Remember the part in Disney’s Alice in Wonderland where Alice comes across playing cards painting the roses red? They’re busy at work, climbing up and down ladders, slinging paint high onto the rose bushes and singing away, when Alice approaches and starts to dance along with them.

 

Bum bum bum bum.
Painting the roses red.
We’re painting the roses red.
We dare not stop,
Or waste a drop,
So let the paint be spread.
We’re painting the roses reeeed.
We’re painting the roses red.

 

Then Alice’s curiosity takes over as she asks, “Oh pardon me, but Mister Three, why must you paint them red?” And they stop painting only for a moment to explain they planted white roses on accident and, when the Queen of Hearts sees the white roses, she will be furious. No doubt, she will utter her infamous words, “Off with their heads!” once again and decapitate them for their mistake.

 

How many times do we try and cover up

our mistakes or fears or troubles

with pretty paint or happy distractions

or even delicious food

instead of facing the truth?

 

The truth for the playing cards was, as they admitted mere seconds before Alice interjected, the paint was going to kill the roses anyway.

 

Oh, painting the roses red.
And many a tear be shed,
Because we know,
They’ll cease to grow,
In fact, they’ll soon be dead,
NOOOOO…
And yet we go ahead,
Painting the roses red.
Painting the roses red.
We’re painting the roses red.

 

 

Even if the Queen of Hearts fell for the initial charade, eventually when the roses died, she would find out the truth–that not only did they plant the wrong color in the first place, but also they lied and tried to cover up their mistake instead of coming clean. Caught up in their short-sightedness, they proceeded with the paint, the singing, and their ill-fated plan. And in the end? Both the roses and the playing cards died.

 

They knew the truth: the roses would die and their mistakes would be revealed one way or another. Just like we know the truth about emotional eating: it’s a trap because it is not sustainable. Eventually, if we want to live a full life, we have to face the pain we are trying to cover up.

 

For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. Luke 8:17

“Emotional eating is the tendency of its sufferers to respond to stressful, difficult feelings by eating, even when not experiencing physical hunger.” (source)

“Emotional eating is the practice of consuming large quantities of food–usually comfort or junk foods–in response to feelings instead of hunger.” (source)

 

Thankfully, we serve a God that does not demand perfection and does not rule unjustly. His wrath is real, but God’s wrath is His response to and our consequence of sin, not an emotional reaction. He doesn’t proclaim, “Off with their heads,” at every offense against His design for us. If He did, none of us would be here. God is a merciful Father, a Holy Savior, and a wise Spirit, not a tyrant. The roller coaster of our emotions sometimes holds us captive against our will and takes us for destructive rides when we over-medicate with things like food. Emotional eating is like painting the roses red.

 

When we use food to fix our unresolved feelings, 

we end up with a plateful of more problems.

 

Now, don’t get me wrong, some foods have beneficial medicinal properties and God would not give us taste buds that interact with a million flavors if He did not design food to be enjoyed. But the truth about emotional eating is that, by definition, it is an ill-fated plan, much like the playing cards’.

 

When I eat more than my body needs to perform my tasks in a day, I am overeating. And on top of the physical discomfort that follows, I usually get a free side of Holy discontent with my meal. That shrinking feeling–the lingering thought that I know I have just done myself wrong. I created more problems for myself, tacking on guilt and shame to an uncomfortably full stomach, exposed my weakness to resist yet again, and stayed in this crazy cycle that brings myself pain. But before it gets wholly uncomfortable when I realize my overeating is also an offense against my Creator, I bury those thoughts. Maybe I even try to paint them red?

 

Either way, overeating is a tactic of the enemy. Satan hijacks the beautiful colors and smells and tastes God created in food and tricks us into falling for them in a hurtful way. He overrides God’s beautiful design in our bodies to sense and respond to food and send signals and nutrients to the rest of our body by luring us to discomfort instead of the respite he promised. And he tricks us into thinking it is a great idea to trade long-term joy for temporary hits of happiness. Then he leaves us to wallow in puddles of guilt and regret. And the life cycle of overeating leads to a dead end; eating more than my body needs in a day is not a sustainable practice. We know this because we are always trying to stop. Why can’t we?

 

The enemy is clever, but God always gives us a way out.

 

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

 

I have yet to read a health article that suggests spiritual feeding instead of emotional eating. Reducing stress, increasing water and sleep, exercise, and eating more healthy food always make the list. But prayer, confession, worship, healthy conflict resolution, forgiveness, and reconciliation never do. Maybe that’s why we all have so much trouble quitting our bad emotional eating habits? Because the suggestions always offered are not sufficient solutions. The way out is God’s grace.

 

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  2 Corinthians 12:9

 

Thank God for the skin He has given us that stretches over and protects us, despite our mistakes, because of His grace. We don’t have to hide our weaknesses or mistakes from God because He has already forgiven our sin in His risen Son. But if we don’t know what Jesus did on the cross, we will keep nailing ourselves to one instead.

 

We need to know who God really is by spiritually feeding our souls if we ever want to solve our unsettling emotions. So let us stop trying to cover up our pain, our flaws, and our sin with pretty paint, happy distractions, and delicious food and get to the heart of it: our hearts need soul-deep healing from a Holy Savior, not a fleeting glob of flavors.

 

We have to know we are modeled by the Maker if we are ever going to do what we were modeled for. Join me in ruining the enemy’s plans for us and following God’s good plans for us instead? Comment below if you’re in.

 

Love,

Amanda