June/July 2010

Time for Revolution

“Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be  transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” – Romans 12:1-2

America has the biggest obesity problem in the world. And as we export our Western diet to other nations around the globe, we also are exporting our weighty results. Just like in the States, other countries are experiencing growing obesity and the chronic health problems associated with it.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Our food supply is literally killing us. Fast food, fried food, chemical preservatives, highly processed snacks, sugary sodas and sweets, chemically treated fruits and vegetables, hormone-tainted meat—they’re all robbing us of energy and life. That’s why I think the recent television show “Food Revolution” was so timely.

This spring, author, chef and TV personality Jamie Oliver went on a mission to help citizens of the U.S. change the way they eat and, as a result, improve the way they live through his reality show “Food Revolution.” He began his quest in the town of Huntington, W.V.—recognized as one of America’s most unhealthy towns—with the goal of establishing a healthy eating initiative. According to Oliver, unless they revolutionized the food they served in schools and ate in their homes, they were destined for a future of disease, poor health and premature death.

One of my favorite aspects of Oliver’s venture was his push to transform what kids were served in school cafeterias. Through the Food Revolution he urged the government to radically change the food standards in schools and to properly fund the system so that healthy food could be offered. Pizza, chicken nuggets, cheeseburgers and fries were the typical choices in Huntington, and, believe it or not, the fries actually counted as a serving of vegetables!

I side with Oliver on this one. The food we serve in our nation’s schools needs to be improved. But, until that happens, the responsibility lies with us. It’s not somebody else’s problem; it’s ours. Our kids don’t have to eat the food if it’s unhealthy. They can bring a pre-packed lunch instead.

We need to start taking personal responsibility for what we put in our mouths. We need to revolutionize our habits overall. How we steward every aspect of our health (mind, body and spirit) matters to God. How we take care of, invest and use what He has given us is a form of worship. We must take responsibility for it and not look to anyone else to steward it for us. If we believe that staying healthy is the right thing to do and know how to eat healthfully, we should do it. No excuses.

In the Bible, we read about a revolution that was advocated by Joshua. It was a revolution of belief, faith, worship and trust.

“Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:14-15, NIV).

Joshua called for a revolution—a sudden, radical change of heart. We must take the same stance when it comes to starting a healthy food revolution in a world that is poisoning its bodies— ones given to us by God to serve and honor Him.

Take a look at the box shown below and consider adopting one or all five habits. They won’t be easy, but God didn’t call us to live easy lives. He called us to bring Him glory in everything we do, and we can’t do that when we’re sabotaging our physical health and living in sick, tired bodies.

This month, choose to do things differently than everybody else. Be revolutionary and live a fit life!