This Christmas, I am grateful to focus on the meaning of the season; Christ’s birth. In the past, my Christmas revolved around food. I dreamed about the Christmas meal, grazed on deserts, and munched on food as I cooked it. This season, I have enjoyed several parties and my Christmas Day without overeating. Because He has set me free, I am free to enjoy His birth. Have a very Merry Christmas!!Read More →
God restores me so I can stay on track – even when I want to quit. I have my normal triggers – fatigue, stress, and available food calling my name. This past week, I enjoyed feasting on foods I normally don’t eat without overeating. Instead of turning to food, I cried out to God for comfort. 1 Chronicles 16:11-12 is, “Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face continually. Remember His wonderful deeds which he has done (New American Standard Bible, 1995). During Christmas, I like to prepare my heart by spending additional reading God’s word. This helps me to not only deepen myRead More →
I cannot avoid food temptation on my own. Today, I will go to my first Christmas party of this year. This is my first time of the Christmas season to face a food table, with gooey holiday desserts and salty, fatty snacks. My instinct is to indulge and enjoy; it is a special occasion, and I can overdo it just this once. Since I do not want to spend the entire month of December overeating, I need to depend on God for strength. God takes what I have, my messed up attempts to get it right, my inability to stick to any diet, and gives me strengthRead More →
On this day of thanks, I am thankful for problems and stresses. When I face a trial, I have a choice. My first choice, getting mad, does nothing. When I try to fix and resolve issues on my own, I end up with a bigger mess than I started with. The better choice is to trust God. He either helps my circumstances, or gives me strength and wisdom so I can make it through the storm. I gain spiritual growth by depending on God to help me through trials. My life is not perfect; it seems like I resolve a problem and rejoice, only to find a new dilemma onRead More →
November is social media’s “Thankful Challenge Month” where people are challenged to post one thing every day they are grateful for. When I have done this, I started by telling the world I am thankful for the obvious; family, friends, health, and jobs. As the 30 days went on, I was forced to find gratitude in minor details. I saw God helping me with the small stuff of life. Without doing this challenge, I would have not seen just how much God is involved in everything. Even though I am not doing an official challenge this year, I still find something to praise Him for eachRead More →
If worrying was an Olympic event, I would win gold. Sometimes I concentrate on problems and plan “what if” situations that result in the worst possible ending. I know that worry never solves the real issue. In my mind, I am working to solve a problem, but in reality, I waste time when I worry. Philippians 4:6 is, “Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” (Holy Bible, New Living Translation, 1996, 2004, 2007). God commands me to pray instead of worrying. When I worry, I focus on the problem. I accomplish nothing. Many times,Read More →
Temptations creep into the corners of my life. When I am closer to God, these attractions have little appeal for me. Busyness, fatigue, and stress, weaken me. I give in to temptation, “just this once”. When I give in once, it is harder to resist and easier to fall the next time. After failing so many times, it is difficult to find restraint for the next temptation. I lose motivation and want to give up. I get discouraged, and stop losing weight. My clothes start to get tight. To get out of this rut, I must seek God. Hebrews 12:1-2 is, “…let us run with endurance theRead More →
I like the outdoors and stepping into nature. My fear of snakes and other wildlife keeps me from exploring forests and mountains. I stick to trails that cut through parks and other nature centers. My fear of being attacked by a snake (or another animal) keeps me on a path. This not a perfect analogy, but just as a path keeps me safe, depending on God is like a path that guides me through life. However, I don’t always depend on God. Instead, I want to do it all myself. If I depend on my own strength I am not depending on God. 2 Samuel 22:33-34Read More →
Negativity is a dark place my brain occasionally visits. I am normally positive and look for God’s blessings around me. I have tasted how good God is and notice He is not present when I focus on the negative. When I look only at what is wrong, I start to fret and complain. I eventually feel hopeless and no longer feel good things He blesses me with. Dwelling on negative thoughts also drives me to overeat. When I once lived in negativity, gloom and doom felt normal. Since God has changed me, negativity no longer feels right. The cure for negative thinking is to focus backRead More →
My eating has been sloppy for the past few weeks. Since school started, I am running all day. I do not have time to cook, much less to plan healthy meals. When I have too many tasks to complete, I get stressed. Stress also keeps me up at night. I admit, due to stress and fatigue, I ate more food that my body needed several times during the past few weeks. Luckily, I have not gained back enough weight to notice, but the truth is I need to get back on track. I start by focusing my heart and attention back to Christ. Isaiah 40:29Read More →