A family member of mine was about to die. I visited the family member in the hospital every day and hated to leave their bedside. I was beside myself and overate, thinking it would console me, but nothing would. When my family member died, I was torn with grief and felt like I would never get over it.
For quite a while, I actively felt the same pain I did when my family member died. After a while, though, the pain didn't feel quite as pungent as it once did. Again, I was beside myself. I was frantically thinking of how much I loved and missed this beloved family member. I mentally went through the the events leading to their passing and again felt the pain. As the pain returned, so did a distorted sense of peace.
I did this for quite a while, before I was open to listening to what God was trying to tell me. When I finally listened to that still small voice inside me that only God gives, I found out that somehow I equated my pain at the loss of the family member as love for the family member. I thought that as long as I still actively felt the pain, I still loved them.
I vacillated between trying to dredge up the pain of their passing and trying to let go. I was no more able to do this on my own than I was able to give up the overeating, because of my grief. When I turned these things over to God, He comforted me as only God can do and healed my aching heart. I found that my love is just as real when I'm not dredging up the pain I felt.
I don't need to figure out ways to be in constant pain to prove how much I loved my family member and miss them. When I turned this over to God, I was finally able to be reassured by this passage. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21:4.
Since I have used this Bible passage as an example of how God has positively influenced my overeating, this does not necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the verse.
