Finding and Destroying Life-Stealing Idols
Revelation 21:4 "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
Content Warning: Sensitive Topics Ahead
This post discusses topics related to death and eating disorders. If you find these subjects distressing or feel that reading further may be unhelpful for you, please proceed with caution. If at any point you feel uncomfortable, I encourage you to take care of your well-being and discontinue reading.
The Tragic Cost of an Insidious Idolatry
The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) reports that 10,200 lives are lost each year due to eating disorders—one death every 52 minutes. These numbers are staggering, but they likely don’t capture the full scope of the tragedy, as many deaths caused by eating disorders are recorded under other causes, such as heart attacks, organ failure, or suicide, rather than the disordered eating that underlies them.
I don’t share this statistic lightly, nor is it my intention to traumatize you. I share it because this week, I stood at the graveside of a dear friend—someone I met in residential treatment. She was spunky, kind, and always had a witty comment at the ready. But despite her vibrant spirit, she ultimately lost her life to the relentless pursuit of thinness.
As I watched them lower her casket, I reflected on the writing of John Calvin, "The human heart is a perpetual idol factory." Our hearts are constantly looking for things to worship, to place above God. My friend lost her fight to an idol that is all too common in our society—thinness. What began as a desire for an ideal body became an all-consuming obsession, a false god that promised happiness but delivered only pain and, in the end, even death.
The idol of thinness, like all idols, is deceitful. It whispers that if only we were smaller, lighter, or more toned, we would finally be enough—worthy of love, acceptance, and success. But these promises are hollow and are actually lies from the enemy of our souls. Instead of bringing fulfillment, our idols leave us feeling more empty, more broken, and more desperate. And now, my friend—who once brought so much light and laughter into the world—is gone, all because this world cruelly proclaims that “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.”
A Sobering Warning from Scripture: Colossians 2:20-23
As I reflect on my friend’s death, the wickedness of the idol of thinness, and my own recovery journey from an eating disorder I find myself thinking of the verses found in Colossians 2:20-23. It is sobering to take these verses in, but so powerful when we really do. Paul writes, “Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: ‘Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!’? These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility, and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.”
We live in a culture that relentlessly urges us to take our "health" into our own hands and to place “health” above every other pursuit. The market is saturated with diet books, podcasts, and fitness influencers, all promising longevity, youthfulness, and wellness if we just follow their rules. I can’t help but relate this to the verses in Colossians. These rules around food and our bodies may seem wise on the surface, but in reality, they often mask a harsh truth: this world’s pursuit and obsession over health and beauty trap us in a never-ending battle with our bodies. Rather than leading us to true, lasting freedom and success, we become consumed with how to become thinner, prettier, and more youthful. This was tragically evident in the life of my friend. She was caught in the relentless pursuit of these unattainable ideals, always striving for the false promises that the world offers. In the end, it wasn’t freedom she found, but a struggle that consumed her until it took her very life. The very things that promised her health and happiness only deepened her pain, leading to an outcome that is devastatingly common in a society that worships the idol of thinness.