How often to think in the back of my mind that I need to thank someone for something? Then the phone rings, the dogs need let out or in just to be let out or in again, the timer goes off, I pick up shoes to take to the bedroom but put them down because the cats made the picture frame fall off the piano and I need to pick that up, then I see the computer and know it won't hurt if I take one quick second to check my emails..........and on and on and on it goes..........we all have our own personal list of distractions.
Every night before I go to sleep I thank God for Brian, Alex and Tuck. They are the core of my life. Then if I am not asleep yet I start thinking about my mom and siblings and their families. It really never gets past nieces and nephews because I am already exhausted when I crawl into bed.
Really?! That is a bit sad, I should make more of an effort to let each of them know personally that I am thankful they are a part of my life. What would be something different I could do in 2009 that I haven't done in the past?
I used to be super good at sending birthday cards. Then I became a mom and the world started spinning faster than ever before. At the end of each day I never feel like I accomplished everything I needed to that day. Usually I just feel like I got as much done as I could or maybe not even that...maybe I only got as much done as I did and if I had planned my time better I could have gotten so much more done.
The sermons at church right now are centered around RESETTING our lives. So if I RESET my life starting today - really no reason to wait until the first of 2009 - I think I can start by writing something down on each day of the week in my daily calendar that is a RESET for that day. My goal will be to do at least 4 out of 7 for the first few months while I get used to doing something new. OK, done, I now have something written on my calendar for the rest of this week. Something I can do every day that will be specifically for someone else. Very few are probably going to get a phone call. I am not very good at phone calls because I don't know what to say after 'Hi'. My mom is so good at small talk and has always been good at talking with people. Guess she did it for all of us for so many years that I never picked up on it myself.
Now I just have to remember to do this next week...done, it is written on my calendar for Sunday to make next weeks list.
I can reset anytime and everytime I feel like I am getting out of control or getting lost or distracted. Ok, the timer really did go off and this time of year is the craziest with my job and I have to keep the washer and dryer going to get all the linen washed and dried. Honestly, this year I REALLY am not complaining. I am so thankful to have a job and that people are continuing to have their parties and meetings at the club.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Fear
When we listened to the sermon on Saturday evening I had no idea I would be using it so quickly in my life. Thinking of Keenan and his siblings, they must be feeling a bit of fear right now. How does a child move forward in life without their mother? I was so young when my father died that I didn't have to think about the big picture, I don't even think I gave it much thought, it was just a way of life for me. I pray for Keenan that he will seek and fill his life with hope and faith that comes from a person relationship with God.
One of the questions Rev. Hamilton presented was to ask ourselves, what are we afraid of. Well, I can name many things: being alone, real poverty (not something small like not being able to get a treat), losing my job, Brian losing his job, something horrid happening to a family member...then that leads me to: how many of these things can I control? Ok, but that takes me off the sermon. Here are some of my notes from the sermon:
where do I find peace...
know the difference between a real threat and what isn't...
what am I afraid of...
I will lose out on life if I live in fear...
I will miss joy and miss opportunities if I live in fear...
I need the confidence that God is in my life...
God tells us not 2b afraid - He is with us...
This doesn't mean I won't have challenges - means He is with me thru the challenges...
"Courage is fear that said it's prayers"...
I need to take my eyes off myself and service others...
I can have overwhelming confidence I am in God's hands and He won't let go of me...
thru faith, gratitude, service 2 others and generosity I can overcome fear...
Our challenge was that for the next 2 weeks we are to daily come up with 4-5 things we are thankful for. Tuck and I have been doing that every evening. We figure that if we can't come up with the 4-5 on our own we can at least come up with them together.
Taking just a few of these points:
knowing the difference between a real threat and what isn't...sometimes I live life in a 'reaction' mode. I simply spend my day reacting to things going on around me, I don't purposefully do anything. A way I can stop that is to give myself a few seconds and rather than reacting I can decide if it is even anything I want to acknowledge. I can take a small thing and blow it out of proportion. I need to decide how much attention it needs.
lose out on life if I live in fear...I don't want to lose out on life, I don't want to miss out on joy or miss out on opportunities. If I am so microfocused on something that isn't a real threat or really worth my time I don't want to lose out on something that could bring real joy and peace of mind to my life.
When I first started to journal about my morning devotions I soon learned a way of doing it that made the whole thing more meaningful for me. When I am writing about what I read I would purposefully use "I" rather than 'we', 'us', 'people'...anything plural and making it about everyone. I will take ownership for my own faults and strengths and won't lump myself into a group so it looks lesser or greater than it really is.
Well, usually I start with a clear cut idea of what I am going to type. Today I decided to wing it. A question I really don't want to ask myself is this: am I afraid to lose the weight and become a different person? am I afraid to lose the weight and then not be able to keep it off? am I afraid to lose the weight and not eat what I want to eat? am I afraid to lose the weight and feel like I am always struggling with self-control? If I don't lose the weight I never have to ask myself about the self-control because it isn't an issue...
One of the questions Rev. Hamilton presented was to ask ourselves, what are we afraid of. Well, I can name many things: being alone, real poverty (not something small like not being able to get a treat), losing my job, Brian losing his job, something horrid happening to a family member...then that leads me to: how many of these things can I control? Ok, but that takes me off the sermon. Here are some of my notes from the sermon:
where do I find peace...
know the difference between a real threat and what isn't...
what am I afraid of...
I will lose out on life if I live in fear...
I will miss joy and miss opportunities if I live in fear...
I need the confidence that God is in my life...
God tells us not 2b afraid - He is with us...
This doesn't mean I won't have challenges - means He is with me thru the challenges...
"Courage is fear that said it's prayers"...
I need to take my eyes off myself and service others...
I can have overwhelming confidence I am in God's hands and He won't let go of me...
thru faith, gratitude, service 2 others and generosity I can overcome fear...
Our challenge was that for the next 2 weeks we are to daily come up with 4-5 things we are thankful for. Tuck and I have been doing that every evening. We figure that if we can't come up with the 4-5 on our own we can at least come up with them together.
Taking just a few of these points:
knowing the difference between a real threat and what isn't...sometimes I live life in a 'reaction' mode. I simply spend my day reacting to things going on around me, I don't purposefully do anything. A way I can stop that is to give myself a few seconds and rather than reacting I can decide if it is even anything I want to acknowledge. I can take a small thing and blow it out of proportion. I need to decide how much attention it needs.
lose out on life if I live in fear...I don't want to lose out on life, I don't want to miss out on joy or miss out on opportunities. If I am so microfocused on something that isn't a real threat or really worth my time I don't want to lose out on something that could bring real joy and peace of mind to my life.
When I first started to journal about my morning devotions I soon learned a way of doing it that made the whole thing more meaningful for me. When I am writing about what I read I would purposefully use "I" rather than 'we', 'us', 'people'...anything plural and making it about everyone. I will take ownership for my own faults and strengths and won't lump myself into a group so it looks lesser or greater than it really is.
Well, usually I start with a clear cut idea of what I am going to type. Today I decided to wing it. A question I really don't want to ask myself is this: am I afraid to lose the weight and become a different person? am I afraid to lose the weight and then not be able to keep it off? am I afraid to lose the weight and not eat what I want to eat? am I afraid to lose the weight and feel like I am always struggling with self-control? If I don't lose the weight I never have to ask myself about the self-control because it isn't an issue...
Thursday, November 13, 2008
conundrum
Can I change the hard wiring in my mind? Can I change the way I see things? Can I change my first response? In the past few years I have seen a huge difference in myself and the way I view the world. Most of this came about from all the reading I do - can't seem to stay away from those self-help books and the Bible study groups at church.
One of the stumbling points for me in eating is stress...an emotional eater. So on the road to changing the hard wiring in my brain I must look at what materials are used in paving the road. What do I think I need: will-power, positive attitude, concentration, discernment, variety, ability to keep a thought in my head longer than 2 seconds. That is a good start. When I am struggling with stress I think the first thing I need to do is acknowledge the stress. One of the main reasons I head for the food is to quiet the thoughts, words, emotions. For me, I am obviously giving food way too much power! It not only calls my name, it screams, it jumps up and down, and waves it's arms frantically, it pounds on the pots and pans.... I am what I am by the grace of God. Anything good in me was put there by God. Instead of trying to quiet the hurt, pain, stress...I need to dissect it, find out what is speaking the loudest and then remind myself that not everything needs or deserves an answer or to be solved! Maybe I can simply say to myself; "I am feeling _______" and then move on.
Will-power - just knowing I can do something first before touching the food.
Positive attitude - do not give in as a first step, try some other avenue first.
Concentration - actually give the emotions some thought and acknowledge them.
Discernment - what is so appealing about my kitchen, is there another place in my home that would bring more comfort where there isn't food.
Variety - I get bored easily and need to have different ways of delaying with my emotions - change it up regularly.
Ability to keep a thought longer than 2 seconds - why is it that the things I want to remember disappear faster than fog on a sunny day, but things I wish I could forget haunt me like taxes.
Yes, there are many, many people in this world that are having a hard time right now. And there are many, many people in the world that have problems much more serious than mine. But it is ignoring my problems and hoping they will go away that keeps me in a negative cycle. I need to balance my life in a way that keeps me the wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, etc. that God wants me to be and in a way that keeps me the disciple God sent His son here to show me I can be.
Conundrum - paradoxical, insoluble, or difficult problem; a dilemma. Trying to be a better person is a dilemma and sometimes a difficult problem...but it is worth working on every day, not just for myself, but for those I love.
"A deep knowledge of spiritual things can only come by the way of unhurried reflection upon God's truth and by prayer." Merrill Unger
One of the stumbling points for me in eating is stress...an emotional eater. So on the road to changing the hard wiring in my brain I must look at what materials are used in paving the road. What do I think I need: will-power, positive attitude, concentration, discernment, variety, ability to keep a thought in my head longer than 2 seconds. That is a good start. When I am struggling with stress I think the first thing I need to do is acknowledge the stress. One of the main reasons I head for the food is to quiet the thoughts, words, emotions. For me, I am obviously giving food way too much power! It not only calls my name, it screams, it jumps up and down, and waves it's arms frantically, it pounds on the pots and pans.... I am what I am by the grace of God. Anything good in me was put there by God. Instead of trying to quiet the hurt, pain, stress...I need to dissect it, find out what is speaking the loudest and then remind myself that not everything needs or deserves an answer or to be solved! Maybe I can simply say to myself; "I am feeling _______" and then move on.
Will-power - just knowing I can do something first before touching the food.
Positive attitude - do not give in as a first step, try some other avenue first.
Concentration - actually give the emotions some thought and acknowledge them.
Discernment - what is so appealing about my kitchen, is there another place in my home that would bring more comfort where there isn't food.
Variety - I get bored easily and need to have different ways of delaying with my emotions - change it up regularly.
Ability to keep a thought longer than 2 seconds - why is it that the things I want to remember disappear faster than fog on a sunny day, but things I wish I could forget haunt me like taxes.
Yes, there are many, many people in this world that are having a hard time right now. And there are many, many people in the world that have problems much more serious than mine. But it is ignoring my problems and hoping they will go away that keeps me in a negative cycle. I need to balance my life in a way that keeps me the wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, etc. that God wants me to be and in a way that keeps me the disciple God sent His son here to show me I can be.
Conundrum - paradoxical, insoluble, or difficult problem; a dilemma. Trying to be a better person is a dilemma and sometimes a difficult problem...but it is worth working on every day, not just for myself, but for those I love.
"A deep knowledge of spiritual things can only come by the way of unhurried reflection upon God's truth and by prayer." Merrill Unger
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Every morning is a new opportunity to see new mercies and rediscover God's great faithfulness. In the morning after I read my devotions I am so thankful and ready to go conquer my world. Then little things seep in all day long and by the end of the day I am ready to crawl into a cup of hot chocolate and a muffin or brownie or fresh baked cookie; get a few pillows to stuff behind my back, a nice warm, fleecy cover and curl into the corner section of the couch. Then I make the mistake of turning on the 10:00 p.m. news...for the first 15 minutes all they can talk about are all the people who have murdered each other that day. Last night was a story of a quadruple shooting not too far from here - in fact it is a few blocks from where we used to live. The four 'friends' (I use the term lightly because would you really shoot at a friend?) got into a verbal fight and all four pulled out guns and started shooting.
Where did we go wrong? Is it society, parents, schools, churches...who dropped the ball? How much does media have an effect on us? Do we see and hear the wrong things so much that we become desensitized to it all? Did you know that the television programs we watch BEFORE 9:00 p.m. now want to be allowed to use any word they choose. Right now certain words still get bleeped and they feel like they can't make their point without the really heavy cusswords.
My challenge to myself is to stop saying cuss words entirely. This last year for Lent I tried to give up the bad words without replacing them with silly words. When I get super upset I still let loose with a few choice words. But after reading that article about the television programs I realized that I can give them up completely. If everyone on television is going to be letting loose with degrading words all evening it will be easy for me to have the cable turned off...and we all know what that means...I can't watch television at all because antennaes won't work anymore.
If you want to read about this article and others, go to http://www.parentstv.org/.
Ok, back to my warm and positive thoughts lasting all day. Perhaps I need a boost in the afternoon and another in the evening...kinda like a Dr. Pepper for my mind...ah-h-h-h...now I LIKE that thought. I usually eat lunch while I am working. I need to read something quick and inspirational with my lunch and then perhaps BEFORE I watch the evening news...or afterwards to finish my day with something positive on my mind rather than what a mess our society has turned into. Would anyone watch if there was a news program devoted only to the great things going on...would we be able to find enough 'good news' every day?
Where did we go wrong? Is it society, parents, schools, churches...who dropped the ball? How much does media have an effect on us? Do we see and hear the wrong things so much that we become desensitized to it all? Did you know that the television programs we watch BEFORE 9:00 p.m. now want to be allowed to use any word they choose. Right now certain words still get bleeped and they feel like they can't make their point without the really heavy cusswords.
My challenge to myself is to stop saying cuss words entirely. This last year for Lent I tried to give up the bad words without replacing them with silly words. When I get super upset I still let loose with a few choice words. But after reading that article about the television programs I realized that I can give them up completely. If everyone on television is going to be letting loose with degrading words all evening it will be easy for me to have the cable turned off...and we all know what that means...I can't watch television at all because antennaes won't work anymore.
If you want to read about this article and others, go to http://www.parentstv.org/.
Ok, back to my warm and positive thoughts lasting all day. Perhaps I need a boost in the afternoon and another in the evening...kinda like a Dr. Pepper for my mind...ah-h-h-h...now I LIKE that thought. I usually eat lunch while I am working. I need to read something quick and inspirational with my lunch and then perhaps BEFORE I watch the evening news...or afterwards to finish my day with something positive on my mind rather than what a mess our society has turned into. Would anyone watch if there was a news program devoted only to the great things going on...would we be able to find enough 'good news' every day?
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Good Works = Good Man?
Well, apparently not...according to Martin Luther. Here is his quote:
"Good works do not make a good man, but a good man does good works."
__Martin Luther
When you put it that way it does make sense. Haven't we all done something that our heart was not in just because we thought it was the thing to do and then patted ourselves on the back because we did it? Haven't we seen people we know are horridly mean and they do something nice for someone just because it will make them look good? We are merely human and may not see thru the crud in life - guess who knows if our heart is in it - guess who knows the intentions of the other person - guess where it REALLY counts?
I am reading the book The Love Dare by Stephen and Alex Kendrick. Now, I have only started Day 2 (this is really Day 3 since I started reading!) and they think kindness is the act behind good things. We really need to have kindness in our hearts. They break kindness down into four basic core ingredients: gentleness, helpfulness, willingness, and initiative. My dare for today is to do at least one unexpected gesture toward my husband as an act of kindness. Now, I can see where this is going...my act of kindness for today would be to pick up his dirty clothes from yesterday and put them in the dirty clothes hamper. But my intention behind that is doing it because he knows he should have done it himself - I am not his mommy - and it helps me because I don't want his dirty clothes on the floor. SO...THAT DOESN'T COUNT...according to Martin Luther. I can however, have a special treat for him tonight when he comes home.
Trying to become a better person is wearing me out. Trying to lose weight is wearing me out. Clipping coupons to save money is wearing me out (but I did save almost $8 at the store today).
Not really, I love reading and the challenge of trying new things. I did buy some things at the store that I don't need right now, but the savings was so great that when I do need them I won't have to make a special trip to the store using more gas and then getting to the store and finding other things to buy, 'just because I am there', and 'in the mood' for a little bit of __________...ouch...the list goes on for reasons I can create to buy food. Good thing I haven't yet had to go back to the days of growing my own food.
Anyway, my youngest is still sick with what I think is the flu. I decided to be a great mom and with kindness in my heart, make him some soup from scratch - he did tell me last night that soup sounded good. I put it in Recipe Builder and found out that one cup is 6 points. Now, that sounds like a lot. But the cup filled me up!!! It is Velveeta 2%, pepper jack cheese, potatoes, broccoli and rice drink...can anyone say YUM-M-M.
"Good works do not make a good man, but a good man does good works."
__Martin Luther
When you put it that way it does make sense. Haven't we all done something that our heart was not in just because we thought it was the thing to do and then patted ourselves on the back because we did it? Haven't we seen people we know are horridly mean and they do something nice for someone just because it will make them look good? We are merely human and may not see thru the crud in life - guess who knows if our heart is in it - guess who knows the intentions of the other person - guess where it REALLY counts?
I am reading the book The Love Dare by Stephen and Alex Kendrick. Now, I have only started Day 2 (this is really Day 3 since I started reading!) and they think kindness is the act behind good things. We really need to have kindness in our hearts. They break kindness down into four basic core ingredients: gentleness, helpfulness, willingness, and initiative. My dare for today is to do at least one unexpected gesture toward my husband as an act of kindness. Now, I can see where this is going...my act of kindness for today would be to pick up his dirty clothes from yesterday and put them in the dirty clothes hamper. But my intention behind that is doing it because he knows he should have done it himself - I am not his mommy - and it helps me because I don't want his dirty clothes on the floor. SO...THAT DOESN'T COUNT...according to Martin Luther. I can however, have a special treat for him tonight when he comes home.
Trying to become a better person is wearing me out. Trying to lose weight is wearing me out. Clipping coupons to save money is wearing me out (but I did save almost $8 at the store today).
Not really, I love reading and the challenge of trying new things. I did buy some things at the store that I don't need right now, but the savings was so great that when I do need them I won't have to make a special trip to the store using more gas and then getting to the store and finding other things to buy, 'just because I am there', and 'in the mood' for a little bit of __________...ouch...the list goes on for reasons I can create to buy food. Good thing I haven't yet had to go back to the days of growing my own food.
Anyway, my youngest is still sick with what I think is the flu. I decided to be a great mom and with kindness in my heart, make him some soup from scratch - he did tell me last night that soup sounded good. I put it in Recipe Builder and found out that one cup is 6 points. Now, that sounds like a lot. But the cup filled me up!!! It is Velveeta 2%, pepper jack cheese, potatoes, broccoli and rice drink...can anyone say YUM-M-M.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
HURRAY!!!
The elections are finally over! I can honestly say I feel lighter today. But I have no good reason to feel lighter. Ben & Jerry's was giving away a free scoop of ice cream if you wore your "I Voted" sticker in there. Loaded the family into the car and we headed out. I gave my free scoop to the only one not old enough to vote. Then we went to Panera for dinner where I had the small black bean soup and 1/2 a turkey sandwich - hold the mayo. WOW! I did so good it was amazing. Then we came home and I made the mistake of turning on the television. Along with the election results I managed a cup cake, nuts, Chex mix, half a Coke, 6 peanut M&M's, AND a tiny carmel Ghirardelli's candy!!!
I would say that today I am starting over. But to me starting over sounds like I failed at something and need to start again. I haven't failed...I just slipped, stumbled and skidded a bit. Can not afford to throw my back out again. Today so far I have had my oatmeal and am planning on yogurt for lunch. The dairy product is supposed to help take off the fat and honestly I am not that hungry this morning. How could I be after all I ate last night! That dairy and fat study is kinda funny when you think about how dairy can help take off the fat - how come it hasn't helped the cow!!!
Our desires and hungers are a search for a spiritual home, or place where we know we are welcome, safe and loved. We spend our lives in pursuit of that good feeling. Last nights food feast was a sad, sadder, saddest search for safety. Our country has either been skidding out of control or at least it has been presented to us by the government and media as being out of control. Watching the election results put me on edge and I was feeling out of control. My search for safety was not satisfied with the food. Now this morning I am disappointed with my lack of self-control. Sometimes it is the very thing we are trying to improve that we can self-destruct with. When I think of self-control I first think of all the ways I am out of self-control. Subconsciously I need to think of all the things I am now doing right and all the things I can do for myself that portray me being IN self-control. Self-control - self-discipline - self-restraint - willpower - levelheadedness. If I can keep the positive forefront in my mind then I will physically DO the positive things first. I am careful at the grocery store: I check NI, carry my WW Point Counter to make sure I am not buying something that is more points than I am willing to count, anything I know for sure I can't say 'no' to but is something the others like I will buy and make them take it to their rooms. I only like my pop if it is super cold, so I keep one pop in the fridge at a time. I am parking farther and farther away from buildings and hiking inside. Sometimes I will park super far away and walk to multiple stores at a location, even walking back to the car between stores. These are some things I know I am doing right. One thing I know I can start doing is getting on my knees every morning and ask God to please guide me thru my day and help me to stay strong. I have a book that I am going to try to read FIRST every time I think I need to snack on something. My book is going in the kitchen on the counter as a first line of defense! Any other suggestions you can think of?
I would say that today I am starting over. But to me starting over sounds like I failed at something and need to start again. I haven't failed...I just slipped, stumbled and skidded a bit. Can not afford to throw my back out again. Today so far I have had my oatmeal and am planning on yogurt for lunch. The dairy product is supposed to help take off the fat and honestly I am not that hungry this morning. How could I be after all I ate last night! That dairy and fat study is kinda funny when you think about how dairy can help take off the fat - how come it hasn't helped the cow!!!
Our desires and hungers are a search for a spiritual home, or place where we know we are welcome, safe and loved. We spend our lives in pursuit of that good feeling. Last nights food feast was a sad, sadder, saddest search for safety. Our country has either been skidding out of control or at least it has been presented to us by the government and media as being out of control. Watching the election results put me on edge and I was feeling out of control. My search for safety was not satisfied with the food. Now this morning I am disappointed with my lack of self-control. Sometimes it is the very thing we are trying to improve that we can self-destruct with. When I think of self-control I first think of all the ways I am out of self-control. Subconsciously I need to think of all the things I am now doing right and all the things I can do for myself that portray me being IN self-control. Self-control - self-discipline - self-restraint - willpower - levelheadedness. If I can keep the positive forefront in my mind then I will physically DO the positive things first. I am careful at the grocery store: I check NI, carry my WW Point Counter to make sure I am not buying something that is more points than I am willing to count, anything I know for sure I can't say 'no' to but is something the others like I will buy and make them take it to their rooms. I only like my pop if it is super cold, so I keep one pop in the fridge at a time. I am parking farther and farther away from buildings and hiking inside. Sometimes I will park super far away and walk to multiple stores at a location, even walking back to the car between stores. These are some things I know I am doing right. One thing I know I can start doing is getting on my knees every morning and ask God to please guide me thru my day and help me to stay strong. I have a book that I am going to try to read FIRST every time I think I need to snack on something. My book is going in the kitchen on the counter as a first line of defense! Any other suggestions you can think of?
Monday, November 3, 2008
Metanoia
I learned a new word last night - metanoia - it is a spiritual awakening, fundamental change of character. Human behavior is NOT to delay gratification. Human nature has a problem with greed, gluttony and envy - just saying those words feels BAD - repeat them slowing to yourself - don't they feel heavy? You can feel the weight of the words in the air around you... Riches change our minds and hearts. This does not just mean money. Think about how you feel when you first get home from the grocery store. The fridge and cabinets are full. You can stand in the middle of your kitchen and rub your hands together - what to eat first - what did I bring home that I can rip into first. Does the first thought go to a food that is healthy, one that will provide the right balance of vitamins and energy or one that is dripping in oozey, gooey goodness and mentally 'hit the spot'. Riches change our minds and hearts!
Proverbs 25:28 "Like a city whose walls are broken down
is a man who lacks self-control."
How does this help me with self-control? During Biblical times the cities had walls built up around them for protection. This tall, thick, brick wall provided protection from attacks. Without the wall the people were vulnerable to enemy invasion. Think of self-control as protection. It is my first line of defense. Self-control allows me the security to make decisions based on what is best for me, not what commercials, advertisments, billboards, friends, magazine articles tell me I deserve. I make the important decision of what I deserve and need. If I lack self-control then I become a slave to the very things I am not controlling. When I envision myself a slave to food I see myself all hunched over, hair hanging in my face, no make-up (not a pretty site!), drab and tattered clothing clinging to a frumpy body, hand reaching out and following food but never being able to touch and feel the goodies - it is a huge mound of desserts, lasagna, pizza with extra cheese, bar-b-que, mashed potatoes, pasta, meats; all dripping with the most decadent chocolate and topped with a crown of whipped cream and a cherry. The food is in control and I am the slave.
When I have self-control I can stand tall, don't need make-up because I am eating healthy foods that naturally add a bit of pink to my cheeks!, my hair is shiney and managable (it comes from within), my blood is flowing and heart is beating at just the perfect rate, by blood sugar level keeps my emotions in check...you get the picture...and the only food in sight is portion controlled and full of vitamins and nutrients for a healthy body. I like all of these foods because I chose them and they are in the right portion because balance is important to me. My line of defense is the balance that keeps me healthy in my mind and body! I don't want to be the slave, but I don't want to be the king either! I can allow and trust God to be in control of life and I know that my self-control comes from following His lead.
Food can become my friend and not my enemy - sounds like another blog can come from that thought.......
Back to my smoothie this morning...it is fairly warm for this time of year in MO...and 1/2 bagel, dubliner cheese and 1 oz. chicken breast for lunch. The day is half over and I still have 12.5 points...a very good thing because it is later in the day that I start to get hungry...yes, even if I eat more points in the morning I still THINK I am hungry in the evening.
Proverbs 25:28 "Like a city whose walls are broken down
is a man who lacks self-control."
How does this help me with self-control? During Biblical times the cities had walls built up around them for protection. This tall, thick, brick wall provided protection from attacks. Without the wall the people were vulnerable to enemy invasion. Think of self-control as protection. It is my first line of defense. Self-control allows me the security to make decisions based on what is best for me, not what commercials, advertisments, billboards, friends, magazine articles tell me I deserve. I make the important decision of what I deserve and need. If I lack self-control then I become a slave to the very things I am not controlling. When I envision myself a slave to food I see myself all hunched over, hair hanging in my face, no make-up (not a pretty site!), drab and tattered clothing clinging to a frumpy body, hand reaching out and following food but never being able to touch and feel the goodies - it is a huge mound of desserts, lasagna, pizza with extra cheese, bar-b-que, mashed potatoes, pasta, meats; all dripping with the most decadent chocolate and topped with a crown of whipped cream and a cherry. The food is in control and I am the slave.
When I have self-control I can stand tall, don't need make-up because I am eating healthy foods that naturally add a bit of pink to my cheeks!, my hair is shiney and managable (it comes from within), my blood is flowing and heart is beating at just the perfect rate, by blood sugar level keeps my emotions in check...you get the picture...and the only food in sight is portion controlled and full of vitamins and nutrients for a healthy body. I like all of these foods because I chose them and they are in the right portion because balance is important to me. My line of defense is the balance that keeps me healthy in my mind and body! I don't want to be the slave, but I don't want to be the king either! I can allow and trust God to be in control of life and I know that my self-control comes from following His lead.
Food can become my friend and not my enemy - sounds like another blog can come from that thought.......
Back to my smoothie this morning...it is fairly warm for this time of year in MO...and 1/2 bagel, dubliner cheese and 1 oz. chicken breast for lunch. The day is half over and I still have 12.5 points...a very good thing because it is later in the day that I start to get hungry...yes, even if I eat more points in the morning I still THINK I am hungry in the evening.
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