'd go away when the situation got better.  But that wasn't the case. 

While it's true I am not responsible for things that are done to me - I am responsible for how I respond.  When I eat in response to stress, loneliness, anger, or any other outside stimulus I am responsible for that choice.  My name is Eric.  I'm a believer in Christ who struggles with food and making healthy eating choices.  I am responsible for every calorie that goes in and every calorie that gets burned off.  At least I'm responsible for the choices that burn extra calories - God created my body to do the burning.

Instead of always blaming others we have to own our sin, our weakness, and our failures and admit that we are powerless and our lives are out of control.  Then we're prepared to recognize that a power greater than us, Jesus, is able to fully restore us to sanity as we turn our will and life over to Him.  My journey has been and continues to be all about willpower - my will submitted to God's power.  When my will is not submitted I don't make good choices.  When it is, we win.

Less of me.  More of Him.
-Eric