I've been plugging my ears and singing, "La, la, la, la!" for a while now. I don't want to sacrifice. I don't want to work hard. I don't want to struggle. There's a little rebel inside of me that doesn't want to do the thing that everyone else is doing (makes sense, doesn't it - refusing to eat healthy and exercise so that no one thinks I'm just trying to be a part of the "in" crowd?).
What I've come to realize, though, is that what I am really choosing is self-abuse. I fill my body with junk that I think tastes good, and I get fatter. I grow more lethargic and lose motivation. I feel queasy on and off all day, I have heartburn at night, my back aches and my feet hurt, I have headaches and feel irritable. All caused by me.
God may not have given me a supermodel's body - thin and willowy, completely flat abs and curves in all the right places. But He did give me this body. He has a vision for how it's supposed to look and feel, and I'm pretty sure He wasn't thinking of this.
Here are some thoughts that I've jotted down the past while as I've pondered this subject:
- Why would God reveal His plan/purpose/calling for me right now, when I'm clearly too fat, tired, unhealthy, and lazy to fulfill it?
- Given the fact that the Holy Spirit dwells within all believers (that includes me), how can I accept giving Him a sub-par, unhealthy dwelling place? Someone once gave me this evaluation for deciding which shows and movies to watch: if Jesus were sitting right beside you, would you be willing to watch it? The same could be asked about what I put in my body.
- When I eat particularly terribly, I have noticed that I tend to be extra irritable and impatient with my children and husband. (And, my acne breaks out like crazy.) I shouldn't be surprised; it's basic math...junk in = junk out.
Quote of the day: Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy... And if we continue to make God's temple our trash can, we are helping the devil accomplish his mission - one meal at a time. ~Sheri Rose Shepherd
Thank you for sharing these thoughts! I've been working on the same things this year. It was discouraging at first -- I kept waiting for those wonderful exercise endorphins to kick in and make me feel great, and it took longer than I wanted it to. Now, about 6 months in, I do actually feel alright when I exercise and feel GREAT when I eat right, so it's a little easier.
ReplyDeleteUgh. Thanks, I think?! Yet again, your thoughts here are my thoughts exactly but I've obviously been ignoring it. My biggest deterrent is 1) the money it costs to buy the healthiest food and 2) all of my recipes call for at least some processed products.I hate cooking as it is, so the idea of throwing out my trusty recipe collection and starting over? Makes me want to crawl into bed and cry. Any advice? Cookbooks you recommend?
ReplyDeleteBut all that aside, this post is awesome. :)
We can be such Israelites constantly falling back into our old ways and then complaining we don't see God or blaming him because things aren't working out the way we think they should. I read "The Maker's Diet", which is not a diet but instead God's plan for keeping our temples in better working condition. There are some foods I just don't look at the same anymore.
ReplyDeleteI totally understand. It's remembering that my body is His temple that helps me in this daily struggle with the flesh. The Maker's Diet was the book that finally sent me (& inevidably my family) onto a healthier path - I LOVE it!
ReplyDeleteFor MAMA BIRD and others, I recommend BABY STEPS - start ADDING a new, healthy recipe each week and soon your old trusty, processed food recipes will be replaced. And make excercise a SMALL, but consistent addition to your life.
I certainly haven't arrived, but I am healthier overall than I was when I began this journey 3 years ago. It takes a long time to change habits we've had for so long and I truly believe that we can only do it in God's power!
Thx for you honesty!
Andrea