Trigger warning: I love oatmeal cookies. Like, I might like the average oatmeal cookie better than the average chocolate chip cookie. I know. I’m weird.
Beyond loving the taste of oatmeal cookies, I’ll admit that there is also the ancillary benefit of feeling healthy when you eat oatmeal cookies. I mean, you’ve got your whole grains, your dried fruit, your nuts. They’re practically health food, right?
A quick search on the internet proves otherwise: one Costco oatmeal cookie weighs in at 230 calories, 9 grams of fat, and 20 grams of carbs. One Costco chocolate chip cookie tallies 210 calories, 11 grams of fat, and 27 grams of carbs. It’s basically a wash. Either way, you’re imbibing a disc of fat-packed, calorie-dense deliciousness.
If I just had two cookies for lunch and two for dinner every day, it would be virtually impossible for me to create a diet where I wouldn’t put on weight unless the only other thing I ate was skinless chicken breast and kale.
But it sure feels like the oatmeal cookie ought to be better for us, doesn’t it?
I think a lot of us do the equivalent of eating oatmeal cookies in our spiritual lives. We do things that seem like they ought to be good for us spiritually, but when our spiritual waistband gets flabbier we are confused. Why am I not getting the results it seems like I should be getting?
Many are committed to living moral lives. Everyone wants to be a good person. Internal commitments are made. And yet, how effective are we at improving ourselves morally?
Others are committed to the idea of communal engagement. And yet loneliness continues to increase and social engagement wanes.
Many respond with generosity when their heart is tugged. It might be an indigent person on the street corner, or an appeal after an earthquake, but they wait to give when they’re prompted. This isn’t an effective strategy. Research tells us that ad hoc giving results in small sums. It requires planning to give generously (which is why the average Christian gives less than 3% to charity[i]). This is why the tithe, biblically speaking, is taken from our first fruits. A tenth is given away before we use anything on ourselves. Offerings is that which is given above and beyond a tithe, often spontaneously to a need.
Others act out their spiritual beliefs through wielding social and political influence toward those things they believe in. Online petitions are signed, social media posts decrying injustice are made, rallies even attended. And yet, we’ve learned that such signaling rarely has a meaningful impact and can also make the one posting such information feel as though they’ve done their part.
Living morally, engaging in community, giving spontaneously, using our moral voice on social media: these are the oatmeal cookies of our spiritual lives. They might look like a healthy option, but they are not transformative.
What does work? Research shows that reading the Bible at least four times a week, attending church weekly, and praying daily have a statistically verifiable impact on lowering one’s tendency toward destructive thoughts, alcoholism, gambling, pornography, and infidelity.[ii]
This past year, Angel and I have tried to double down on our physical health and wellness. We picked up a book and buckled down on our journey together. And we’ve had some fun success together. What’s the secret? There really isn’t a secret, and you know that. We’ve been more scrupulous about tracking our calories, cognizant about the types of foods we are eating, and have been rigorous in our commitment to exercise. It doesn’t matter how many books are written, the best research is going to keep telling us what we always knew.
And so, it turns out, what the Bible has encouraged us to do in our spiritual lives has been true all along. Pray, study God’s Word, deeply commit to being part of God’s people, his church. These simple commitments will transform your life.
God has made you for spiritual health. Step into practices that will actually bring that about. Go ahead and enjoy an ooey gooey oatmeal cookie. Just don’t confuse it with health food.
[i] Jayson Bradley, “Church Giving Statistics,” https://pushpay.com/blog/church-giving-statistics/
[ii] Lucas Kitchen, “Bible Benefits According to Scientific Research,” https://freegrace.in/biblebenefits/.
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Photo by Eiliv Aceron on Unsplash