When the King Meets His Steward

 

      I am still having a hard time harmonizing the diet that is eating it's way through the women of our church with scripture. Jesus commanded his followers "Not to worry about what you will eat drink or put on." (Mt. 6:25). Peter tells women to not focus on outward adornment but a beautiful spirit (1 Pet. 3:3,4). And in the Old Testament 1 Sam. 16:7 says, "For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

    I have asked a couple Christian friends for perspective. My perspective is that of a mother seeing her son's healthy weight, physically fit, dead body in a casket. Yes, I care what my body looks like and, of course, I want to be healthy, but having struggled with an eating disorder off and on for 20 years, I do not want to waste any more hours of my life focused on food. My concern for some of these women, including the one promoting it in our church and on Facebook, is that it is easy to mistake controlling food intake with controlling your life. The latter is a job the Lord reserves for Himself. 

    At ladies functions, I feel like a recovering alcoholic whose friends have started drinking. Maybe control issues will not be a problem for most of them, but I hate to see mature Christian women focusing on their figure flaws and food when, without exception, these are not the bodies we keep. Certainly there are no specific commands against dieting, but what we eat and drink is to glorify God (1 Cor 10:31) and our focus is to be on the eternal, not the temporary (2 Cor. 4:18). 

    I do not want to discourage women who have felt trapped for years by their weight or appetite, but my prison looked a lot like where they are living now--focusing significant time and effort on an artificial eating plan. I have known from the beginning that I cannot follow this diet because I know my addiction voice would roar back to life. I am also praying for those I think might be confusing controlling their weight with controlling their life. I know what they are eating, but I am afraid that what some of them are drinking is this world's Kool-Aid--to value yourself based on youthful appearance, fitness, weight, and that by these things we control our own lifespan. Once again, God has already called dibs on that. Maybe I can work this dilemma out of my system with a poem.

 

  When the King Meets His Steward  

 

 When the King meets His steward

    and the steward must account 

    for the time and resources given

    for the service of the King--

 

He will not ask 

   the size of your thighs or your jeans,

   how much your body weighed

   before it was buried or cremated,

   whether your skin was wrinkled or smooth.

   How many miles you hiked,

   unless it was in his service,

   how healthy your body was

   or how fit it looked

   when your soul left it.

 

There is nothing wrong with

health, hobbies and appearance

except that they do not matter

to the King, or in His kingdom.

 

They do not matter because--

  these are not the bodies we keep,

  and trying to save their youthful

  weight, vigor and appearance

  is dead weight in the eternal realm.

 

We are the stewards of our bodies,

the King is the owner.

They are not part of the treasure  

His stewards are commanded 

to be saving up in heaven

because--

  When the king meets His steward,

  He provides a brand new body

  worthy of a servant of the King

  and the service of His kingdom.

An aging steward's priority

should not be what time has done to me.

This body is an earthly thing

from which I'll then be free.

Relieved, I do not have to bring

this worthless treasure to my King.