The Ugly Truth

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. – John 8:32

Look in a mirror and what do you see? What do you want to see? Each morning I see a reflection of myself and often rush through the daily routines without taking a deeper look. At home my mirror in the bathroom only shows a portion of my body, but the mirrors in our camper are full length floor to ceiling and show a more complete picture.

One day while sitting on the bed I glanced at myself in the mirror and saw the full image, rolls and all. At first it surprised me because I always see myself standing up which creates a much different picture. Seeing the whole truth caught my attention and confirmed my need for change.

Not only was the visual reality of my physical condition a wake up call, but as the process began I started to understand a deeper truth, the ugly truth.

I have a dear friend who struggles with addiction and it’s easy for me to see the problem and make my own conclusions as to how they should handle the situation and overcome the problem. But it took a few months of working on this Royal Make Over for me to see that I also have an addiction and it’s not so easy to just choose to overcome.

Part of the problem is that food addiction is acceptable in our society. But when you take a full view deeper look you see the ugly truth. Just like drugs, alcohol, sex or ambition, we use food to soothe our emotions, calm our minds, numb our pain and attempt to find acceptance and approval. Here’s just a few examples:

It’s late and you’re board, how about eating a snack? You’ve committed to eating healthy and just a few chips with your sandwich wouldn’t hurt. It’s been a long hard day, you deserve a treat. It’s a special event, everyone else is enjoying it.

Now for the ugly truth…..substitute the word heroine for the food. It’s late and you’re board, how about a little heroine? Just a little won’t hurt. It’s been a rough day, just a little to take the edge off. Everyone else does it, why not me? The thought of using drugs to fill the voids in our lives sounds appalling, but we often do with food and that’s the ugly truth.

The beautiful truth is that with God, we can overcome. With God we can resist the temptations. With God we can experience lasting victory. It’s a choice we need to make, to see and acknowledge our need for God and ask Him to fill the voids in our lives. That choice is daily and often moment by moment, but remember, God’s truth will always trump the ugly truth.