What’s in Your Bowl? {and Does it Fuel Emotional Eating?}

Most of my posts are tasty Trim Healthy Mama plan-friendly recipes. But now and then the Father drops a valuable nugget, burning with intensity, in my heart and I know it must be shared. I know I’m not alone here – turning to food for comfort. Do you know what’s in YOUR bowl (or how it fuels your emotional eating)?

The inspiration for this post hit me like a ton of bricks Sunday morning.

I had met with my bestie on that dreary, rainy morning for coffee. It had been ages since we’d been able to get together and I desperately needed some Monkey time (long story…).

Since we were also tragically out of coffee at home that particular morning, I {almost as} desperately needed some java.

After we exchanged a few chit chatty words and coffee consumption was underway, I looked away at my bag for some reason for a few seconds. Then when I turned my attention back to my bestie, this was sitting on the table in front of me:

I might have squealed with delight.

I know I was absolutely thrilled to see this bowl. She had texted me a photo of it a few days before and asked if this was the bowl I had (and broke…and couldn’t replace in that color which made me very sad).

It was indeed. 

That day I was crazy busy and didn’t get around to asking her to get it for me. It vaguely crossed my mind that she might have bought it for me (because she’s just thoughtful like that), but I didn’t want to expect it.

The week wore on and I forgot about that wonderful find at one of my favorite thrift stores.

So to see it sitting there right in front of me, well that just made my day.

When A Bowl Is More Than A Bowl.

Silly really. It’s just a bowl. I’ve (sadly) broken 2 just like it. My life continued on anyway.

I even ordered a replacement…that arrived broken! 

And yet, that one simple gift meant so very much.

Our conversation touched on some deep topics and at one point she was looking me right in the eyes and speaking words that brought tears to my eyes.

Because the Father knew I needed to hear them.

On the drive home my mind wandered back to that bowl. It looked empty, sitting there next to me on the car seat. But that little bowl was full of love. It was a thoughtful gift from a dear friend.

That deceptively empty-looking bowl made me think of the book The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. Have you read it?

Dr. Chapman talks about how we have “love tanks” and, depending on what our primary love language is, those tanks may be full…or empty.

So desperately empty. We are emotionally starving in the Land of Plenty so we turn to food for comfort.

Emotional Eating…Because When Our Bowls Are Empty We Want To Fill Them.

It’s natural, of course. An empty bowl begs to be filled. And how many of us walk around with completely empty bowls…maybe even cracked and leaking from misuse or abuse…and not even realize it?

If you don’t know what belongs in your bowl, you’re likely to try and fill it with any and everything that will fit (or appears to, anyway). Because even when you don’t know a thing about love tanks and love languages that emptiness gnaws at you and ever so subtly goads you on to find something to fill that emptiness inside.

That often leads to emotional eating, doesn’t it?

Comfort food, anyone? Yeah, I’ve got a post on that one too. It’s called The Comfort Food Myth and I encourage you to redefine what that term means. There’s also over 150 THM-friendly “comfort food” recipes for you!

What happens when we can’t find something to fill that hole? I suspect it might be what is behind the acid-tounged lashing out we do when our little ones come up and ask for something right at that moment when our very last frayed nerve snaps.

Which chips and cracks their bowls. 

Little ones or not, the people in our lives often suffer when our bowls are empty and cracked.

What Belongs In Your Bowl? Things That Don’t Fuel Emotional Eating.

You must understand what belongs in your bowl and strive to keep out the things that do not belong (those things that fuel emotional eating).

Positive things. Lovely things. Good things.

Those belong in your bowl. Thoughts, words, and actions that line up with goodness and positiveness (Fruit of the Spirit, anyone?) — that’s what belongs in your bowl.

The Fruit of the Spirit is sugar free so indulge often on that 😉

[photo source]

Negative things. Ugly things. Bad things.

Those destructive thoughts, words, and actions don’t belong in your bowl! They fuel the emotional eating that derails all your best efforts to trim down and get healthy.

Learn to recognize those negative things (sometimes they’re sneaky…sometimes we’ve lived with them so long we don’t even realize they are destructive) and don’t let them climb into your bowl.

Who’s Going To Fill Your Bowl?

You also can not depend on other people to fill your bowl properly and keep it filled.

It should be that we all fill each other’s bowls with love. But the harsh and painful reality is that many times other people take what little we have from our bowls, kick them around, beat them up, and leave us hurt and empty.

Sometimes they fill our bowls — but not with good, kind, loving, and positive things. Sometimes they dump ugly, negative, hurtful, and even hateful things into our bowls. More emotional eating fuel — if we let it become that.

When people do that, dump it out! It’s hard sometimes…we often want to hang on to things but find a way to let it go. People have no power over us that we don’t condone.

If you don’t have someone in your life that understands your love language and pours into your bowl, what can you do?

Are you a woman of faith? Look to your Creator. He crafted that fragile bowl you carry inside. He knows what belongs there. In fact, some of that emptiness inside your bowl just might be because He is missing in some area of your life.

If you are a believer in the Holy Scriptures, those pages contain life for you. YOU may not have anything to give, but the Father does. Let Him pour into your bowl from His word.

At the very least, you have YOU to fill your bowl. It sounds counter-intuitive…and on some levels it is impossible to pour into anything from an empty vessel. But something wonderful happens when you turn your focus away from negative things and towards positive things. More positive things tend to appear in your life.

Another thing my bestie taught me, actually. I can’t possibly articulate how grateful I am for her positive influence in my life.

I know they say opposites attract, but my own experience has shown me that negativity just draws more negativity to itself. The last thing your cracked and empty bowl needs is more destruction.

The Words That Filled My Bowl.

Do you want to know what my bestie said to me that brought tears to my eyes? Just 3 simple words.

I really, really needed to hear that. You see, I’ve got too many irons in the fire right now. I feel pulled in too many directions all at once. Oh Bilbo Baggins, I understand so well your lament…

“I feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread.”

It’s so easy to discount our value. To let those negative thoughts tell us we don’t matter. Or to fill our days with so many tasks we can’t possibly get them all done…to only reinforce the idea that we’re not good enough.

That right there is what fuels my emotional eating. Even after writing The Comfort Food Myth I still struggled! See, I’m very much human. It just shows that you can’t change what you don’t acknowledge or understand.

I’m hoping this recent revelation will help me conquer emotional eating once and for all.

The Love You Want In Your Bowl.

I’ve been hearing a song on the radio recently. I’ll admit the use of the word reckless in this song doesn’t sit well with me. I personally don’t believe YHWH is ever reckless. I don’t think He will chase someone forever. But I kept finding this song going through my head, particularly this part:

I couldn’t earn it, I don’t deserve it, still You give Yourself away

My Abba still gives Himself away. Pours His heart into my empty, cracked bowl and keeps pouring into it. I definitely don’t deserve it.

The rest of the song is just as poignant, and you can listen to it on YouTube (and see the rest of the lyrics) here.

So What’s In Your Bowl?

This post was burning in my heart. I felt an urgency to get it out and onto my blog. That usually means someone out there needs to hear whatever YHWH has put there.

Are you the one who needed to hear this today? Do you struggle with emotional eating? Do you know what’s in your bowl? Or is your bowl cracked and empty and desperately needing filled? Are YOU emotionally starving in this Land of Plenty?

Father, I pray for those who read this post who so desperately need their cracked and empty bowls filled with your love. I pray they turn to YOU and not to food for false comfort or destructive habits to find relief from that desperate loneliness that comes with being emotionally drained and empty inside. May your pure love fill them to overflowing so they can pour into the bowls of those around them and stop the vicious cycle of draining and chipping and cracking other people’s bowls (that also desperately need filled). May they know — not just in their heads but deep down in their very souls — that they are valuable, that they matter, and let them never doubt it again or discount their value. Breathe life into these dry and empty vessels, mend the cracks and chips, seal them that they won’t leak the life you have breathed into them. Teach them how to pour that life that you fill to overflowing into those around them. May they be so overwhelmed by your grace and mercy that they express their gratitude by a life of obedience to your ways.

If You Were Blessed By This Post Please Visit My Bestie’s Blogs:

She’s actually the reason this blog exists. A long time ago she made me start blogging and is a continual source of encouragement and help. So if you like my blog, you can thank her! An easy way to do that is visit her blogs and pin and share anything that is relevant to you (or someone you know).

Heather has blogged at The Homesteading Hippy for many years and you’ll find awesome tips for gardening, canning, natural living, herbal remedies and essential oils, recipes and more there.

She also just recently started a brand new blog, Easy Keto Dishes! The recipes there are great for THM S settings so be sure to check them out!

Please Pin This Post To Your Encouraging Posts Pinterest Board 😉