We had a roast for dinner and I told my husband that I had put everything in the crockpot in the fridge for stew the next day. He asked if he could add some celery to it. I told him that he could, but asked that he nuke it in water first, so that the celery isn't too crunchy. Then he asked if he could add onion to the stew I had prepared. I told him he could, but no more than a quarter of the onion, because sometimes onions can be overpowering. Next, he asked if he could cut some tomatoes up for the stew. I told him that a couple chopped really fine would be alright. I explained that I don't like food with big chunks of tomato in it. Then, he decided he wanted to put a can of chopped tomatoes in it. I asked if he could make sure there weren't big chunks and not to put the whole pound in.
By this time, I was so frustrated I had to go into my room. I do that so I can be prayerful about things and calm down and not say things I regret later. Well, I must not have spent enough time being prayerful, because when I went back out, I started explaining how I felt about his wanting to change the stew I had already made and had sitting in the crockpot to heat for the next day. Now, did I say these things with an understanding smile on my face? You got it! I was less than patient and had to go back to my room to say more prayers before I lived to regret the things coming out of my mouth. This time, I was able to return and joke it all of saying that if this is the worst thing we have to deal with in our marriage, we are very blessed!
Later that evening, I prayerfully contemplated all of this after I said my evening prayers. It turns out that far more significant than chunks of tomato in the stew that I had been planning for a couple days. Again, I was having problems with food, but this time they were control issues about relinquishing the control to someone else. It was difficult for me to allow him to make all those changes. It was difficult for me to not take it personally. It was difficult for me to turn it over to God, because this was the third time I'd prayed about this situation that day and I still felt justified in being upset. I had to pray and ask to turn over my need to be in control to God who can heal me of all the things that interfere in my relationship with Him, my family, and myself. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. Psalm 118:8
Since this is an example of the positive influence God has made on my overeating, this may not reflect the whole meaning of the Bible verse.
