Made to Crave- Repeats Week Day #4

Made to Crave...

I'm still reading Made to Crave and trying to make gradual changes that will lead to a healthier lifestyle. I feel like I'm making some real progress and even though the scale isn't moving a whole lot, I feel good and have more energy...and with a 2 year old and an 8 month old- that's a good thing!

Here are some parts of the book that I wanted to share with you in hopes that they can help motivate you as well...

*The body God has given me is good. It is not perfect, nor will it ever be. I still have cellulite. I still have stretch marks...but my body is a gift, a good gift for which I am thankful. Being faithful in taking care of this gift by walking according to God's plans gives me renewed strength to keep a healthy view of my body.

*Running may not be your thing...So find what is! The best kind of exercise is the kind that you'll do. And while I realize my temple may not be God's grandest dwelling, I want to lift up the Lord in whatever willingness I have each day and dedicate my exercise as a gift to Him and a gift to myself. This undivides my heart and reminds me of the deeper purposes of moving my body.

     "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received   from God? You are not your own, you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body". 1 Cor. 6:19

*EVERYTHING is permissible, but not everything is BENEFICIAL. I want to make choices that will fuel my body instead of weighing it down and making it feel sluggish

*Becoming a woman of self-discipline honors God and helps me live the godly characteristic of self-control.

*Don't get distracted by food. Don't let yourself think that it can satisfy the longing in your soul, or that it will make you FEEL better...Only Jesus can do this.

*LEARN TO ACCEPT THE NUMBER ON THE SCALE FOR WHAT IT IS- AN INDICATION OF HOW MUCH YOU WEIGHT AND NOT AN INDICATION OF YOUR WORTH!

*Know that with God you're able to say unreservedly, "I can!", "I will!", and "I did!".

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For me it all boils down to this- I have got to stop saying to myself, "you know, it's been a hard day. The kids have been fussy, the house is a wreck, I deserve a milkshake. I NEED a milkshake". Because honestly, I don't need that milkshake. This was my attempt at self-medicating. What I most likely need is some time spent in prayer and in God's word to recharge, refocus, and renew my spirit and my resolve. Until I learn to depend on him when things get tough instead of food, I'm going to struggle. 

I appreciate the messages some of you have sent with your encouragement and questioning why I am trying to lose weight. For me, this is not about just losing weight. Although I am not drastically overweight, I struggle with self-control and with overindulgence when I am upset or stressed. And I have been convicted that this needs to change. 

I am thankful for those of you who are also on this journey and who are offering your motivation to me along the way. Please let me know if you haven't if you are also trying to be healthier, and I will be praying for you, as well.

Made to Crave...

I'm still reading Made to Crave and trying to make gradual changes that will lead to a healthier lifestyle. I feel like I'm making some real progress and even though the scale isn't moving a whole lot, I feel good and have more energy...and with a 2 year old and an 8 month old- that's a good thing!

Here are some parts of the book that I wanted to share with you in hopes that they can help motivate you as well...

*The body God has given me is good. It is not perfect, nor will it ever be. I still have cellulite. I still have stretch marks...but my body is a gift, a good gift for which I am thankful. Being faithful in taking care of this gift by walking according to God's plans gives me renewed strength to keep a healthy view of my body.

*Running may not be your thing...So find what is! The best kind of exercise is the kind that you'll do. And while I realize my temple may not be God's grandest dwelling, I want to lift up the Lord in whatever willingness I have each day and dedicate my exercise as a gift to Him and a gift to myself. This undivides my heart and reminds me of the deeper purposes of moving my body.

     "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received   from God? You are not your own, you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body". 1 Cor. 6:19

*EVERYTHING is permissible, but not everything is BENEFICIAL. I want to make choices that will fuel my body instead of weighing it down and making it feel sluggish

*Becoming a woman of self-discipline honors God and helps me live the godly characteristic of self-control.

*Don't get distracted by food. Don't let yourself think that it can satisfy the longing in your soul, or that it will make you FEEL better...Only Jesus can do this.

*LEARN TO ACCEPT THE NUMBER ON THE SCALE FOR WHAT IT IS- AN INDICATION OF HOW MUCH YOU WEIGHT AND NOT AN INDICATION OF YOUR WORTH!

*Know that with God you're able to say unreservedly, "I can!", "I will!", and "I did!".

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For me it all boils down to this- I have got to stop saying to myself, "you know, it's been a hard day. The kids have been fussy, the house is a wreck, I deserve a milkshake. I NEED a milkshake". Because honestly, I don't need that milkshake. This was my attempt at self-medicating. What I most likely need is some time spent in prayer and in God's word to recharge, refocus, and renew my spirit and my resolve. Until I learn to depend on him when things get tough instead of food, I'm going to struggle. 

I appreciate the messages some of you have sent with your encouragement and questioning why I am trying to lose weight. For me, this is not about just losing weight. Although I am not drastically overweight, I struggle with self-control and with overindulgence when I am upset or stressed. And I have been convicted that this needs to change. 

I am thankful for those of you who are also on this journey and who are offering your motivation to me along the way. Please let me know if you haven't if you are also trying to be healthier, and I will be praying for you, as well. 

Reshaping It All

For Christmas, I was given a copy of "The Beautiful Woman" which is a collection of three books by Anne Ortlund. It has been an amazing study and I have learned so much from it (which I plan to blog about in the future!). One of the things that she mentions is that as Christians, we not only need to act differently than the rest of the world, but we should also LOOK different. Her exact words are, "God's children, when compared with the children of darkness, should declare without a word that God is good". She goes on to write more about how our bodies are temples, and how we need to take the absolute best care of ourselves that we can. This got me thinking about whether or not I am taking the best care of my body that I can...Ummm....no! Not even close. In fact, from mid-November through January 1st, it's basically an all-you-can-eat smorgasbord of non-stop eating.

I recently purchased two books on this subject. The first is Reshaping it All and is written by Candance Cameron (Remember her? D.J. from Full house!), and the second was Made to Crave by Lysa Terkeurst. By no means do I intend for this to become a weight-loss blog, but I do plan to post some of the important parts from each of these books in the coming days or weeks so that you can maybe benefit from them too.

Both of these books basically stress that the problem is not food. The problem is that we run to food when we are stressed, or nervous, or excited, or happy, or confused, or depressed...trying to fill a void that should and can only be filled by God. How many times in the past year have I made the comment that I "NEEEEDDD" a milkshake from Cookout, or I "NEEEDDDD" mexican food. It's almost always when I'm tired or stressed. Food is the first place I turn to. Time and time again, even after I try not to. This is where the problems come in. If my body is a temple and was entrusted to me, it is not wise for me to continually lack the self-control necessary to be a good steward of it. It is a sin to abuse my body with food. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not obese or largely overweight. I am about 14 lbs over my "recommended weight" and about 21 lbs heavier than I was when we were married. I can still fit into most of my pre-pregnancy clothes, and I am semi-active. However, I can recognize now that there is a problem when I am constantly thinking about food, and turning to it anytime I get the chance. I lack self control.

Candance writes, "God loves you, just the shape you are and there isn't a number on the scale that could ever change that. He is enthralled with your beauty and He treasures every minute you spend quiet in His presence..And while He loves us, He has given us the opportunity to improve our quality of life. Ultimately, you have to make that choice. No one will make it for you. Only you can weight the cost and make that decision. Is it God's desire that I care for my body? Since it's a temple of the Holy Spirit, I have to say yes...In many cases, a healthy body is a reflection of an inner life that is balanced and one that has self control".

Throughout her book she tries to help you learn the steps necessary to build a plan to stop abusing yourself with food, to make healthier choices, and to get serious with God. It's not a book on dieting or how to lose weight, but on how it can be a spiritual act of obedience and worship to keep your body a holy temple for the Lord. The book focuses that everything is okay in moderation, but it becomes a problem when we overindulge. She writes, "If you want to live a life free from the bondage of food, the pull  of the fridge, and the discomfort of waistbands, then start living that life today. You are beautiful, interesting, accepted, and loved by the most high God". She says that the final reward will be worth all the hard work if we won't give up before seeing it through to the end.

That's where I tend to struggle...I start off really well when I decide to get healthy and it's smooth sailing...but eventually I always slip back into this place...I don't see it through to the very end as she writes about. I think the problem in the past has been that it's always been "a diet", instead of a lifestyle change. I plan to read the Made to Crave book this week and hope to gain further motivation to help me really make some necessary changes.

I will blog more about this in the next few days once I get myself motivated and ready to fully commit to this new focus. I am always afraid to post things like this on my blog because it means that there will be people who know what I am trying to do, and therefore, know when/if I am failing. I believe that I will be more successful if I am held accountable, so if you are reading this and are in a similar place,  please help me by sending me a message, a comment, or a facebook so that we can encourage each other and hold each other accountable.

Love you all!

What would life look like if we accepted God's workmanship?

I posted the following devotion several months ago, but it seems to fit where many of us are right now, so I'm re-posting.

Defined By God

Shari Braendel

"The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord." Psalm 45:11 (NIV)

One word. Flabbergasted.

That was the emotion I had coursing through my body as I sat at the coffee shop discussing my weight issues with a friend.

I told her I had recently cut out certain foods from my diet, but was continuing to maintain my "happy weight," that number the scale just seems extremely happy to faithfully report whether I have eaten healthy and exercised that week or not. We had a good laugh as she described how sometimes she locks her scale away so she's not tempted to jump on it every day just to find out if she's still her same "happy" self.

As a result of this conversation I realized that if I am not careful I can easily allow the scale, or the mirror, to become a compass that shifts my focus and points me in the wrong direction. It seems illogical, yet at times I look to this digital device, or this earthly reflection to gauge my emotional status and essentially define me.

The Bible tells us that the God of the universe is enthralled with our beauty. Seriously? Yes, indeed! He thinks we are amazing and wonderful. Unfortunately, more often than not, we look in the mirror and only see our flaws; hair that's just a mite too frizzy; a tummy that's a bit too fluffy; and thighs that have a few too many dimples on them. My friend Renee likes to call her cellulite "the fingerprints of God." One time I shared that with a group of women, and one of them said, "Well then He must have REALLY big hands!"

So, what would life look like if we accepted God's workmanship? Can you imagine how different we would feel about ourselves if we glanced in the mirror and told God "thank You for making me so wonderfully"? If you listen closely, I bet you would hear Him respond, "All beautiful, you are, my darling; there is no flaw in you" (Song of Solomon 4:7, NIV).

No matter your size or shape, the number on your clothes tag or your scale, you are beautiful! Let's embrace that we are fine just the way we are because if God says so, then it's true!

Dear God, thank You for making me the way I am. Please help me to have more confidence. I will practice defining myself through Your eyes and not my own. I am grateful, and humbled to be Your beautiful daughter, and I can feel Your approving gaze upon me. In Jesus' name, Amen.