Thirty two year old Susanne Eman, is a resident of Arizona. Pictures of her bloated body flashed around the world as news agencies publicized her great aspiration in life to become the world’s heaviest woman and tip the scales at one ton.
Suzanne weighs in at 720 pounds and consumes 22,000 calories a day. She is a single mother of two, and can only get around in a motorized scooter. She is unable to work.
Simply put, Suzanne is a glutton. She is calling bad eating choices good and good eating choices bad. She would receive the condemnation of Isaiah who said. “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;” Isaiah 5:20 (NKJV)
Her short life and early death were predicted by Solomon who said, “He who guards his mouth preserves his life, But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.” Proverbs 13:3 (NKJV)
In New Testament times even Paul would have labeled Suzanne as an enemy of Christianity. “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things.” Philippians 3:18-19 (NKJV).
Mrs. Ellen G. White, a 19th century reformer correctly outlined some of the tragic end results of gluttony that Ms. Eman has already experienced. She is unemployable and without a husband making her “of no use to others.” Her limited mobility makes her a “curse to herself.” Unfortunately, she has created a freakish following of admirers and competitors which indicate that her harmful example and influence is already “contaminating others.”
Note the strong language regarding gluttony in these quotes of Mrs. White from Counsels on Health.“Those who indulge in … gluttony are sowing seeds for a harvest of pain and death.” p. 575
The word of God places the sin of gluttony in the same catalogue with drunkenness. “The condition of the glutton was considered hopeless. He would be of no use to others and was a curse to himself. No dependence could be placed upon him in anything. His influence would be ever contaminating others, and the world would be better without such a character for his terrible defects would be perpetuated.” Counsels on Health, p. 71
This is a harsh but realistic assessment of Suzanne Eman. We can hope and pray that others will be rightly warned by her example and that they will shun a life gluttony. We can hope and pray that she will learn the value of fasting provided by Jesus and be saved from a life of pain and disease.