Every time I mess up, I tell myself I am a failure.  I get tired of continuing to fail, so I resolve to do better next time.   As I have grown closer to God, I understand I am imperfect and will mess up. It feels good to let go of shame and to stop worrying about being perfect.  My beliefs about food have greatly changed.  Food is to  nourish my body and not to soothe  stress.  My stomach has shrunk so I no longer can eat as much food as I once ate.  Last week, I put the box of candy down as soon as I felt full.

Psalm 32:1 is, “Oh what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!” ( Holy Bible, New Living Translation, 1996, 2004, 2007).  God forgives my failures and gives me the strength to do better.   He has forgiven me and motivates me to try again.  God helps me remember things I am doing right when I am tempted to beat myself up.

With God’s help, I can put yesterday aside and start new today.  Today is a new day, full of promise and potential.  Focusing on God helps me avoid temptation when stressed.  Food does nothing to fix my issues.  When I pray, God calms me and gives me the wisdom to solve my problems. He lifts me up after I fall and helps me avoid temptation.