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Food, Lies, and Heart Hunger

Stress. Internal or external demands that exceed our ability to manage without resorting to dysfunctional behaviors. Like gaining five pounds in the last few months while my husband and I have been walking through prostate cancer. We all have our favorite ways to comfort ourselves or get through the day when the days are intense.

I use food, often without self-awareness. Not until this week have I realized that’s why I’ve gained the weight. In retrospect, an obvious conclusion. Karen and cake 2

I have lots of company. Millions of Americans are overweight or obese. I used to be one of them. Maybe you’re struggling, too, especially during this season of temptation in America. 

If not food, are you using alcohol or relationships or cigarettes when life gets overwhelming? Do you realize it’s a way to cope with emotional pain?

If it is food, it’s not just “I love food,” as I’ve heard some overweight people say. It’s deeper than that. Almost everyone loves food. How do we use food? What’s the fear, sadness, abandonment that feeds the “hunger” for food. What is that deeper hunger? Do we know? Are we willing to know?

Did our father leave when we were seven? Did our mother ridicule us in junior high? Did the other children reject us because our clothing wasn’t stylish? Such pain these rejections cause. If you resonate, I know you’re in a lot of pain.

Those events may live in the past but that pain still lives in our hearts.  We can invite Jesus in to bring his truth, light, and healing. We can hear him speak his specific truth that counters the “truth” we learned at the hands of those who hurt us.

Our ability to manage stress is directly proportional to our heart grasp of Jesus’ truth.

Jesus, please give us power to face our deep pain, with you. Show us our next step. Thank you for all you’ve done already and for all you are doing and all you will do.

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By the Throat?

What do you do when you get in those places where life has you by the throat? I've been in a few of those places and I've learned three important strategies:

1.  Rest. Eat Well. Take care of our bodies. Our bodies come first. Without them, we are nothing. Well, you know what I mean. We're not present in the world. If you're walking with Jesus, you would be present with him, as Paul says. "absent from the body, present with the Lord."

Unless the Lord gives us specific instructions otherwise and we are sure it's God's guidance and not crazy thinking, our first priority is safeguarding health.

2. Partialize. Break the problem that has you in its hold into small pieces. What's doable right now? If you are worried about losing your house, what can you do today that might help? Ask for wisdom in working through a step-by-step process. We want instantaneous deliverance from our problems. In thirty-five years of walking with him, God has most often walked with me through a process of problem-solving. 

3. Work on relaxing and trusting God. God is more involved in our lives that we have any idea of. "If he's so involved, then why doesn't he rescue me?" I don't know. What I know is that he is suffering with you, to accomplish his purposes, which are worth what they cost. Whatever is coming on the whole world as we endure this economic crisis, he is in it with us, by his Holy Spirit.

Papa-God, please hold us in the palm of your hand. We need wisdom, guidance, and trust. You are a good God, or we wouldn't trust you with ourselves.

Posted early this week. I'll be away from a computer as I speak at Ordinary Women, Extraordinary God, a Vineyard Women's Conference in Columbus, Ohio. As always, thanks for reading. Comments are welcome.

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Surprised by Grace

On May 8, I wrote about three extra pounds I needed to lose before I came out to Colorado for the birth of our first grandson.  I just knew I wouldn't be able to resist eating the cookies and chunks of nutty granola treats that had been a downfall on previous visits.

But guess what? God had a different plan.  I lost a pound before I got here and I've lost two pounds here. Who knew I could resist? I had it all figured out–what I needed. But, once again, God showed me his power and grace.

Don't we all have areas where we just know how it's going to be? We know what's going to happen, especially if we don't do what we need to do. If we don't apply for that job a week before the deadline, we can't possibly be hired. We think if we've smoked for fifty years, we'll never quit. Maybe eating is your issue, too, and you just know you'll go to the grave in the body size you are now. You've made your bed and you'll just have to lie in it, just like your Mother always said.

Turns out, though, Moms are not always right. Sometimes God's surprising grace overrides Moms and our own expectations to bless us with a new experience of him.

Holy Spirit, thank you for your fresh manifestation of grace. May every reader be surprised by your gracious power today.

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Wanting What We Don’t Want

In a March, 2001 quote, Christian philosopher Dallas Willard
says, “One of the hardest points to get past in spiritual formation is that in
order for me to be spiritually transformed, I have to want to not want what I now
want.”

I thought of this yesterday when I realized that a part of
me thinks it’s okay not to lose the three pounds I gained on our March vacation.
I thought I was all in agreement about losing. If I don’t eliminate them now, I’ll
gain three more when I go help my daughter with the birth of our first grandchild
in June. Not until yesterday morning, when I stopped and thought more seriously
why my efforts over the last few weeks haven’t been working, did I notice her
hidden in the corner.

Lifting her nose, she said:  “My clothes still fit, my lipid panel numbers
are okay, what’s the problem here?”

I pulled her out into the light: “Oh, no you don’t. If I don’t
lose these pounds now, I’ll gain more in June. I won’t be so mindful of my
eating then. I am not going there.” 

Sometimes, even as Christians, we fully want to disobey in a
particular area. But aren’t we usually of two minds? Part of us wants to do the
right thing; part of us wants what it wants and doesn’t want to change. Part of
us wants to read the Bible, the other part says, “Oh, what’s the use?” Part of
us wants to tithe, the other says, “I need that money myself.” One part says, “Don’t
even look,” while another part says, “Just one glance at that X-rated site won’t
hurt.”

With renewed prayer, I managed to reduce my portions
yesterday. By grace, I’ll do it again today. Jesus is Prince of Peace. He is
the one who exposes and settles our conflicts. Only he gives power to change
our wants.

Lord, we come to you, just as we are, conflicts and
all. Please grow our internal peace and unity.

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Health Care in America

I’ve just heard about an initiative to get input from the public about the state of health care in America. Please go to http://www.citizenshealthcare.gov to answer the questions that Congress is asking of us all. Perhaps some progress can be made in the mishmash of health care we now have.

Personally, I have no complaints up until now–my health insurance situation has been good. But I can’t imagine being without insurance. I also feel it is immoral for health care to be for-profit.  I think doctors and other medical professionals should be paid well because they do demanding, difficult jobs. But I don’t believe health care should be profit-driven.

That’s my opinion. Go give yours at the website–the first effort I know about to gather public opinion!

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