Sensual Suffering

We are eating ourselves to death, but it feels good. The average Body Mass Index (BMI) in America has risen to over 30 (which is defined as obese by the medical journals). That means that the life expectancy for at least one half of Americans will be shortened by 10-15 very miserable years. I add miserable years because they will be years of sensual suffering. Bad feet, knees and hips, will cause difficulty sleeping, walking, a box full of pills to follow the platefuls of food. We are feeding our sensual natures, our flesh and suffering in the process. At least one third of Americans are pre-diabetic. We need to put down our forks and push away from several tables.

There is nothing wrong with being sensual. God made us with five senses. Touch, smell, vision, hearing and tasting are indeed part of normal life for most of us. However, when we are controlled by our senses, we suffer.

We indulge our eyes and ears in things that will damage our minds, control our desires and interfere with our relationships. We are lured by our sense of smell to wade and waddle just deep and long enough to excite our appetites so we can taste and ultimately imbibe things we know we really don’t need.

The result is sensual suffering. We are held captive by the desires of our flesh, and then the failings of our flesh as we go from hospital clinic to hospital cafeteria without even recognizing the conflict of interest. We take in the poison and ask the doctor for the antidote, so we can go eat, drink and smoke the poison again.

1 Corinthians 6:12 All things are lawful unto me, but not all things are expedient. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

Proverbs 23:2 And put a knife to your throat if you are a man who cannot control his appetite.