For the past couple of months, I have been a part of a First Place Bible study. If you aren’t familiar with First Place, each 12-week session combines Bible study, scripture memory, accountability, and healthy living (eating/exercise). It’s a great program that I highly recommend for anyone who wants to lead a healthier lifestyle.
Reflecting on what I have learned this session, I keep coming back to the idea of “portion control.” So much of learning to eat better (at least in our culture) is connected with portion control – we know that we should eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, but we can’t seem to get our minds around the idea that we should not super-size everything. We want a better monetary value, but the price is often poorer health.
Unfortunately, it’s not just our fast food meals we want to super-size. We want larger houses, better connections, newer cars, bigger careers. We want life to be Burger King – “your way, right away.” We want what we want right now, and we want a lot of it.
But God did not create us to live super-sized lives. In fact, after a particularly busy season of ministry, Jesus said to His disciples, “‘Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest for a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat” (Mark 6:31).
Jesus knew that His disciples needed to set boundaries – or portion control, if you will – in their work and ministry. The work they were doing was good. They were helping people and spreading the Good News. And yet, too much was still too much.
I need those same boundaries in my own life. Lots of good opportunities present themselves every day, but wisdom comes in knowing when to say yes, when to say no, and when to say maybe next time.
- When to turn off the screens.
- When to stop spending.
- When to stop eating.
- When to take a day off.
- When to say, “I can’t do that right now.”
- When to ask for help from friends.
What about you? Are there areas in your life where you need some portion control? What is consuming you in an unhealthy way? Seek God’s guidance and make plans to cut back (or cut out) in those places.