Can I Trust God With My Body Size? Featuring Amy Carlson [Podcast Transcript]

Title: Why Hasn't God Answered Prayers to Eat Less? Featuring Amy Carlson

Podcast Date: January 24, 2025

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Description

Author and Christian Body Image Coach, Heather Creekmore continues her conversation with eating disorder expert and dietitian Amy Carlson. Today they get to the spiritual root and false beliefs around what God expects of our bodies and body size. Amy brings encouragement, hope, and truth to this tricky topic for anyone who struggles with believing that God has a certain size in mind for our bodies. Pretending to be Amy's client in a session, Heather asks tough questions like, "What if God wants me to be a bigger size?" and "How do I stop thinking about this food I love, all the time?"

You'll be challenged and encouraged by the truth revealed in this episode about body image issues, eating disorders, disordered eating, and trusting God.

Here are some other great episodes featuring Amy Carlson:

Have we Christianized disordered eating? https://omny.fm/shows/compared-to-who/have-we-christianized-disordered-eating-featuring

A "With God" approach to food and eating: https://omny.fm/shows/compared-to-who/a-with-god-approach-to-food-and-eating-featuring-a

Do I need more self-control to stop eating so much? https://omny.fm/shows/compared-to-who/do-i-need-more-self-control-to-stop-eating-feat-am

Romans 14 and good foods and bad foods: https://omny.fm/shows/compared-to-who/romans-14-good-foods-and-bad-foods-part-2

Learn more about Compared to Who? here: https://www.improvebodyimage.com

Transcript

Disclaimer: This transcript is AI-generated and has not been edited for accuracy or clarity.

Amy Carlson [00:00:04]:

Unavoidable reality we have to face in order to move forward. We don't wanna face that sometimes our bodies are different than we want. Mhmm. And we spend so much time avoiding that question. Mhmm. Avoiding it and trying to manage and manipulate it. And as believers, we're trying to go, well, I think if we do this thing, then we can you know what? We can glorify God and you can be in the body you want. Sometimes we are not when we're having natural, normal relationship with food, sometimes our bodies are not the smallest size we want them to be.

Amy Carlson [00:00:34]:

And I will sit with you in that. I'm not asking you that that's a small thing. I'm not minimizing that. I'm not, making that a small thing because it can feel very, very uncomfortable.

Heather Creekmore [00:00:50]:

Woah, friend. It's gonna be good today. You're listening to the compared to podcast. This is Heather Creekmore. And that was my friend, dietitian, eating disorder specialist, longtime friend of the show, Amy Carlson, talking about the struggle we have when our bodies aren't the size that we wish they were. And if you didn't catch Tuesday's episode, I hope you'll go back and listen to that because we started with the question, why isn't god answering my prayers to eat less or have more discipline around exercise? Or why isn't god zap me skinny yet? Because I'm seeking him with my whole heart and these exercise and food goals. And it's a complicated question with a complicated answer. But Amy is so wise and so, so rooted in love for Jesus and knowledge of scripture.

Heather Creekmore [00:01:48]:

I think these two episodes are really gonna help encourage you as you seek health goals, health in every way. Right? We talked about spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical health this new year. Hey. We're glad you're here. If you need more help on your body image journey, if something stirred up and you're like, ah, I hear you, but I just can't. I just can't. I hope you'll reach out to us. You can reach out [email protected] or check out our website, improvebodyimage.com.

Heather Creekmore [00:02:16]:

You can find out about our 40 day journey, which is a great place to start. It's like group coaching light. It's super affordable, and our next group starts in March. Hey. We're glad you're here. If you're brand new to the show, welcome. Go to improve body image dot com and go to start here. You can find the best podcast episodes and really how to get connected with us.

Heather Creekmore [00:02:34]:

Now let's get to today's show. Welcome to Compare To Who, the podcast to help you make peace with your body so you can savor God's rest and feel his love. If you're tired of fighting body image the world's way, compared to you is the show for you. You've likely heard lots of talk about loving your body, but my goal is different. Striving to fall in love with stretch marks and cellulite is a little silly to me. Instead, I want to encourage you and remind you with the truth of scripture that you are seen, you are known, and you are loved no matter what your size or shape. Here, the pressure is off. If you're looking for real talk, biblical encouragement, and regular reminders that God loves you and you're not alone, you've come to the right place.

Heather Creekmore [00:03:22]:

I hope you enjoy today's show, and, hey, tell a friend about it. How do you help me? Because I I make these vows to myself. Right? I promise I'm gonna not eat the thing because I believe my underlying belief is that the thing makes my body a different size. And so if I don't eat the thing, then I'm my body I might be able to manipulate or control that. And, of course, I believed all that in my twenties thirties, and now that I'm 50. I know that none of that works for me anymore, but that aside Exactly. Just just for the older listeners to understand that I I hear you.

Amy Carlson [00:04:01]:

Yeah.

Heather Creekmore [00:04:02]:

But but, you know, it used to be that easy in some ways. Mhmm. It but but that thing had to consume so much of my thoughts. Like, you asked how many thoughts, and, I mean, I probably would have said 10 thoughts an hour Mhmm.

Amy Carlson [00:04:23]:

On a good day

Heather Creekmore [00:04:24]:

if I wasn't super busy, but I'm really great at multitasking. I don't know. Maybe ADHD. Like, I could probably have a great conversation with you and be thinking about what I ate or didn't eat or what I'm showing at the same time. Right.

Amy Carlson [00:04:36]:

Right.

Heather Creekmore [00:04:36]:

So how do we stop? Let me say it like that. How do we stop thinking about the chips? Or we've we've already given we've done a shout out for Oreos. I think we gave Cheetos some air time in past episodes. Like, we need, like, ice cream. We I don't know. Have we given Ben and Jerry's their due? Or here in Texas, it's supposed to be bluebell, I guess, we're supposed to say. Let's let's make it bluebell. You bet.

Heather Creekmore [00:04:59]:

How do I not how do I not make bluebell the thing I think about most in my life?

Amy Carlson [00:05:05]:

Yeah. Well, let's go back to the, the concept, what you what you said, and, again, in my office. And let's say that you say, you know, but I do wanna give up sugar. I just I wanna give up sugar. And sometimes I might just say, great. Go up sugar. I don't care. If you wanna give up sugar, then bother me if you don't eat sugar.

Amy Carlson [00:05:25]:

Right? Yeah. Like, if that's if that's what you law

Heather Creekmore [00:05:27]:

about that.

Amy Carlson [00:05:28]:

Right? Don't don't eat sugar. But what is it that you're desiring to happen when you don't eat sugar? Well, I, you know, I just I find okay. And and we might talk through your week. What when might you run into sugar? Well, you know, a lot, actually. Right? A lot. Does that prevent you from being in relationship and and so forth? Then, okay. It doesn't great. Whatever.

Amy Carlson [00:05:49]:

If you wanna do that. But then the question I might ask, and you and I have all have talked about this before, is what if the thing that you think is is so important in your life is like, you know, we've I've read the CS Lewis quote in here. I know about, you know, being satisfied with mud pies when a holiday of the sea is offered. And I love this. I'm gonna read this. I'm gonna read this to you. Yay. This is, also listening to what CS Lewis has to say about what it means to see Christian perfection.

Amy Carlson [00:06:22]:

You know? Right? We wanna be perfect. We want we wanna glorify God in these bodies. He wants us to understand what a radical transformation God has in store for us, but he also wants us to understand that true perfection will only come at the very end in our face to face meeting with God. Lewis borrows his figure from a novelist and poet George McDonald. Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. And at first, perhaps you can understand what he's doing. He's getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on.

Amy Carlson [00:06:52]:

And you knew that those jobs needed doing, and so you're not surprised. But presently, he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is he up to? The explanation is that he's building quite a different house from the one you thought. Throwing out a new wing, putting up an extra floor, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were gonna be made into a decent little cottage, but he's building a palace. He intends to come and live it in himself. The command be perfect is not idealistic gas. Where is the command? The impossible.

Amy Carlson [00:07:23]:

He is going to make us into creatures that can weigh that command. The process will be long and in parts very painful, but that is what we're in for. Nothing less, nothing less what he meant, what he said. This idea of god, make me into a make me into this just fix it up for me. I'm gonna fix it up for you. I'm gonna give it to you. And he's like, I I may have even read that in here before, but the idea of, oh, he's like, oh, a cottage. No.

Amy Carlson [00:07:55]:

I have I I have a palace. You're asking for something so small. Mhmm. You're asking for this thing that is, help me to not eat cookies or help me to not eat this thing that that I want to do. And he's saying, ask me for, can I be used in your kingdom? Ask to know the experience of my holy spirit in your life. Ask for things beyond anything you can ask, think, or imagine. Ask that you would feel loved and seen and known by the god of the universe so that these things don't have the same pull as they have now. Yeah.

Amy Carlson [00:08:28]:

They have pull because we're looking for tiny bits of satisfaction. We're looking for the bite of the apple on the tree, and he says, I have the whole garden. You you're wasting your time on a bite from an apple on that tree. I I gave you the whole thing. And he's saying, I have got the whole thing for you, baby. I've got you think okay. You you don't wanna eat that certain food. Okay.

Amy Carlson [00:08:52]:

More. Ask me for more. Yeah. What do you really want? It's more than we can ask, think, or imagine, Ephesians 3 says. And, Lord, let our hearts be so it is painful at times. Because sometimes right? I mean, aging is painful. You and I are about the same age. And sometimes you just look and go, this is so interesting.

Amy Carlson [00:09:12]:

This is so interesting. Right? I mean, painful in the aches and the pains that we have or our peers with with cancer and, right, our our children growing and leaving. It's wonderful and beautiful and painful all at the same time. This is that life. This is the life God gave us, and I always wanna sit with you in session, Heather. So I'll sit with you in session now to say, what is that thing that you hope somebody will speak of? I I I picked up this, little other book that I wanted to read out of, and there was my grandma's little from her funeral, from her funeral. And it's this and it says a life remembered and loving memory of Florence Elizabeth Everberg. She and I've talked about her before.

Amy Carlson [00:10:01]:

Mhmm. She was the most hospitable, set the table, make you feel like the most important person. Mhmm. Always the most beautiful China was out. Mhmm. Our little ragamuffin bodies come in from the farm and she would we'd go, oh, I mean, that's what I remember. That what do we want others to know and believe about Jesus Christ because we lived on this earth? You know what? She was a solid size 6. She was a solid size 6 and she had really good hair.

Amy Carlson [00:10:30]:

Is that what we want? But but

Heather Creekmore [00:10:34]:

but, Amy, I hear you.

Amy Carlson [00:10:37]:

Yeah.

Heather Creekmore [00:10:38]:

Okay. I'm going to client mode here.

Amy Carlson [00:10:40]:

Yeah. Good. Come on. Bring it.

Heather Creekmore [00:10:43]:

But like, what if God wants my palace to be a size 14 or 16 or 18? Yeah. What if I'm not comfortable with what happens to my body? What if I hear you that I really want the things of the Lord, but that scares me because I'm really afraid God's gonna ask me to be fat.

Amy Carlson [00:11:02]:

Mhmm. So first of all, your assumption was that the palace was your body. Mhmm. Right? The assumption is always that's the I mean, we can't get out of that thinking. The assumption is that my palace is the body. Yeah. No. Yeah.

Amy Carlson [00:11:22]:

Right? My understanding of the god of the universe, the way that he has gifted me in this world. And and and here's when I have clients that say, but he isn't gifted me with anything. And I say, well, you I you are exceedingly special then.

Heather Creekmore [00:11:36]:

Yeah.

Amy Carlson [00:11:36]:

Because if you are the one person he did not gift you with, then then that is your gift. But he didn't gift you with anything. He didn't gift you with anything. Yeah. I can't think of one single person in 27 years of practice that has sat in my office, and now you're gonna make me cry. And I did not like trying your podcast. That does not have something that this world needs. Mhmm.

Amy Carlson [00:12:00]:

Yeah. And it isn't the size of their palace that I'm worried about.

Heather Creekmore [00:12:05]:

Right.

Amy Carlson [00:12:06]:

The palace is not their body. Mhmm. Yeah. And and you're right. You know what? The essential pain is right. That Lauren Mill and I love her definition of that. The unavoidable reality we have to face in order to move forward. We don't wanna face it.

Amy Carlson [00:12:21]:

Sometimes our bodies are different than we want. Mhmm. And we spend so much time avoiding that question. Mhmm. Avoiding it and trying to manage and manipulate it. And as believers, we're trying to go, well, I think if we do this thing, then we, you know what? We can glorify God and you can be in the body you want. Sometimes we are not when we're having natural, normal relationship with food. Sometimes our bodies are not the smallest size we want them to be.

Amy Carlson [00:12:47]:

And I will sit with you in that. I'm not asking you that that's a small thing. I'm not, minimizing that. I'm not, making that a small thing because it can feel very, very uncomfortable, especially at the beginning of learning to, experience what that feels like to not be striving for a smaller body. Like we're doing something wrong. I shouldn't be striving.

Heather Creekmore [00:13:15]:

Well, or or if my body's the quote unquote wrong size, then doesn't that mean I'm doing something wrong? Like, if I did have a healthy relationship with food and with exercise, like, wouldn't my body be the size that I hope it would be or the size it was when I was 17 or 24 or, you know, whatever younger age. Mhmm. Like like, that seems like an anathema because I feel like everything I hear is that if you're doing everything right, voila, your body will become. Right?

Amy Carlson [00:13:51]:

Yeah. Yep. So what I would even do in that, that is, like, session 15.

Heather Creekmore [00:13:56]:

Oh, boy. I'm I'm loving my sessions.

Amy Carlson [00:13:58]:

You're setting your stay.

Heather Creekmore [00:13:59]:

I'm gonna I'm gonna be with you for years. Setting your stay.

Amy Carlson [00:14:02]:

The reason we hunker down on that very thing in in in sessions, and it's it's it's a really meaty, meaty, meaty, like, is that you're exactly right. And and what I would say to you, Heather, in session, one, I would say, hey. Would you bring me some things that that's give you that message? I'd love to hear that message that if I'm doing this thing right, I would say, help me to see where you're getting that message that if I am doing everything right. And so what usually happens is that if I really dig down and go, where are you getting that inform like, where are you getting sort of that messaging? It would come from some version of what we used to call a diet menu, but they don't because nobody calls it that anymore. Right? So, you know, let's say somebody gets a book on a certain type of eating, and the underlying assumption in the book is if you eat this way than that. And so I so I would push a little bit and say, so you're really getting your information from the diet culture still. Right? You're still getting your information from if I eat according to what this person says. So and even if you were to drill down maybe in some intuitive eating or mindful eating stuff, I I would push you to find where it says you'll get into your smallest body.

Amy Carlson [00:15:23]:

I don't think you'll find that really there. And then I would push you to go theologically, let's see where where that is. Right? Yeah. So it's it's mostly coming from diet culture. Mhmm. It's mostly that messaging has come. So again, we sit with that really hard truth. We sit with that.

Amy Carlson [00:15:42]:

Hey. What do you think about that? Like like, that makes us uncomfortable. And and I might say you don't have to walk away from you don't have to you're here because you want to be here. Your desire, there's something calling you to this to to raise these questions. You you don't have to. You don't have to no. Please, like, this isn't an it isn't I'm gonna be in the diet culture. I'm gonna, or I'm gonna do this thing.

Amy Carlson [00:16:07]:

And I always say, what if we just pursue the Lord maybe for this or pursue some freedom around just eating in general, and then let's see what happens. Right?

Heather Creekmore [00:16:17]:

We We don't

Amy Carlson [00:16:18]:

have to have all those questions answered at the outset. Yeah. Yeah. That's overwhelming. You know? It can be overwhelming.

Heather Creekmore [00:16:24]:

Right. And it I mean, and I think that's one thing I've seen just in working with women too is that God is so gracious. He doesn't, like, knock you upside the head with you gotta get comfortable with all these things. No. Week 1. It's like, just take a little tiny baby steps towards where he has, you know, where he's leading you. Yeah. Yeah.

Heather Creekmore [00:16:45]:

Well, so when we were preparing today, I decided to put this question or question of the day. I'll just repeat it. Like, why won't God help me eat less? Mhmm. I decided to put that into AI, well, into Google. But, you know, Google's so helpful now that they give you an AI summary. Yeah. And Amy, like, I was a little worried because you didn't respond for a while. And I was like, oh, she might have thought I wrote it.

Heather Creekmore [00:17:09]:

I feel like AI. But but I just I I wanna address it because I feel like, you know, to what you're just saying about we get our information from diet culture whether we realize it or not. Right? And I'm maybe we could even take that one step further and be like, we get our information from people who are trying to sell us something. True. People who have, like, economic gain in mind. Right? Like marketers don't win unless I feel inferior. Right? Like, if I feel bad about myself, I'm gonna buy your thing, and then it's a win for you. And, whether it's a win for me or not, that's debatable.

Heather Creekmore [00:17:40]:

But, but this AI summary said according to most religious interpretations, God won't directly help you eat less because the responsibility for self control and moderation regarding food lies with you. And the Bible encourages practicing self discipline in all aspects of life, including eating habits, viewing food as a gift from God to be enjoyed responsibly, not as something to be excessively consumed. Essentially, God provides the tools to make healthy choices, but it's up to you to utilize them. And as as I was reading that, I was thinking, oh my like, this is what I hear, though. Like, women totally are, like, you know, I believe God made my body good, Mhmm. And I've messed it up. And I'm not doing what I was supposed to do. And I eat too many too much bluebell ice cream.

Amy Carlson [00:18:34]:

Mhmm.

Heather Creekmore [00:18:34]:

Right? And and so God gave me the tools. This is not about him. I'm not mad at him, but it's just me. Me, me, me, me, me should I should be able to do better. I should be more responsible. I should have more self control. Like, just kinda we've got just a couple minutes left to just maybe maybe just add some more richness, a theological richness as we as we close-up. I don't know what that's probably mean.

Heather Creekmore [00:19:00]:

Like, what what what's missing in all this? Like, I mean, you know, AI is not a trusted source just in case anyone was confused about that. But, I don't think AI summarizes the Bible there. They summarize all the Christian literature that they could scan in 5 minutes, and that's scary. Right? That's kinda scare 5 minutes, 5 seconds probably. What's what's missing in that? What's wrong with that? I mean, is it just up to me? Like, God was like, hey, Heather. Do a good job with that.

Amy Carlson [00:19:29]:

Well well, to go back to what you said, which I think you and I probably hear a lot is I okay. Maybe I believe that God made this funny good, but I messed it up, or my parents messed it up or, you know, whatever. And so it's my responsibility to kinda to kinda change what's there. For one thing, I would say I would theologically add some richness like you said. The the underlying assumption in all of that again is me. It's me. Right? And so if we go to, I'm crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me, the life I live in the body and now live by faith. If we would go in what aspects is that coming to life in me? Mhmm.

Amy Carlson [00:20:14]:

To in what aspects? And so sometimes I wouldn't even, if we think of that scripture, right, seek ye first the kingdom of God, all these things will be added. Some people might interpret that in that lens through the that lens. Right? I'll seek God, and then he'll give me the

Heather Creekmore [00:20:31]:

Yeah. Then he's giving me he's skinny. Absolutely. And I think I've seen that

Amy Carlson [00:20:35]:

meme. Right. Right. Right. Yeah. Seek first the kingdom. Yeah. But you and I, I would say, seek first the kingdom, and let's see what God has.

Amy Carlson [00:20:42]:

Yeah. Let's just seek first the kingdom. And I would even press really kindly and gently and and nicely. What what is it like for you to seek the kingdom? What is it like for you? And the reason people want me to answer that question always with something back about their body or their food. Mhmm. And I am not I I can't answer a theological question about the goodness of God in terms of about that comes back to you feeling good in your body or you eating better or you because those two things are they actually are wildly they are related in that the more I experience the goodness of God, the the less I am worried about all these things we just talked about. Yeah. The less they consume my thoughts, the less they consume my time and energy and finances.

Amy Carlson [00:21:37]:

It's just absolutely positively true. It's Right. I I know I've told this story on here before, and I'll never forget this client that she was so precious. It's just didn't know didn't know what she didn't know. Right? Totally loved Jesus and was deeply entrenched. Had so much shame around her body, not being able to control her eating, etcetera, etcetera, and had been dieting for years years years years. And the first time she went to Disney World with her family, we'd been working together, and she just she just said, I I my family didn't know what to do. They didn't know what to do because I was at the restaurant with them.

Amy Carlson [00:22:15]:

And they said, are you gonna be here? You know what? And she said, I had an ice cream. We've been to Disney, you know, 5 times, and I've never had an ice cream with my kid. And her children and her understanding of her children and being present with them and being present in her marriage, all did she eat ice cream? She would say that was to the glory of God. Right? Because she was living in her life in the most and she wasn't the smallest version of herself. Mhmm. But the idea of seeking God and seeking what the word has for us, it does translate sometimes into changing the way we eat. Mhmm. Sometimes we're eating less because before we were so consumed with eating, that's all we could think about.

Amy Carlson [00:22:57]:

We had a restrictive mindset and it led to overeating and right. Right. And sometimes it means to eating different things, eating Mhmm. You know, ice cream, blue belt with our kids or grandchildren. I'm you know, I've had precious women get free later when they're grandmothers, and they're like, oh my word. I'm eating, you know, ice cream with my with my kids, but I'm not thinking about it. I'm not overthinking it. I'm not thinking about I need to have ice cream the next minute.

Amy Carlson [00:23:21]:

Right. And so the idea that we could answer that question, you know, did I mess up my body? Or yeah. Maybe. Right? And I say, sure. Maybe. Maybe you did. Maybe dieting kinda messed up, kinda worked out your metabolism and things are rough. And we're gonna talk about we're not gonna ignore those things.

Amy Carlson [00:23:40]:

Let's talk about, you know, just nourishing your body and what that means. But the the answer isn't if I do this thing, I'll get this thing back. We we wanna do this thing for the sake of that, which is pursue the Lord and experience the gospel in every aspect of our life. I will say this. And you said it at the beginning. So I wanna honor what you what you said at the top of the hour, which is to say, I want to go back in some ways to the basics. Right? And and I would say to any listener that's feeling like, well, is it wrong for me to wanna change my body? No. There's it's okay.

Amy Carlson [00:24:15]:

Right? There's nothing. You aren't again, if it if it is it produces shame and it's like, no. Mm-mm. That's okay. You might be in a body that feels uncomfortable. Yeah. And to say that out loud to somebody is really, really important. Right.

Amy Carlson [00:24:29]:

Right? That's not you're not wrong for wanting to change your body, and you're not wrong for for right? For being confused or wrapped up in the world. You're not wrong. There's just there's just some really beautiful things waiting for you, and that's what Heather and I are hoping you'll find. Yeah.

Heather Creekmore [00:24:47]:

Yeah. I love that. Yeah. It's the I mean, there's nothing sinful about having the desire. It's only when that desire becomes an inordinate desire. The desire that consumes you in the way, you know, chasing Jesus is supposed to consume you.

Amy Carlson [00:25:03]:

Yeah.

Heather Creekmore [00:25:04]:

Yeah. And the one thing that I've been telling women who are, you know, say that I've messed up my body. It's like, why would we believe, like, if God can fix our biggest problem, which is our sin problem. Right? And this isn't, I think it's John Piper that says this. Right? But if if he can take care of my biggest problem, which is my sin problem, like like, why would I believe that I've messed up my body to such a point where he can't redeem that too?

Amy Carlson [00:25:30]:

Yeah.

Heather Creekmore [00:25:30]:

Right? And and again, so what you're saying, like, redemption doesn't necessarily mean it's gonna zap me back to that size I preferred. Yeah. Right? There's consequences perhaps that I'm gonna always have to live with, but he can't it's he's not mad at us. Mhmm. This isn't the unforgivable bin. He's not up in heaven stewing over the fact that you ate chips or whatever you feel like you did that messed up your body, which I I'm, I'm not saying that eating chips is what messes your body. Please hear me that, but, but just, you know, he like, the things that we stew over. Mhmm.

Heather Creekmore [00:26:09]:

And and maybe this is a good place to close it. Right? But I write about this in the 40 day body image workbook. But, like, it was startling to me when I recognized that I would go to bed feeling shame for my quote, unquote sins feeling. And again, I'm gonna use the word conviction like I did, you know, 30 minutes ago. I'm gonna use the word conviction and quotation marks, but I feel conviction for my quote, unquote sins. And that was always about what I ate, whether I didn't, you know, whether or not I exercised long enough. Mhmm. Right? Or even to some degree, like how much time I thought about what I was gonna eat.

Heather Creekmore [00:26:48]:

Right? Like, oh, I was, you know, I shouldn't have spent so much time thinking about food. Why did I have to spend so much time thinking about food? Like, oh, you know, we can really like, some of us are really good at taking this, like, all the different directions. Right? And rarely, if ever, did I think about the sins that actually probably grieved the heart of God. Right? Like my pride or my idolatry or my inability to forgive someone who I felt had wronged me that day or, you know, and, and that was startling for me to make that like, woah, like I have made how I eat a religion. Yeah. And that religion is not the same as the religion I say I'm in. And I mean, I think Christianity is not just a religion. Right? But it's classified that way, I guess, broadly.

Heather Creekmore [00:27:38]:

Right? But but the the relationship with Jesus that I say I have, the classification I give myself as a Christ follower means I'm striving for holiness. Right? That I'm, like, praying, Jesus sanctify me, make me look more like you. But the quote unquote sins that I'm feeling quote unquote conviction over or about eating too many calories or eating something I swore to myself I wouldn't eat. Mhmm. Right? And and so I you know, I don't know. Any final thoughts you have, Amy? We gotta we gotta kinda tie this up, but I just I I wanted to say that out loud for the woman who's still like, I don't know. It's just messy. Yeah.

Heather Creekmore [00:28:23]:

It just feels like God wants this. It just feels like it's all the same. I don't know. What do you think?

Amy Carlson [00:28:29]:

Well, it is messy. Not as what I say that every week. I say recovery is messy. Learning to to to follow Jesus is not a straight line. It's messy. And I one of the things that I love is that just even by somebody's found your podcast or is is stuck around even to the end of this episode or the next episode, the desire of their heart is something is is inviting them to something more. And so that is good news. That is good news.

Amy Carlson [00:29:00]:

I love I'm gonna just read out of Psalm 1, just as to to wrap up and how happy is the one who does not walk in the advice of the wicked or stand in the pathway with senators, sit in the company of mockers instead his or her delight is in the Lord's instruction. She meditates on it day and night. She's like a tree planted beside flowing streams that bear its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither, whatever she does prospers. I love the idea of our roots being so deep, right, with the Lord. And and we're not we're not fearing. And when I think of that that beginning verse, when I think about diet culture too, of sitting in the company of mockers and, right, taking the advice of the wicked. We can I put in a different word there, but is to say, god, I want to be so soaked in you that the fruit I produce is the fruit that you're right? That advances your kingdom, that that that identifies right me to other believers as somebody who loves and knows you. And that's my prayer that even anyone who's listening to this podcast, that they would say, lord, I I maybe don't even have the want to, but help me to want to want to.

Amy Carlson [00:30:10]:

Right. Yeah. To just to just understand this differently and to begin to see some things that I've known my whole life or thought those were true. And maybe there's something a little bit different and just take a baby step, maybe ask another question or go back and have those podcasts and listen to some before or, you know, just ask them, ask the questions and the Lord is faithful. I will say that he's faithful.

Heather Creekmore [00:30:34]:

He absolutely is. Yeah. And I just, you know, thank you so much for all of that. I I will link to some of the other episodes that we've done. Yeah. Just in case it feels like to anyone, like, watching or listening, like, there's holes. They said they were gonna say what self control is. Oh, yeah.

Heather Creekmore [00:30:49]:

We did we did 2 episodes on that. I mean, so I'm gonna link to a bunch of the episodes that we've done. So you guys can go back and kinda fill in the gaps if you're like, wait, I wanna know about that.

Amy Carlson [00:30:58]:

We got you covered. But,

Heather Creekmore [00:31:00]:

Amy, thank you so much for being on the show again today. Always lovely to hang out with you. And my prayer is that this has been helpful.

Amy Carlson [00:31:10]:

Yeah. That's my prayer. I am so appreciative for the work that you do, Heather, and for all that you do, in this space, which the Lord's inviting us to something new and different, and I'm grateful for you.

Heather Creekmore [00:31:21]:

Thanks. Okay. And thank you for watching or listening today. I hope something today has helped you stop comparing and start living. Bye bye. Comparative podcast is proud to be part of the Life Audio podcast network. For more great Christian podcasts, go to life audio dot com.