Why Don’t We Talk About Gluttony?

The Words I Never Forgot 💔

Years ago, I was standing in a long line at a museum with my daughters. We had been waiting quite some time when a woman walked directly to the counter as though we were not there. I spoke up and told her she was cutting the line.

Instead of apologizing, she looked at me and said, “Fat women are nasty.”

Her words took me completely by surprise. I had confronted her behavior, but she responded by attacking my body. I remember feeling as though the room had suddenly become smaller. I was embarrassed in front of my daughters and everyone standing nearby. Part of me wanted to walk out, but I held myself together for my girls.

I have never forgotten that moment.

That woman knew nothing about me. She did not know my health, my eating habits, my responsibilities, or what I was carrying emotionally. Yet she looked at my body and treated my weight as evidence that something was wrong with my character.

A person’s body cannot tell us what is happening in their heart. We should never look at someone who is overweight and decide that they must be a glutton.

But there is another side to my story that I also need to tell honestly.

Some of My Behavior Was Gluttonous 🪞

Not all of my weight was the result of gluttony, but some of my behavior was gluttonous.

There were certain foods around which I regularly lost restraint. Once I started eating them, I had difficulty stopping. There were times when I continued eating even though I knew I had eaten enough. Sometimes I ate privately because I did not want anyone to see how much I was eating.

Food also became one of the ways I coped with stress, exhaustion, loneliness, and disappointment. After a difficult day, it gave me something pleasant to anticipate. When life felt overwhelming, eating offered a few minutes of relief.

Whether I wanted to admit it or not, there were moments when appetite was leading me.

Proverbs 25:28 says:

“A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls.” (NLT)

In biblical times, the walls around a city provided protection. When those walls were broken, the city was vulnerable. In the same way, a lack of self-control can leave us vulnerable to habits that promise relief but eventually cause harm.

Gluttony is not a body type. It is not a clothing size or a number on the scale. It is an appetite being allowed to operate without proper restraint.

That appetite may involve food, but the same problem can appear in our use of money, entertainment, alcohol, shopping, work, or anything else we consume excessively. Any good thing can become disordered when we allow it to control us.

Gluttony Was Not the Whole Story 🩺

There were also many times when I felt genuinely hungry. I could eat a meal and still feel unsatisfied. It seemed as though I was always looking for something else to eat because the feeling of fullness never lasted.

Years later, after I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, a doctor explained that when my insulin and blood sugar were not properly regulated, I could experience constant hunger.

That conversation helped me understand something important. Not every experience of hunger was evidence of gluttony. Sometimes I was making an unwise decision. Sometimes I was eating for emotional comfort. Sometimes I was dealing with physical hunger connected to a medical condition I did not yet know I had.

From the outside, no one could have known the difference.

My weight reflected a complicated combination of medical hunger, stress, exhaustion, habits, food choices, emotional needs, and times when I lacked self-control. Some parts of my journey required repentance. Other parts required medical understanding, proper nourishment, practical changes, and compassion.

That is why we cannot examine another person’s body and decide what is happening between that person and God.

When Food Became More Than Food 🍞

Food is one of God’s good gifts. It nourishes our bodies, brings families together, and becomes part of our celebrations and memories. I love baking bread and preparing special meals for my family. Enjoying food is not automatically sinful.

Jesus shared meals with people. He attended celebrations and used the table as a place of fellowship. The Bible does not teach us to fear food or feel guilty every time we enjoy dessert.

The problem begins when food is asked to do something it was never created to do.

Food can satisfy physical hunger, but it cannot heal loneliness. It can give us temporary pleasure, but it cannot resolve anxiety. It can distract us from disappointment, but it cannot give us lasting peace.

First Corinthians 6:12 says:

“I must not become a slave to anything.” (NLT)

That verse gave me a helpful question for examining my relationship with food: Am I enjoying this food, or am I feeling controlled by it?

Could I recognize that I had eaten enough and stop? Could I experience a stressful evening without automatically searching the kitchen? Could I keep certain foods in the house without feeling compelled to finish them?

I did not always like my answers, but honest answers gave me somewhere to begin.

Conviction Is Not the Same as Shame 🌷

For years, I thought feeling ashamed of my body would motivate me to change. It never did.

Shame made me want to hide. It kept me out of stores and away from cameras. It also contributed to secret eating because food briefly comforted the very pain that my weight caused me to feel.

Romans 8:1 says:

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” (NLT)

The absence of condemnation does not mean that God ignores harmful behavior. It means I can bring my behavior into His presence without believing that it determines my worth.

Conviction is specific. It shows me a behavior, motive, or pattern that needs to change. Shame takes my entire body and turns it into a verdict about who I am.

God did not ask me to hate myself into becoming healthier. He helped me tell the truth about my choices while also learning to care for the body He gave me.

Learning Spirit-Led Self-Control 🌿

Galatians 5:22–23 teaches that self-control is fruit produced by the Holy Spirit.

I had tried willpower many times. I could follow a strict plan for a while, but determination often collapsed when I was tired, stressed, or emotional. I needed more than another list of foods I was not allowed to eat. I needed God’s help in the moments when food seemed to promise immediate comfort.

Spirit-led self-control still required practical action. I had to learn which foods triggered loss of control. I needed to plan nourishing meals instead of waiting until I was desperately hungry. I had to pay attention to my blood sugar and follow the medical guidance I received.

I also began asking myself honest questions:

“Am I physically hungry?”

“Am I eating because I feel anxious, tired, or disappointed?”

“Have I eaten enough nourishing food today?”

“What do I actually need in this moment?”

Sometimes the answer was food. Sometimes I truly needed a balanced meal.

Other times, I needed rest, prayer, a glass of water, a walk, or a conversation with someone I trusted. Occasionally, I simply needed to acknowledge that I was upset instead of trying to make the feeling disappear.

Self-control did not mean ignoring real hunger. It meant learning to respond wisely to both my body and my emotions.

Losing Weight Did Not Settle Every Question ⚖️

I have lost approximately one hundred pounds, and I am grateful for the progress God has helped me make. But losing weight did not automatically correct every thought, craving, or motive.

A scale can measure pounds, but it cannot tell me why I want to eat. It cannot tell me whether I am caring for my body or punishing it. It cannot tell me whether I am making a wise choice from gratitude or an unhealthy choice from fear.

I do not want food to become my god, but I do not want thinness or health to become my god either.

Faithfully Well is about learning to live with Christ at the center of my spirit, mind, and body. That includes receiving food as a gift, caring for my health, seeking medical help when needed, and being honest when an appetite begins to control me.

An Honest Question for Each of Us 🤔

I still believe the church should talk about gluttony, but we must do it biblically and compassionately.

We should not use the subject to inspect other people’s bodies or plates. We should use it to examine our own hearts.

The question is not, “What does this person weigh?”

The question is, “Is any appetite gaining control over my decisions?”

If food has become one of the ways you cope with life, you do not need to condemn yourself or begin an extreme plan. Start by telling God the truth. Pay attention to what happens before you overeat. Ask whether you are physically hungry, emotionally distressed, medically unwell, or responding to a food that regularly causes you to lose restraint.

If you experience constant hunger or a significant change in your appetite, speak with a qualified medical professional. Sometimes the body is communicating a need that cannot be corrected through willpower alone.

If you regularly experience loss of control around food or deep distress about eating, seeking professional help is not a failure of faith. God can work through prayer, Scripture, physicians, counselors, and the support of trustworthy people.

A Prayer for Wisdom and Self-Control 🙏

Father, You know the complete truth about my relationship with food. You know when my body is hungry, when my emotions are overwhelmed, and when I am allowing appetite to lead me.

Give me wisdom to understand what my body needs. Help me recognize the difference between physical hunger, emotional comfort, and a craving that is trying to control my decisions.

Where I need to repent, help me do so honestly. Where I need medical care or practical help, give me the humility to seek it. Protect me from shame and from judging other people by what I can see.

Grow self-control in me through Your Holy Spirit. Teach me to receive food with gratitude without allowing it to become my master. Help me care for my body without making weight, health, or appearance the source of my worth.

When I make an unwise choice, remind me that I do not have to give up. Help me return to You and make the next wise decision.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

We Never Know the Whole Story 🦋

My body never told strangers the whole story, and neither does yours.

We cannot diagnose gluttony by appearance, but we can invite God to examine our own appetites with truth, wisdom, and grace. Some struggles require repentance and greater self-control. Others require medical care, emotional support, better nourishment, or a deeper understanding of what the body is experiencing. Sometimes we need a combination of all these things.

If you recognized part of your own story in mine, begin with one honest conversation with God. You do not have to solve everything today. Ask Him to help you understand what is driving your hunger and show you the next wise step.

For more honest, Scripture-centered encouragement as we pursue health in spirit, mind, and body, visit HisWordsMinistry.com. 🌸

— Faitheful Pen
His Words Give Life

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