Spiritual Eating Habits

As my age slowly creeps upward, I've found that keeping my weight where I want it gets harder. I actually have to watch what I eat now! I also seem to have a sensitive blood sugar, so I feel icky if I don't eat right.

In my attempt to eat healthy, I've noticed an interesting principle. Eating junk tends to make me crave more junk. Sometimes one helping makes me feel gross and I take the attitude, "Well, I feel icky anyway - might as well have have another." Or, one doesn't bother me and I figure that I can therefore afford to have another. Regardless, eating junk begets eating junk.

On the other hand, when I eat better food, I feel better and crave sweets less. Eating well begets continually eating well.

I think there is a parallel in the spiritual world. It's been quite a challenge to set aside time to spend with God alone. I used to be a morning person, but I definitely am not any more. But, if don't spend time with God before the kids get up, it's much harder to find time 'alone' to spend with Him. As I continue in the pattern of not taking that time, it doesn't bother me as much. I get frustrated when I think of spending time with God because I don't know what to read or what to pray about. Instead of feasting on Him, I fill up on 'junk food', finding satisfaction in lesser things.

But, when I spend time with God consistently, nothing else fills me the same way. I develop an appetite for spiritual things and lose my desire for the things that are not of God.

What is spiritual 'junk food'? Anything that I attempt to feast on instead of God. I find myself checking email and facebook every few minutes, hoping to bring excitement to my day. Those things aren't bad or wrong, but I sometimes look to them to fulfill me. Watching TV, shopping, eating, they can all fit into the category of spiritual 'junk food'. Taken too much or for the wrong reasons, they fill me up with empty calories and don't satisfy. They dull my appetite for God's Word and His presence.

When I find myself in the bad cycle, either literally by eating junk food, or spiritually, it takes some extra effort to switch the momentum. There is a period where I REALLY want something sweet but have to force myself to say no. Once I'm 'good' for a while, the sugar cravings subside. The same thing happens spiritually. There is frequently a period where I feel like spending time with God is hard and a big effort. Once I stick it through, I begin to see my attitudes and appetites shift.

"I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in Me will never go thirsty." John 6:35

What will you feast on?

God in the Plans

Yesterday, which was Saturday, December 19, the last Saturday before Christmas, we did our Christmas shopping. Yes, apparently we are certifiably insane. We and hundreds of other parents who swarmed the stores. Knowing it was going to be nuts, I had my list all made out and knew what to get at each store for each child.

We got to Target, our first stop (yes, the kids were with us, forcing us to try and shop sneaky without the kids figuring it out). Target was packed and the shelves held almost none of what I was looking for. A few days earlier, I had found what I wanted, but by Saturday it as gone. Frustrated, stressed and overwhelmed, we left with one gift.

Joe suggested that we ditch most of my list and head to the hobby store. He argued that it wouldn't be as busy and we would find higher quality gifts that would inspire creativity in our kids. I'm not one to discard my lists and plans easily and it took a lot of convincing for me to relent. I was concerned that we'd spend more money at the hobby store, but off we went.

Once at the hobby store, we had a great time. We let the kids look around and got ideas for what interested them, then I watched them while Joe bought things and hid them in the car. The things we got were much better quality than we would have gotten elsewhere. I relaxed considerably and admitted that yes, my husband had been right.

Then he told me that he had prayed that morning that God would lead us in getting the right gifts for our kids. We were convinced that God had answered that prayer.

Why hadn't I thought of that? I think I have the materialistic "presents" side of Christmas so segregated from the spiritual "Jesus' birthday" side of Christmas. My wise husband invited God to be part of our plans to bless our children with gifts that would help them grow as well as remind them of the gift of Jesus.

Praise God that He wants to be in all of our plans, both those deemed 'spiritual' and those considered 'worldly'. When we walk with Him, all things are sacred and He wants to be involved in all of it.

May you invite Jesus to be Lord over all your plans this Christmas and always!

Tips on Redeeming a Grumpy, Gloomy, Bickery, Ucky, Blah Day

This fall has been particularly gloomy for some reason and it affects everyone. We've had several days where everyone is grouchy, bickering and gloomy. How do we fix that for Mom and kids alike? Here are some tips that have helped our family...

1. Get outside, no matter how cold, wet or gloomy it is. Even just for 5-10 minutes. There's something about fresh air that lifts the spirits. The other day we went outside and collected fall leaves for 10 minutes. Everyone was much happier afterwards!

2. Do an art project. Creativity also seems to help bring some light to dark moods. We pressed our leaves and made place mats from them. Bring out the paint or the play dough.

3. Put on some lively music. Classical music, praise and worship, whatever fits your family.

4. Play a game. Maybe it's a good day to bring out Chutes and Ladders, Candyland or teach the kids to play checkers.

5. Accomplish something simple but satisfying. I vacuumed out my car while the kids were collecting leaves. It REALLY needed to be done but didn't take much effort. It looked SO much better and I felt great about having it done. (Hubby was glad, too!)

6. Laugh! Go tickle your kids or watch a funny movie with them. Have them take turn telling jokes, no matter how corny.

7. Get moving! Do jumping jacks with the kids, or jump rope in the basement or "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes". Get the blood flowing.

Anyone have other tips to share? The weather isn't going to get nicer any time soon...

Jesus is for Losers

"While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and 'sinners' came and ate with Him and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, 'Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?' On hearing this, Jesus said, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.'" Matthew 9:10-13

Do you see yourself as sick or well? Do you need a spiritual doctor? We're so good at convincing ourselves and the world around us that everything is fine. Yes, my life is fine, my family is fine, my marriage is fine, my kids are fine, my job is fine. No problems. I don't need anything from you or anyone else, especially God. Jesus is just a crutch for those who can't handle life on their own.

Well, guess what. None of us can really handle life on our own if we're truly honest with ourselves. Our pride insists that we can do it all just fine. We can figure it out alone. And if you're not at the place where you realize that you don't have things all figured out, beware because God has very effective ways of getting you there quickly. Not to be mean, but because sometimes we need to be made aware of our need in order to come to Him and find true joy.

The crux of the issue is that we all sin. We all fall short of God's glory - His perfection. Big things, little things, we all do it. And the "but I'm really a good person" just doesn't cut it.

The Pharisees were good people and Jesus tore them up one side and down the other. They followed all the rules, plus lots more. And they had a lot of rules to follow - over 600! But they missed the point. They focused on the outward stuff and ignored the inner stuff. God cares about the inside.

"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgement.' But I [Jesus] tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgement." Matthew 5:21-22a

Been angry? Oops.

"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Matthew 5:27-28 Ladies, this goes for you, too. Have you gazed too long at the cute UPS guy? That co-worker? Oops.

James 2:10 "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." Whoa. Suffice it to say that we're all in deep doo-doo, no matter how 'good' of a person we think we've been.

So what's the out? "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

OK, so we work hard enough at being a good person from now on and Jesus will take care of it all for us, right?

No.

It doesn't say "...whoever tries hard enough and goes to church every Sunday will not perish but have eternal life." It says BELIEVE.

"For by grace [free gift] you have been saved, through faith. It is not of ourselves, it is a gift from God. NOT AS A RESULT OF WORKS SO THAT NO ONE SHOULD BOAST." Ephesians 2:10, emphasis mine

Being a good person has nothing to do with it, folks. Jesus is for losers - people who will have the humility to admit that they can't do this thing called life on their own. Losers who admit that they sin and that being a good person doesn't fix it. And don't get too excited about how humble you are, because that would be pride and then you'd be back where you started. :)

Are you a loser?

What's this 'Nanowrimo' thing?

If you're a non-writing friend of mine, or you do write and you've just never heard of this "NaNoWri Mo" thing, let me fill you in. It stands for "National Novel Writing Month", although it's become really quite international. For the month of November, whomever is insane enough to try it, writes a 50,000 word (or more) novel between November 1 and November 30. As crazy as it sounds, tons of people do it from all over the world. There's no prize if you win, just the satisfaction that you did it.

I tried it last year, but about a week in was struck down with morning sickness and pregnancy exhaustion, so I gave up. But, this year, I'm more or less healthy and have no excuses! Actually, I could come up with quite a few excuses, but I'm going to try it anyway. :)

So, why in the world would an already busy homeschool mom decide to write about 1700 words a day for 30 days? Hah! So glad you asked...

1. I enjoy the challenge. I like stepping out a doing something that has nothing to do with being a Mom or educating my children.

2. I want to work on turning off my "inner editor". In writing and in other areas of my life, I tend to be fairly critical of what I produce. When writing a novel in 30 days, quantity rather than quality is the goal. There's no time to listen to the editor in my ear telling me how horrible this is and how it will never work. He just has to shut up so I can get it done. All first drafts have big problems that need to be fixed. This one will certainly be no different. You can't edit a blank page. (Someone else said that - not me.)

3. I'm using the opportunity to explore a few writing things I've been wanting to but haven't. I want to write in dual perspectives, meaning that the story is told from the point of view of two different characters. I also want to write for adults rather than teens. Thirdly, I'm working on a plot that deals with racial issues in the Church - a topic I've wanted to tackle for a while. Am I SUPER nuts for trying so many new and serious things on a slam together Nanowrimo novel? Perhaps. But, in my mind, doing it this way gives me the freedom to fail, and therefore the freedom to take more risks that I otherwise might not .

4. I've had trouble in the past writing novels in short chunks because I lose track of the flow of the story. It's like trying to carry on an in-depth conversation with someone in 2 minutes a day. It's a little hard to keep track of what you were talking about. This should solve that problem. I'm also guessing I'll learn more how to write amid distractions (like children, football games and hockey games in the background).

I've found that when I know what I need to write, my kids are relatively quiet upstairs for 'rest time' and I've got a coffee buzz going, I can write 500 words in about 20 minutes. So, an hour and a half, roughly, per day to make 1700 words. No problem! I think the problem will be keeping that up throughout the month.

November will NOT be the month to quit caffeine and I may be doing my Christmas shopping early. Or late.

Anyone care to join me? ;)

The Great Divide

Have you ever noticed that there are people who have been Christians for quite some time, have all sorts of Bible verses memorized, serve in all different ministries, etc, and yet they still seem to struggle in some basic areas? Gossip, complaining, greed, selfishness... Have you ever noticed yourself in that category? I've seen it many times, including in myself, and was thankful when a speaker I heard this past weekend addressed that issue.

He said that our spiritual maturity and our emotional maturity are linked. Some of us have emotional issues from our past that are keeping us from developing emotionally and spiritually. Do you struggle with trying to impress others and build yourself up? (I do!) Philippians 2 says that Jesus did not consider equality with God something to be grasped and that we should take the same attitude. Is there something in your past that has triggered that struggle, like a parent you could never please or constant feelings of inadequacy? Do you get defensive when criticized? Wrestle with a food or spending addiction? The list goes on.

If the answer is 'yes', is it time for counseling? Well, I can't answer that question for you, but Jesus was clear that He wants us to bring all our 'junk' to Him.

"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matthew 11:28

So, whether or not you feel led to talk through some issues with someone else, we definitely need to work through them with Him. If you have issues from your past that need to be worked through, I would highly recommend the book Building the Christian Family You Never Had. In the first half of the book, author Mary DeMuth describes her own very challenging time growing up and walks readers through how to process, forgive and heal from past hurts. I've heard many times people say that we need to be healed from our pasts, but never read a better description of HOW to go about doing that with God. The point of the book is that we can't really avoid repeating how we were raised until we are healed from it.

So, if there is something creating a gap between what you know about walking with God and what you actually live out, ask God to probe your heart to see if there's something that needs healing before you can move forward with Him.

Don't Give Up!

Have you ever felt bombarded by circumstances, conflicts or health issues and wanted to run away and hide? I lean in that direction more frequently than I care to admit. It's something I learned from my family, particularly my mother. I've had to make a conscious choice to do otherwise and it's not always easy.

Recently, I've had a handful of health challenges, from a never-ending sinus infection to sleeping poorly and being tired most of the time, back problems as well as some others. My natural bent is to be overwhelmed and frustrated that I'm dealing with this when I'm only 35. I should be able to teach 4-6 year olds how to do jumping jacks without it inducing a week-long headache!

After reading Joyce Meyer's book, Never Give Up! I was inspired to take on a different attitude. I stopped complaining about my problems and made up my mind to proactively pursue solutions, one at a time. I talked it over with my husband and devised a plan for how to tackle each one.

I realized that part of my problem was a reluctance to spend the money on my own healthcare. It also takes some stepping out of my comfort zone to address some of these issues. But, I need solutions. A healthier mom and wife is a happier mom and wife. And that's better for everyone! I can't serve God and my family if my body isn't functioning the way it should.

I discovered that even my fatigue is improved when I make up my mind to get to work anyway. Rather than dwell on being tired, I've tried to focus on finding ways to muster up some energy and do what needs to be done. Sometimes I just need to get my behind off the chair and get to work! No excuses!

How about you? Any areas in your life where you're acting more like a victim than a victor? Take charge of your health and your outlook on life. God walks through life with us and will give us the strength to get through whatever we need to.