Lie or Self Control?

Yesterday as I was on my way to the hospital the bus driver had the local "Family Friendly Christian" radio station on (KSBJ) and the DJ's were talking about how on some recent survey* Houston came in first for the most obese city in the nation. They were bemoaning this fact and then the male DJ said, "It's because Houston has so many restaurants." I had one of those record scratch moments right after he said that. I'm not sure I even know where to start on that comment.

People are fat because there are too many places to eat? Lets start physical and work our way up to mental and spiritual shall we?

Restaurants don't force you to eat. You don't line up like you're at some cafeteria and get handed fatty greasy food, where your options are "eat or go hungry." You choose the place to eat, you choose from the menu, and you choose how much of what they serve you you are going to actually consume. (See a pattern here?)

Then there is the blame game that this DJ ("Joey K") is playing here. It's not MY fault, it's gotta be someone else's fault I am so overweight. This is the thing that bothered me the most. Instead of taking responsibility, or encouraging his listeners to take responsibility for their lives and actions he is providing a way out, a way to justify the information that he has been given in order to void the problem. And he didn't just do it for himself, but for all the people listening as well. Instead of saying, "Hey Houston, this is really a problem, we should really take responsibility for how we eat and live, the bible talks about this as well..." he gives a cop-out answer that attempts to make himself, and his listeners feel better about some of the, probably bad, choices they have made.

Ultimately things like obesity are about self-control. The bible has plenty to say about self-control. It's not like I am just making this up. One of my personal favorites is:

"For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love." 2 Peter 1:5-7 (ESV)

Self-control is part of the process in refining who we are and becoming more like Christ. It's not easy, and I sure am not saying I have it down by any means, but it's been bothering me and I felt like I had to say something to about the off-handed comment. There is also a higher standard for those that have a platform, like DJ Joey K, and an audience especially as they are trying to change people's lives with a Godly offering.

< / soap box rant >


~B.
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*I'm not sure what survey they were referencing, that link is from 2003's USA today. It at least points to the fact that there is a history of this topic...