January 6, 2010

Day 5

Weight: 206

Weight lost: 0

No change from yesterday, which is not a bad thing given the fact they had a piece of Mile’s chocolate cake after dinner last night. Oh, I have rendered a verdict: The standard shall henceforth be the second scale I used yesterday. Which means I am – officially – 206 pounds, and headed down from there to 185. Let it be here entered into the record…

I’m taking an unconventional path to my goal. Instead of focusing on a traditional diet regimen of counting calories or fat grams or carbohydrates, I’m ADDING something to my daily food intake: I am taking communion, the bread and wine that Jesus promised would deliver his presence to our lives and in our relationships.  My intent is to say “yes” instead of “no.”

Communion is both a physical and a spiritual food.  I believe – and am testing in this experiment – that my tendency to overeat can only be corrected at a root level. The cavity I’m trying to fill is less about an empty stomach than an actual craving for God himself. So I’m going to eat Jesus every day… A Big Mac with cheese might fill my stomach, but it never fully satisfies. I’ve learned that much in my life. In fact, a Big Mac actually leaves me feeling not only guilty, but bloated.

I’m enjoying bread today. On Monday I received a generous and delicious gift. My friend Marnie has been reading this blog and decided to lend her hand to my cause.  She showed up at my door with a loaf of freshly baked whole wheat bread for our daily family communion celebration which is the gist of my “diet.” Marnie said this was her way to cheer me on.  Bread is an amazing thing. Almost everyone around the world eats some sort of bread. The Bible likens bread to God’s Word to us. Jesus calls himself the “Bread of life.” He’s the “Bread that comes down from heaven,” like the “manna” that appeared each morning for the wandering Israelites. We’re promised “daily bread.” We’re also encouraged to ask for it, from God, because he is the ultimate, both of the tangible and the intangible expressions of “Bread.” Jesus connects bread with God’s Word. He said we can’t live on physical bread by itself; we also need God’s communication with us. Without that connection we starve our souls.

“Father God, I am hungry. I need REAL food. In communion I’m given a physical food – bread – and my body metabolizes it for my physical strength. Yet somehow, mysteriously, miraculously, you make this bread also the tangible presence of Jesus with and in us. I don’t understand this, but I can still experience Jesus this way. I don’t understand how you made electricity either, but I can still flip a light switch. Today, I will eat food that will nourish my body. I’ll also eat the bread of communion and your living words that will nourish my soul and satisfy my appetite with ‘deep’ food.  In Jesus…”

Thanks, Marnie for perfect, wonderful gift of bread. Now, if only someone will show up with a bottle of Merlot!