Junk Food Relationships: You Are What You Eat

Dear God,

Why did you have to make chocolate cake and ice cream bad for us? Why did McDonald's and Chick-Fil-A make sauces that are more addictive than drugs? Why did you give us the ability to figure out how to make them in the first place? Why can't all junk food be great for us like peppers, carrots, zucchini, bananas, and asparagus?

Sincerely,

All people on the planet Earth

Aren't we all drawn to junk food? Well, OK, maybe you're one of those rare people who can resist or eat in tiny, dainty portions. But junk food is just plain bad for us. It's not that it has little nutritional value, heart healthy benefits, or brain boosting vitamins. It turns to fat cells. Raises our cholesterol. Makes us lethargic. Clogs our aortas. Raises our blood pressure.

Then why do we eat it? It's fast. Easy. Doesn't challenge us. Makes us feel good temporarily. Gives us quick energy. It's cheap. It's available. It's easy to come by. Everybody else is eating it. We're in a hurry.

Junk food is bad for us and so are junk food relationships. “Excuse me?” you ask. Yes, junk food relationships are those most often consumed by girls and women (and some men as well). They are those pseudo dating relationships, hanging out as buddies forever, those that simply don’t feel right for some reason, or those we try to push through even though we know it's not the right thing. Friends end up in these relationships because they simply want to [temporarily] satisfy pangs of loneliness, isolation, the unknown and uncertain future, and the desire to feel beautiful and wanted by someone...anyone.

A friend continuously hung out with guys she would never consider dating or guys who wouldn't commit or tell her what their true intentions were. She said she wanted "at least some guy" to pay attention to her, so she hung in there despite her frustration. I finally told her that it seemed she was willing to put up with only eating junk food. Couldn't she wait for the real meal to come? "Have patience. Stay strong. Don't keep giving little pieces of your heart or emotion to all of these guys." She pondered it for a while and agreed to wait. Four months later, she started dating her now husband...

But, these junk food relationships fail to satisfy. They’re quick, unpredictable morsels that don’t last long, leave girls desiring more [commitment, words of affirmation, love, reliability, stability, romance], and in the end, act to raise our blood pressure in frustration, clogs our arteries in “but why’s”, and does little to get them to marriage as God intended. If they would wait for the meal and satisfy themselves on healthy, beneficial, nutritious relationships that God provides all around, when “the one” shows up, they will be much more able to transition smoothly to a successful relationship, know how to eat the hearty meal that God has provided, and cultivate a lasting relationship with the right guy. (No, I am not saying that guys and girls should not be friends. You know what I'm talkin' 'bout Willis...)

So stop eating junk food relationships and wait for the right person that God has provided. Prepare with prayer, petition, and ceaseless relationship with Him. Don’t let the false temptation of junk food relationships get you down. God is orchestrating events you can’t even imagine. The man that God has been feeding “real food”. And together, you’ll experience a bounteous feast of love, romance, oneness, and, ultimately, a much more satisfying, healthy relationship. Hang in there. You can do it.

"Look at the nations and watch -- and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told." - Habakkuk 1:5