Ever heard of spiritual orthorexia? Probably not, because I made up the term. I can't do that, right? Find out what it is and why it matters. #spirituality #orthorexia #christianwoman #proverbs31 #proverbs31woman #christianwalk #micah68 #godswill #selfcare #spiritualselfcare #religion

Ever heard of spiritual orthorexia? Probably not, because I made up the term. I can’t do that, right? Find out what it is and why it matters.

Spiritual Orthorexia? What’s That?

Have you ever known a health food junkie? You know, one of those people who spend hours and hours reading up on the latest health news, purchasing the purest vitamins, and watching everything that passes over their lips and heads towards their stomach? A true health food junkie will get up in your business when they see you reaching for a bag of Hot Cheetos or contemplating dessert at a restaurant.

Don’t get me wrong. Self-care has four aspects, and one of them involves finding physical wholeness. But wholeness doesn’t include imbalance. It’s easy to slip over the edge of balance into true junkie status. On today’s podcast, I’ll share how I first discovered Orthorexia Nervosa and why it led me to coin the term spiritual orthorexia.

We can easily slip over the edge of balanced spiritual self-care into the abyss of spiritual orthorexia. As a closet legalist, I have to assess myself regularly for signs of spiritual orthorexia. The Bible offers simple solutions to help us keep our spiritual self-care balanced and in line with Biblical principles.

I’d love to hear from you whether or not I’m the only one who struggles with closet legalism and spiritual junkiehood. What do you do to combat right-living creep?

Show Notes

Signs of Spiritual Orthorexia

Health Food Junkies: Orthorexia Nervosa – the Health Food Eating Disorder

Ever heard of spiritual orthorexia? Probably not, because I made up the term. I can't do that, right? Find out what it is and why it matters. #spirituality #orthorexia #christianwoman #proverbs31 #proverbs31woman #christianwalk #micah68 #godswill #selfcare #spiritualselfcare #religion

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14 Comments

  1. I agree that some can get off-track from biblical teaching, especially in the area of outward appearance. But that doesn’t mean every difference between our convictions and interpretations and those of others means that they are legalistic. There are about six different ways to interpret the passage about head coverings, and many women wear them because they believe that’s what the Bible teaches. Most of the ones I know aren’t legalistic about it (thinking everybody should do what they do to be right with God)–they understand there are different interpretations and leave others to do what they feel right. (Of course, there are those who ARE legalistic about it, and that’s wrong, but that doesn’t mean they all are).

    In some cases, differences of conviction are Romans 14 matters. I used to think that since all believers are indwelt by the same Holy Spirit, we should all come to the exact same place in our convictions. But that’s not what Romans 14 says. It says people can do the exact opposite things (eating meat or not, observing days or not) as unto the Lord. And we’re not suppose to judge each other or despise each other over these things. Some of these things are taken care of with maturing in the faith and increased knowledge of our Bible and our God.

    Sometimes, too, these things are a matter of an oversensitive conscience. I had this problem for years. I knew conscience was a tool of God, but I finally realized it can be off-kilter and has to be trained (for instance, some tribes’ consciences don’t have trouble with cannibalism). The more we’re in the Word of God, the more our consciences align with what it teaches and not whatever our culture has taught us.
    Barbara Harper recently posted…Why Is the Resurrection of Jesus Christ Important?My Profile

    1. Thank you for your well-reasond response, Barbara. It’s easy to slip into disordered eating, and it’s easy to slip into a disordered relationship with rule-keeping. Over and over in the Old Testament, the prophets tell the Israelites they have failed because they don’t protect the widows and orphans (but we know they’d been working on their rule-keeping because by the time Jesus comes, he comments on it.

      Healthy spiritual self-care involves taking the time to ask ourselves WHY we do the things we do. Is it because someone told us to? Or is it because we’ve studied our Bibles with the aid of the Holy Spirit and feel convicted?
      Anita Ojeda recently posted…Delightful Sweet Romances from Best-selling Authors to Read This SpringMy Profile

  2. There is a fine line between license and legalism. We should definitely be thoughtful of where we are on that! I do love time in my books reading about spiritual life and theology. I recognize that I must be willing to put down the books and love my family in practical ways and live for Christ/not just read about Him.

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Anita Ojeda

Anita Ojeda juggles writing with teaching high school English and history. When she's not lurking in odd places looking for rare birds, you can find her camping with her kids, adventuring with her husband or mountain biking with her students.

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