Does being overweight make God love you less?

I started my new job in 2018. I prayed and asked God if it was His will to accept the position, but God did not answer me. Usually, I hear God clearly when He says yes or no, but it’s often hard to discern when He tells me to wait.

Since I had a deadline to accept the job and didn’t have the faith that God would answer in time, I put God to the test. I told him if the salary was a certain amount that I would assume it was His will and accept the job. God doesn’t like it when we test Him. The offer kept increasing. The number was almost at the acceptable amount that I established in my mind, and it was 25% higher than the original offer.

The salary was so close that I started work the following week. I know now that I got ahead of God because the job caused me stress one year later, and I started overeating. Every day my blizzard from Dairy Queen got bigger. Some days I couldn’t even finish it, but I forced it down. I was eating to comfort myself so that I could get through my workday.

Does God care if I’m overweight, and does He love me less because of it?

All my life, I’ve struggled to stay healthy and look good. But when someone murdered my son in 2017, my life changed. I became depressed. I ate to comfort myself. To try and find peace, but nothing made me feel better.

Have you ever had something so traumatic happen to you that you constantly overate? Did you keep eating until your weight was out of control and you didn’t know how to get it back under control? This is what happened to me.

Does God love you or me less when we are overweight?

It says in Proverbs 23:20, “Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat….” This verse clearly says we are sinning when we overeat. I knew I was wrong by continuing to overeat. God gave me several warnings. One of the warnings was swelling in my joints, but I kept on sinning.

God still loved me, and He showed His love for me by causing pain. He was trying to get my attention, but I ignored His call of love and kept on making food my God. God pleaded with me to turn back to Him and ask Him to show me the way out.

Even though I didn’t ask, God provided a way out, but I ignored His help.

1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

God kept speaking to me in many different ways. Every time I listened to a sermon, it was about overindulgence. We get to know God by reading His Word, and God was using every preacher I heard to get me to stop destroying His temple. We have free will, and God won’t force us to do something, even though He can.

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 says, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”

The Bible tells us the plans God has for us. I know my Bible well enough that I knew God wanted me to turn away from this temptation, but I didn’t. I let the devil win this battle.

Does being overweight make God love us less?

No, being overweight did not make God love me less, and if you are overweight, He doesn’t love you less either. But there are consequences to pay for the choices we make. My health continued to deteriorate, and my depression became worse. I had to see a doctor for the swelling in my joints because I started having trouble walking.

But God didn’t give up on me, and He won’t give up on you. He wants us to read His word and seek His guidance so that He can help us remove ourselves from the messes we create.

How did God save me?

By 2021, I almost weighed 190 pounds. I was only working part-time, and my boss needed someone to work full-time. It would be tough for me to work that many hours with my deteriorating health, so I lost my job, which turned out to be a blessing from God.

I had more time to pray and read my Bible. I got closer to God, and I know Him better than I ever have. He provided me with the strength to finally start a diet, and I am going strong.

It is a long battle.

The weight went on a lot faster than it is coming off, but God is with me, and I will succeed. Acts 3:19 says, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord….”

The first step I took was acknowledging my sin to God. After that, I could feel God’s power working, and He renews my strength every day to continue my long battle ahead. But God would not have done this if I would not have repented from my sin of overeating.

The key was repenting, turning from my sin, and leaning on Him through faith that He can and will take care of me by directing my steps.

What did I learn about God and His love?

God loves me so much that He never wanted me to accept the job offer in the first place. But I got ahead of God. I didn’t listen to his promptings and chose to put money first. In the end, I have a long battle to get my health back, but I know God loves me because He fixed my mess, and He will fix my health too.

Are you overweight? Do you feel like God doesn’t love you, or do you feel He loves you less because of it?

God doesn’t stop loving us just because we do something that He commands us not to do. He gets upset with us because He cares for us, and He knows we are hurting ourselves. His ultimate goal is for us to turn from our sins and repent so we can become more Christ-like. Then He wants us to read our Bible and pray that He will help us know Him more.

As far as my diet, I have been eating less, adding fruits and vegetables, and cutting carbohydrates. I also use apple cider vinegar on my salads and exercise every day. My diet works for me, but I would love to hear your suggestions.

Have you found a successful diet? If so, share it in the comments, and maybe it will help me or someone else make more progress.