I miss my metabolism. It was one of the greatest things I had because I could eat pretty much whatever I wanted and I didn’t really gain a lot of weight.
But as the years have gone by my metabolism has decreased, and not only have I put on more weight, but it’s much harder to try to shed pounds. I’m not eating crazy healthy by any means, but compared to just a few years ago, it’s a drastic shift to less junk food. But it’s really hard to change my eating habits because I got so used to eating unhealthily and it not seeming to have an effect on me.
To give you an example, there was a point where I was just eating a spoon of Nutella a day, not to mention having it on a piece of bread, or in a sandwich with peanut butter (oooh baby).
But just because I wasn’t gaining weight doesn’t mean I was healthy. It just meant my body could handle it and get rid of it. My metabolism just allowed me to be unhealthy, yet appear healthy. I knew I wasn’t healthy, yet I thought I was healthier than those who were overweight – even if they just had different genes or less effective metabolism so that even if they ate well, they were just bigger people.
In the same way, growing up, I had unholy thoughts and didn’t worry too much about it. After all, most of our culture encourages having those thoughts, not to mention acting on most of them (like lustful thoughts). And because for the most of my first 20ish years of life I was single, it didn’t seem to have an effect on me.
But once I got married, those lustful thoughts became damaging to my relationship with my bride. And just like trying to change my eating habits, changing how I thought was extremely difficult.
Not impossible though.
And there are many people who would say that having those thoughts as a married man is natural and fine – but just because it’s extremely common, doesn’t make it right. After all, Jesus Himself says in Scripture:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Matthew 5:27-28
God knows what is best for us. He created us and knows that we are creatures of habit. Although on the surface, or in the moment, something might not seem like a bad thing, it can have lasting effects on our personality and the way we live our lives. And it’s not just about our relationship with God that He cares about, but our relationship with others.
I recognize that I should eat healthier, even though I don’t really want to. But if I want to be around for my kids to grow up, grow old with my wife, and be able to move around freely in old age, chances are better if I am healthier now.
I recognize that I should have healthier thoughts, even though I don’t want to all the time. But if I want to be a better husband, more faithful and loving, chances are better if my thoughts are healthier.
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