The next time you open the pantry door and scout out something to munch on — stop.  Ask yourself, “Why am I here?”

No, I’m not exactly suggesting you contemplate the meaning of your existence –although that might not be a bad idea.  I’m saying you should examine your reason for wanting to eat.  It probably isn’t because you are hungry, especially if you already ate a healthy meal.  Chances are you are eating out of habit.

Or maybe you are bored. Boredom eating is a major cause of those extra pounds many of us carry around.  So how do we plan to avoid this major trap?  Maybe we need to make our lives more interesting and worthwhile.  One way to do that is to be busy serving others and making a difference in the world.  We’ve talked about that some in a past blog post.  Click here to read about things that are fulfilling — not just filling. Today I have a suggestion for you.

If you could make the life of a seriously ill child a little brighter, would you consider your day less boring?  I stumbled (providentially) across an amazing Web site recently: http://www.hugsandhope.org.   Their motto is, “Making a difference for sick kids, one smile at a time.”  They post the names and stories of seriously ill children and their siblings with an address where you can send cards and gifts.

Perhaps you are one of the multitudes of us who bought tons of paper, stickers, and card stock to scrapbook, but don’t want to drag it all out to actually do it now that the scrapbook popularity wave is ebbing.  (And digital scrapbooking is much easier, anyway!) Why not bring out some of it and start making cards?  Check out the lists and find the favorite colors of the kids and look online at some of the card making sites for ideas.  Then get busy doing something to make a difference.

This plan has several advantages.  You can’t eat while you do it, because it would be too easy to get food on the card.  Your mind is engaged as well as your hands, so you won’t be focusing on munchies.  You have added something interesting to your life — and you are doing something that will give a smile to a suffering child.

Win, win, win, win.

So the next time you find yourself staring into the pantry or refrigerator — think about doing something to make a difference instead.  Be a comfort-giver instead of a comfort- eater!

Eating to live and living for Christ,
Susan Jordan Brown