Eat, Drink and Be Merry

Thursday I went to a dinner party at my dear friend Kelly’s house. 

The table was beautiful and the food – perfect.

This is one of my troubles with the holidays…everywhere I go the food is perfect.  

I have this terrible love/hate relationship with food in December.  I seem to not be able to restrain myself very well…a nibble here and a nibble there and by New Years Eve I don’t fit in my jeans! lol!

 

But sweet Kelly had served a healthy meal of soup and salad and then off to the family room we went to talk and laugh and enjoy one another’s company.  

Midway into the evening, I wandered into the kitchen with one of the girls where we were greeted with a plethora of Christmas cookies.

 

In usual fashion, I picked up a cookie and immediately felt guilt…hmph…“I really shouldn’t be eating this” I thought…then my friend verbalized it…she said something like “I have not been able to work out in a few weeks…I really shouldn’t eat this.”   We both laughed because I was thinking the SAME thing!  But here’s the annoying part, we just ate a perfectly healthy meal…why are we in the kitchen beating ourselves up over these cookies?

I’ll tell you why – because very few women feel they are thin enough. 

With every bite we enjoy – there’s this tinge of guilt…stealing the joy of the gift of food God has given us.

Recently I’d been reading in Ecclesiastes and right there in the kitchen with my friend, I quoted this verse:

 “So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad.” Eccl. 8:15NIV
Eat, drink and be Merry!   Ecclesiastes 2:24, 3:13, and 5:18  all say that food and drink are a gift from the hand of God to be enjoyed! 
  

The smiles around this table are gifts from the hand of God.

The food is a gift from the hand of God.

The drink is a gift from the hand of God.

And oh yes, even the cookies in the kitchen are gifts from the hand of God.

And while I want to acknowledge that indulging in anyone of these gifts is not healthy…I also want to add, the enemy does not want us to enjoy the gifts that come from the hand of God.

The enemy loves that I can be having a perfectly enjoyable evening and yet find misery there in the kitchen! He wants to steal our joy!

And so I say with vigor – Enjoy these moments in December.   Savor the food, the drink, the laughter, and the love.  These are all gifts from God’s hand that he intends for you to enjoy.   Give thanks and enjoy!  Eat, drink and be Merry.

“The merry heart has a continual feast.” Proverbs 15:15

Walk with the King,

18 Comments

  1. Do you wanna know what your fitness friend thinks of this?!

    Awesome!! I 100% agree! There is beauty in being able to enjoy the wonderful gift of food and drink and to be able to do that in freedom and in balance!

    1. Thanks chick! Food and guilt are just too close of friends…I hate that we women just can’t enjoy a good meal from time to time…Lol! Although we need to be enjoying a good run from time to time too right! It seems I’m enjoying way more meals than runs lately heee!!! Thanks for your support girlfriend! Love ya!
      Courtney

      1. I think you would be the first to say that I eat my share of good foods at parties!! 🙂

        One final thought. Gary Thomas, author of “Sacred Marriage” wrote an AWESOME book called “Pure Pleasure'”. He talks about many of these issues and has so many great points. One of these things he says is,

        “The brilliance of Christianity is that it gives us permission to enjoy appropriate pleasure as well as the power to enjoy pleasure without becoming its slave, which in turn preserves pleasure for the long haul.”

        Amen!!

  2. Courtney,

    Thanks for the verse you posted, Proverbs 15:15, “The merry heart has a continual feast.” I haven’t heard or read that in while and it’s a good reminder. I need to work on my heart being merrier! 🙂

  3. Totally not related…..however, I saw the sweater you have on (in the pic) in one of your videos and LOVED it….now here it is again 🙂 I want one!!!! Like I said, totally unrelated to the post but had to comment. You are adorable….enjoy your cookies 🙂

  4. This is a really good post. It’s interesting that you should write about this, because that’s a challenge I faced on Thanksgiving. I recently went gluten free for personal health reasons, and then Thanksgiving came along…..and I enjoyed things that I normally wouldn’t have eaten any other day. It was all gluten free of course, except for the stuffing 😉 🙂 I enjoyed my food very much and had no guilt feelings. Food is meant to be enjoyed all the time and every once in awhile it’s totally okay to indulge 🙂 🙂 Love and hugs from the ocean shores of California, Heather 🙂 🙂

  5. Oh, sweet Courtney! I am so glad you posted this. I feel the same way but this is a celebration and I love planning, cooking, baking for my family. I always have way too much but I love to make it festive. Thank you for being you .

  6. I need to read that book too! Love the quote. I struggle with eating disorder. Do great for awhile, then not so great. I do feel like a slave, yet I know I should be free. I am free. And yet……

    So frustrating. :/

  7. I love this Courtney! Thanks for sharing it. Self control, of course, is appropriate during this season. However, enjoying God’s gifts is a blessing and should not be met with guilt. Amen Sister! 🙂

  8. I loved this one. You hit it on the nail ! We are all struggle with this and I am addicted to Chocolate. I do need to honor our bodies by taking care of them because they are a gift from a loving Heavenly Father. We do need to enjoy the gifts of food; but always in balance. This is a hard one this time of year.
    Blessings to you and enjoy the moments of the Christmas Season.

  9. I read the book “Intuitive Eating” earlier this year and am learning to disassociate guilt and food. I don’t agree with everything from the book, but I think the basic concept is Biblical in the sense that “all things are lawful for me, but not all things are expedient.” The book also teaches you to listen to your body’s cues regarding hunger, thirst, and satiety so you learn to eat when you need to, and how much you need to. I haven’t mastered all the concepts yet, but I’ve already seen an improvement!

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