A New Creation!

A few months ago, my dear friend Laura invited me to join her and a group of women working through the Bible Study, "Freedom from Emotional Eating" by Barb Raveling. I was so excited! However, life at that time was more than crazy! I was doing two Bible studies, Granddaddy was sick, still fighting adoptions in Liberia, etc, etc. A few weeks into it, I felt God tell me to lay it down for now. However, in the past few weeks, I have definitely sensed that this is the area God wants me working on now!

I am realizing how much my affair with food interferes in every area of my life! So in an act of obedience, I started the Bible study again this morning. The first thing to do is set boundaries. It is very crucial for me that this not be a "diet"! This is about getting food off the throne that belongs to God! But she uses the example of an affair between a married woman and man to illustrate how important boundaries are. So I prayed through some boundaries and believe I have some good ones that God has given me. I found myself running from one in particular because it is the foundation of my issue! Funny how we do that!

So my boundaries are:

1. No eating off kids' plates
2. Ne second helping
3. Eat for nourishment not for comfort or taste (exceptions are social occasions and vacations where I will still do my best to make choices that nourish my body not just my palette, but don't want it to become a legalistic issue either)
4. No eating after getting up from the dinner table - I am a bad night time snacker and that is usually when my biggest emotional eating occurs. No longer! I am a new creation that doesn't need night time snacking because God is meeting my every need!

She also talks about exercise and time with God. Of course, time with God is vital! It is the key! If I am going to remove food from the throne, then God must be at the top of my priority list and spending time in prayer and Bible study is just the simple basic for that. Exercise has been a challenge for lately. I actually love to exercise, but with the depression and the addition of a baby, finding the time and motivation have been non-existent. I will continue to have my daily time with God as a non-negotiable. I am adding to that some physical activity every day - even if it is just a walk around the block or yard work. I bought a Dancing with the Stars DVD that I am going to use today! I am excited about that! I LOVE to dance, but don't know how, so this should kill two birds with one stone..teach me to dance, and get this body moving! Plus, as Barb p0ints out, the more you exercise, the more motivated you are to stay in your boundaries and the better I feel emotionally!

So here we go...day one of the New Me! Watch out world! This battle is behind me and nothing will stop me now!

Something's Stirring....

It's nearly 1 am and I can't sleep! Not good since my alarm will be going off in about 4 hours! ugh!

One of the things keeping me up are the thoughts about my struggle with food. God is stirring something in me...not just me, but John too. John received a Word from God during church last Sunday. It was pretty cool and had nothing to do with my food struggles, but I feel it spoke directly to it. It had to do with some major decisions we are making right now. Life pretty well feels like it is in God's blender right now, but I am quite sure he is making something wonderful!

God spoke to John using Matthew 9 and the words of Jesus about pouring new wine into old wine skins. You can't do it. They will crack and spill out the new, good wine. I know God is speaking to me about my affair with food in the same way.

I have been through probably the worst 3 years of my life these past three years. They have been extreme! But there are so many areas of battle that I see beginning to be won...and I feel like food is the one for me that when conquered will open up a whole new world for me and my family. I don't fully understand that, but I am ready to be free from my addiction to food and bondage that it places me in! I am ready for the life God has for me! I am ready to be the new wineskin so that God can pour His new, good wine into me and I will be able to contain it and not waste it by cracking and pouring it out on the ground!

Yes, I want to be thing, but lately, that is not what has consumed my thoughts! What I have longed for is the freedom from the bondage and guilt that my affair and idolatry with food brings. I have shared before that I will pierce my nose when I hit 175 pounds as that will symbolize to me personally that I have overcome my bondage to food and have replaced food with Jesus as my comfort and security! I have thought a lot about that nose piercing....I am ready for my heart to be pierced for God in a new and exciting way!

God, reveal to me the boundaries that you want for me. Show me the boundaries I need to walk in so that I can be free from the bondage of food! I desire you to be my Portion, My Stronghold, my Comforter! Food will hold me no more! What the enemy has meant for evil, You will turn to good! Praise you!
In Jesus Name ~ Amen!