The saying “feed a cold, starve a fever” dates back to a dictionary published by John Withals in 1574 because a note indicated “fasting is a great remedy of fever.”
The belief that has been sustained through the years is that the body needs food to generate warmth for healing from a cold – while avoiding food helps to cool the body when a fever is present.
In the 1500s and 1600s, doctors thought that a fever meant the metabolism was working in overdrive.
So, the idea was that withholding food would help the body to cool since the digestive system doesn’t need to work to break down the food. The theory was that the fever would burn off faster if the food was minimized.
Today’s scientific knowledge regarding nutrition and our bodies has completely debunked that myth.
But many remember it.
The things we think and remember are foundational in how we deal with fear.
Any action that we take that makes our fears bigger and stronger “feeds” our fears.
See if you do any of the following . . .
- Thinking about and replaying prior mistakes in your mind
- Expecting the worst-case scenario
- Ruminating on fearful thoughts constantly
- Sharing verbal stories that are linked to our fears with others perpetuates those fears instead of helping us confront them.
There is a lot of conversation around whether we feed our fears or faith.
In 2 Timothy, the apostle Paul says to young Timothy, his protege,
“God has not given us a spirit of fear; but a spirit of power, and of love, and of self-discipline.”
How can you claim your very own spirit of power utilizing love and self-discipline to confront your fear?
What are you doing in your life every day to feed your faith?
Grace and Peace,
Andrea