Wednesday, December 06, 2006

A continual appetite for more

Put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony (Proverbs 23:2).

The news is constantly reminding us that Americans are getting fatter and fatter; overeating is becoming a national health problem. But gluttony is more than just over-eating; gluttony is a problem with how we treat pleasure. It is natural to want to feel good; there’s nothing wrong with a desire to enjoy life. But sometimes we take our pursuit of pleasure to unhealthy extremes. St. Paul suggests a little wine to settle an upset stomach, yet he criticizes drunkenness because when drunk it is far too easy to say and do things that will hurt others. A little something sweet after a meal is nice, but carried to an extreme, consumption of sweets can lead to diabetes. Too much of anything—salt, carbohydrates, fat—can permanently damage your health.

A pursuit of pleasure to the point of excess can also taint relationships. Some people want so much from their partner that they become clingy or demanding and end up driving their partner away; they want more from the relationship than that person is willing or able to give. An ‘all-consuming’ love is not healthy, it is essentially selfish.

Gluttony can even extend to material things. Some people have to wear the trendiest fashions, while others have to buy the newest technological gadgets. Gluttony can take the enjoyment of a sports team and turn a room into a virtual shrine filled with every type of memorabilia. Gluttony can result in obsessive behavior and an empty bank account.

Even worse, the effects of gluttony go beyond oneself. People who consume too much are reducing the resources available to others. A person who needlessly damages her health drives up the cost of everyone’s health insurance by her increased claims for medical care. A person who squanders every dollar on clothes or technology leaves little in the way of an inheritance for his children.

The glutton can never have enough of the things that make him feel good. But what will happen when the body feels more pain than pleasure? Will life then lose it’s meaning? The only lasting pleasures are found with God; Psalm 16 ought to be your prayer: You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.

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