Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters.

Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. One man’s faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. Romans 14: 1-3

Verse Reflections:  We must all accept each other right where we are.  I have been through all types of phases in my life.  I have been thin as a rail, able to eat anything and praise the Lord in all things.  I have very quickly gained weight and developed bullemia so that I condemned myself for eating anything that “crossed the line”—a self-defined line that only I understood.   And yet I held on to God in desperation during this time.   I have allowed myself to gain thirty pounds and keep them on just to maintain my sanity.  And now, I have been called to eat God foods and lose the excess weight in order to glorify God.  The good news is that none of these phases could keep God out of my life.  We must not pass judgment on each other or ourselves.  So many times we are harder on ourselves, more judgmental of ourselves than of other people.  God is asking us to not condemn anyone.  We have to accept ourselves today.  God has accepted all of us right where we are.  We have to start here.  Now we must decide what God is calling us to do.  For me, my faith is calling me to eat God foods without condemning others.  I am called to eat 3-5 fruits and vegetables.  I will not condemn anyone but I will do what my faith calls me to do.  My faith no longer allows me to eat everything but this verse reminds me not to condemn those who do.

Prayer:  Father, take me where I am.  Thank You for not judging me.  Thank You for not condemning me.  It gives me a freedom, a lightness that I cannot experience on my own.  You know me better than anyone.  I am a perfectionist in most aspects of my life which causes me to be very judgmental and hard on myself.  Today, right this minute, as I pray I am going to accept me right where I am with Your help.  I cannot eat carbugers and still keep my faith and my eating habits where they need to be.  The production of the dopamine is awesome right after I eat but then I suffer from a sugar low, an energy low and yes a slight depression.  It affects my perception of myself.  Lord take away this poor perception, the self-chastisement.  Give me the faith to know You are with me, that I need to just accept myself and others right where we are.  Lord heal me from my eating disorder which is created by my self-loathing, my ridiculous standards, my judgment of myself.  I still feel like I should have the body that I had at eighteen or twenty.  I sometimes think that I should only eat vegetables, but I’ll be honest, my faith, my discipline, my cravings and desires will not allow that.  I need eating habits that I can live with until I die.  Father, I believe You have given them to me.  Thank You.  No judgment, no condemnation, full acceptance as we take this journey together.