Thought of the Day 12.23.09

Most people think of gluttony as the sin of eating too much. But why is that a sin? Because the person who puts too much of his reason for being into eating is declaring that God and God’s promises aren’t real enough to satisfy him. Sadly, the same theological defect underlies a much more common form of gluttony: the picky eater.

Doubting the ecstasy of eternity with God, this person is driven to fill this life with as much carnal pleasure as possible. He puts his faith in finding the perfect meal prepared the perfect way. Failing to recognize this as gluttony, his sin goes unnoticed. But what happens when these same patterns show up in a far more important area than food?

When I watch people searching for a spouse, it vividly reminds me of someone on a quest for the perfect culinary delight, a desire all the more pressing because he will have to eat only that one dish for the rest of his life. And trust me when I say that the consequences of such romantic gluttony are far more devastating than those of any mere culinary obsession.