Today is my birthday. I know that it’s not popular to be in love with your birthday and that I should somehow be sad that I am getting older, but I have to tell you, I think that mindset is completely ridiculous.
I am not sad about my age.
I am never sad about my birthday!
I get excited every time it rolls around and this year, I am 36, and just as thrilled to be 36 as I was to be 26. I love Birthdays! …and to be more specific, I love MY birthday!
I actually have a friend who turned 50 this year. She didn’t want a party and you have never seen someone so opposed to turning 50! I have to tell you, I don’t get that. Did her making us ignore her birthday somehow make her still stay 49? Nope. She’s still 50, gorgeous, and amazing.
My sister freaked out when she turned 30. Seriously, she F R E A K E D O U T. You know what? She’s 33 today. Freakin’ out didn’t make it stop and time still goes by.
I am so not sad about 36! Age does not scare me because I remember 26.
At 26: excited about who I was and where I was going
At 36: amazed at where God has taken me and who He wants me to be
At 26: two babies at home that needed constant care and attention
At 36: four kids that pretty much take care of themselves
At 26: trying to figure out how to please my husband
At 36: husband needs clean clothes, food in any form, sleep, and love
At 26: trying to somehow fit in, STILL
At 36: love me or leave me, God placed me right here
At 26: annoyed that I am so freakin’ tall and nothing fits
At 36: why is everyone else so freakin’ short? …and I know where to shop
At 26: trying to fit the “mold”
At 36: just a lump of clay allowing God to constantly mold me
~Being 36 is being comfortable with who God has designed me to be and finding out that His plan is perfect but that doesn’t mean that I am.
~I am not sure why I had to be so tall to fit into that plan, but I love that the step stools in my house are for all of my short friends that come to visit and not me. I can totally see on top of my fridge without one. Beat that!
I love that turning 36 means that God has blessed me with another year.
36 years old, 5 feet 11 inches tall, slightly chubby, always smiling, 4 kids, 14 years of marriage.
…that is God’s best for me.
Bring it on.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Love, Dad
I love how God took my most basic needs and made them simple. It’s not God that has made it difficult. The most basic desires, needs and questions are answered all throughout His Love Letter to me, the Bible, and I have allowed human thoughts to come in and confuse so many aspects of my life.
This morning I was laying in bed, sleeping in for the first time in a day short of seventy years, and my son, Aedan, age 6, came in and snuggled up against me. He didn’t want breakfast. He didn’t want me to settle an argument between him and his brother. He just wanted me…just to be near me. I scratched his back and drew around his little face. I tickled him under his chin and we talked a little. We laid there for about an hour, and I never even knew time had gone by. Then, just like that, he was ready to go. He had gotten his Mommy time and his little love tank was full, so he ran out to tackle the day.
My biggest lesson in seeing who God is came when I fell in love with my children. I would do anything for them and I protect them fiercely. I discipline them because I love them and I don’t want them to get hurt. I desire for them to grow up and be good people and followers of Christ. I can’t choose for them to do right, but I can be there for them when they fall and offer guidance and experience.
I love them.
A lot.
How much more does God love us?
I think that’s why God calls Himself our Heavenly Father. There is no other way for us to understand what kind of love that God has for us. What kind of love would send His Son to the cross for me? Could I sacrifice that much for a bunch of people that couldn’t stand me? Could I sacrifice my child for people that spit in his face?! Writing that out brings pain to my heart!
If God would have not called me into motherhood, I don’t know how I could have possibly known the love that a parent feels for their child. God had to break it down for me. That is how He looks at me. That is how He loves me, but ten fold.
My son doesn’t ask me to love him. I just do. I adore him. I love everything about him. I love that he is part of us, part of our family, and I love that his personality is vastly different from mine but his face reflects that he is part of me. There is nothing that he could ever do that would make him any less my son. He will always be mine.
That kind of love is unconditional.
We put the rules on love. God never did. He loves us unconditionally. He never says that I have to earn His love. It just is, because God is love. Why do we have to mess that up? I don’t have to be perfect to be His child. I am not always obedient, either. He loves me anyway.
He just wants me to be near Him.
He just wants me to WANT to be near Him.
That way, I don’t run out into the world on empty. Simple time and love.
Finding my weigh means seeing that God loves me no matter what. I don't want to lose weight to impress a world that is very un-impressed with me. This world has charmed me into believing that love is a condition that is based on what I do right, if I am thin enough and if I am pretty enough. That is just a set up for failure. I can't live up to those expectations. I don't want to live up to those expectations.
Proverbs 31:30
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
He loves me right here, right now. He loves me just because He has built me this way. I have chosen wrong things that have done less for my body than He would desire. He still loves me. He still uses me. He desires more for me, but He will love me through it all.
That’s God’s best for me.
This morning I was laying in bed, sleeping in for the first time in a day short of seventy years, and my son, Aedan, age 6, came in and snuggled up against me. He didn’t want breakfast. He didn’t want me to settle an argument between him and his brother. He just wanted me…just to be near me. I scratched his back and drew around his little face. I tickled him under his chin and we talked a little. We laid there for about an hour, and I never even knew time had gone by. Then, just like that, he was ready to go. He had gotten his Mommy time and his little love tank was full, so he ran out to tackle the day.
My biggest lesson in seeing who God is came when I fell in love with my children. I would do anything for them and I protect them fiercely. I discipline them because I love them and I don’t want them to get hurt. I desire for them to grow up and be good people and followers of Christ. I can’t choose for them to do right, but I can be there for them when they fall and offer guidance and experience.
I love them.
A lot.
How much more does God love us?
I think that’s why God calls Himself our Heavenly Father. There is no other way for us to understand what kind of love that God has for us. What kind of love would send His Son to the cross for me? Could I sacrifice that much for a bunch of people that couldn’t stand me? Could I sacrifice my child for people that spit in his face?! Writing that out brings pain to my heart!
If God would have not called me into motherhood, I don’t know how I could have possibly known the love that a parent feels for their child. God had to break it down for me. That is how He looks at me. That is how He loves me, but ten fold.
My son doesn’t ask me to love him. I just do. I adore him. I love everything about him. I love that he is part of us, part of our family, and I love that his personality is vastly different from mine but his face reflects that he is part of me. There is nothing that he could ever do that would make him any less my son. He will always be mine.
That kind of love is unconditional.
We put the rules on love. God never did. He loves us unconditionally. He never says that I have to earn His love. It just is, because God is love. Why do we have to mess that up? I don’t have to be perfect to be His child. I am not always obedient, either. He loves me anyway.
He just wants me to be near Him.
He just wants me to WANT to be near Him.
That way, I don’t run out into the world on empty. Simple time and love.
Finding my weigh means seeing that God loves me no matter what. I don't want to lose weight to impress a world that is very un-impressed with me. This world has charmed me into believing that love is a condition that is based on what I do right, if I am thin enough and if I am pretty enough. That is just a set up for failure. I can't live up to those expectations. I don't want to live up to those expectations.
Proverbs 31:30
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
He loves me right here, right now. He loves me just because He has built me this way. I have chosen wrong things that have done less for my body than He would desire. He still loves me. He still uses me. He desires more for me, but He will love me through it all.
That’s God’s best for me.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Need a Drink?
I was out weeding my garden the other morning. Believe me, it was a feat. I don't have a ton of time so getting out into the fresh earth is a quiet moment that I long for but rarely get. Sometimes it gets to the point where I have to question which plants belong and which ones need to come out.
This particular morning followed a night of rain, so the ground was soft and willing to give up the deeply rooted weeds.
Have you ever noticed that? When the ground is dry and crusty, the weeds are almost impossible to pull out. You can get the tops yanked off pretty quickly, but those roots are almost locked into the ground.
And, it's not like you can just water your garden and then pull weeds. It doesn't work like that. You have to really let that water soak up in there and give it some time before you can reach down there and pull out those weeds with ease.
I couldn't help but notice how this really lined up with my life. I sometimes feel like I have so many weeds in my life that have taken root and block out the Son and choke out the Fruit that God would manifest in my life. And, if my life is the soil, and God's best is the beautiful fruit, then the work of the enemy would be the weeds.
If I want the weeds out, then I have to pull them out one by one. It's labor intensive and exhausting at times, and when the ground is dry, then it's impossible to get the entire root of the weeds. If I want to see more of the Son, then I have to allow Him to penetrate every possible corner of who I am.
John 7:38
"Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."
Revelation 7:17
"For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
His word, His promises, His Spirit.
That is the Living Water I need.
That is what will moisten the soil and prepare me to pull out the weeds.
I can't do it alone.
It has to permeate every section of my being so that the weeds come out easier and with the total root being removed.
Soaking up who He is so that the worst of me can be removed easier?
That is God's best for me.
How does that relate to Finding My Weigh?
We all know that water is important. It flushes your body and cleanses. It brings healing. Water makes up over 60% of your body. If you don't drink enough of it, it will keep your body from running at peak performance and make you look an feel completely run down.
Water.
Important all the way around.
Pure.
Fresh.
Today I will resolve to not drink anything full of junk...spiritually or physically.
I know that it's God's best for me.
This particular morning followed a night of rain, so the ground was soft and willing to give up the deeply rooted weeds.
Have you ever noticed that? When the ground is dry and crusty, the weeds are almost impossible to pull out. You can get the tops yanked off pretty quickly, but those roots are almost locked into the ground.
And, it's not like you can just water your garden and then pull weeds. It doesn't work like that. You have to really let that water soak up in there and give it some time before you can reach down there and pull out those weeds with ease.
I couldn't help but notice how this really lined up with my life. I sometimes feel like I have so many weeds in my life that have taken root and block out the Son and choke out the Fruit that God would manifest in my life. And, if my life is the soil, and God's best is the beautiful fruit, then the work of the enemy would be the weeds.
If I want the weeds out, then I have to pull them out one by one. It's labor intensive and exhausting at times, and when the ground is dry, then it's impossible to get the entire root of the weeds. If I want to see more of the Son, then I have to allow Him to penetrate every possible corner of who I am.
John 7:38
"Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."
Revelation 7:17
"For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
His word, His promises, His Spirit.
That is the Living Water I need.
That is what will moisten the soil and prepare me to pull out the weeds.
I can't do it alone.
It has to permeate every section of my being so that the weeds come out easier and with the total root being removed.
Soaking up who He is so that the worst of me can be removed easier?
That is God's best for me.
How does that relate to Finding My Weigh?
We all know that water is important. It flushes your body and cleanses. It brings healing. Water makes up over 60% of your body. If you don't drink enough of it, it will keep your body from running at peak performance and make you look an feel completely run down.
Water.
Important all the way around.
Pure.
Fresh.
Today I will resolve to not drink anything full of junk...spiritually or physically.
I know that it's God's best for me.
Monday, July 12, 2010
4 x blessed=me!
I am so in love with being a mom. Don’t get me wrong…there are days when that statement has to be forced out of my mouth, but I have never regretted having any one of my beautiful four babies. They are smart, beautiful blessings, and I am so grateful that God allowed them to be part of my life.
There was a day when we didn’t think we would be able to have children. We had tried for a while on our own, and my doctor confirmed to me my worst fear as a wife and woman that loves children. She told me that I had a condition called endometriosis and that being able to conceive, for me, would be almost impossible, and that we should look at all of our options before getting completely frustrated.
Devastating.
Heartbroken.
Angry.
Frustrated.
I still remember Tim holding me as I was crying. I wanted children so badly that I would just yearn every time I saw baby shoes or someone holding a little one.
Another year went by and I decided I wanted to go to grad school instead of spending money on trying to have children. We were both in college, working part time jobs to just get by, so having an overabundance of money just wasn’t in the plans at that time.
Everyone at work had the flu, and I just thought it was my turn. I ended up sick for over a week and it just wouldn’t go away…no fever. My sister came to visit and convinced me to take a pregnancy test. I cried as I took it, knowing that if I got another “negative,” that the devastation would be more than I could bear, but at least she would be there to comfort me as she sat there, seven months pregnant with her second daughter.
Isn’t that where God meets us the most? There I was, pants down, sitting on the toilet, peeing on a stick, and begging God for mercy, refusing to look at a stupid piece of plastic because that little line held such power over my life that if it wasn’t there again, I knew I would be broken for days.
Vulnerable. Completely vulnerable.
Defying all odds, medical and human, God made a way where there was no way. In that moment, God gave me my first child. I saw that line…positive. In that moment, I was Sarah. What seemed impossible in human eyes, God made possible. The doctor was so floored that she would not confirm that this was a viable pregnancy for two months. She was convinced that I would never carry that baby.
My oldest daughter is now 11 wonderful years old and is followed by two sons and another baby girl just to bring it all together, and just because He can.
If you doubt for one moment that it was God and not just a medical mistake, remember this; two years ago, I had to go into the GYN because I was in such pain that I almost passed out. When the doctor did the exam, she was floored that I was able to have one child, let alone four of them. I had a hysterectomy because everything was such a mess.
Why? Because God is good.
Four kids? That is God’s best for me.
I want to be God’s best for them as a Mom. He didn’t have to give them to me. He just did.
Why do I tell you this long and awesome story?
Because God answers prayer.
It might not look like what we think it will look like in the end, but He does answer prayer. I know that He hears my prayers for a healthier and more abundant future. If He can make it so that I can have children, He can help me to lose this weight. He wants His best for me.
I’m excited about His future for me, because His future for me is His best for me.
There was a day when we didn’t think we would be able to have children. We had tried for a while on our own, and my doctor confirmed to me my worst fear as a wife and woman that loves children. She told me that I had a condition called endometriosis and that being able to conceive, for me, would be almost impossible, and that we should look at all of our options before getting completely frustrated.
Devastating.
Heartbroken.
Angry.
Frustrated.
I still remember Tim holding me as I was crying. I wanted children so badly that I would just yearn every time I saw baby shoes or someone holding a little one.
Another year went by and I decided I wanted to go to grad school instead of spending money on trying to have children. We were both in college, working part time jobs to just get by, so having an overabundance of money just wasn’t in the plans at that time.
Everyone at work had the flu, and I just thought it was my turn. I ended up sick for over a week and it just wouldn’t go away…no fever. My sister came to visit and convinced me to take a pregnancy test. I cried as I took it, knowing that if I got another “negative,” that the devastation would be more than I could bear, but at least she would be there to comfort me as she sat there, seven months pregnant with her second daughter.
Isn’t that where God meets us the most? There I was, pants down, sitting on the toilet, peeing on a stick, and begging God for mercy, refusing to look at a stupid piece of plastic because that little line held such power over my life that if it wasn’t there again, I knew I would be broken for days.
Vulnerable. Completely vulnerable.
Defying all odds, medical and human, God made a way where there was no way. In that moment, God gave me my first child. I saw that line…positive. In that moment, I was Sarah. What seemed impossible in human eyes, God made possible. The doctor was so floored that she would not confirm that this was a viable pregnancy for two months. She was convinced that I would never carry that baby.
My oldest daughter is now 11 wonderful years old and is followed by two sons and another baby girl just to bring it all together, and just because He can.
If you doubt for one moment that it was God and not just a medical mistake, remember this; two years ago, I had to go into the GYN because I was in such pain that I almost passed out. When the doctor did the exam, she was floored that I was able to have one child, let alone four of them. I had a hysterectomy because everything was such a mess.
Why? Because God is good.
Four kids? That is God’s best for me.
I want to be God’s best for them as a Mom. He didn’t have to give them to me. He just did.
Why do I tell you this long and awesome story?
Because God answers prayer.
It might not look like what we think it will look like in the end, but He does answer prayer. I know that He hears my prayers for a healthier and more abundant future. If He can make it so that I can have children, He can help me to lose this weight. He wants His best for me.
I’m excited about His future for me, because His future for me is His best for me.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Joshua the Giant
We got a kitten last week…because I have no ability to say no to big brown, begging eyes.
This kitten weighs less than a pound and is about half the size of a paper clip, covered in dark gray fur and has blue-gray eyes that beg you to play with him. His name is Zachary, and he’s adorable. I love him already. He’s strong and tenacious and he is fairly certain that he is ten feet tall and bullet proof.
I mention how tiny he is to also tell you this…we have a giant golden retriever named Joshua, that is 90 pounds of big, fluffy teddy bear. This dog is massive and has a heart that is as golden as his coat. He was very intrigued by this little gray fluff that we brought home for about ten seconds. The moment the two were introduced, Zack immediately began hissing and declaring his territory with the six members of his new family and Joshua was obviously not invited and took it rather well. He never barked at Zack, took his cue and backed away.
I had to laugh yesterday, because Zack toddled over to Joshua’s water bowl and proceeded to take a drink at about the same time Joshua decided he was thirsty enough to wake his lazy butt up and mozy over to the watering hole. Joshua got about three feet from his water bowl and there was Zack, with his ten feet tall and bullet proof attitude, taking up about 6 inches of space, but demanding about 3 feet more than he needed. Zack turned towards Joshua, put his gray paws up in the air and started batting just before he toppled over.
Now, Zack is obviously a light snack for Joshua. It would take Josh about 2 seconds to decide he is done with him and just step on him and it would all be over. But he’s afraid of him so he just stood there, staring helplessly as this mini cat drank his water. Hilarious and sad all at the same time.
I got to thinking about how this actually relates to me all of the time. I think that there are certain situations in my life that I think I have no control over and I automatically think that I am going to lose, so why even bother fighting? I constantly forget that I have already won because the Power that I can call upon at any given moment to help me find strength, peace, hope and comfort in, is not just right beside me, but living in my heart.
It’s all in perspective. God is big. He is in total control, and yet we look at these issues in our lives that seem ten feet tall and bullet proof and feel helpless to defeat it. We forget that the same power that has called our lives took down a giant with a stone, walked on water, calmed a raging storm, kept hungry lions from tearing flesh and parted an entire sea. …and we have access to it all.
Knowing the power that is available to me through Jesus Christ? That is God’s best for me.
This kitten weighs less than a pound and is about half the size of a paper clip, covered in dark gray fur and has blue-gray eyes that beg you to play with him. His name is Zachary, and he’s adorable. I love him already. He’s strong and tenacious and he is fairly certain that he is ten feet tall and bullet proof.
I mention how tiny he is to also tell you this…we have a giant golden retriever named Joshua, that is 90 pounds of big, fluffy teddy bear. This dog is massive and has a heart that is as golden as his coat. He was very intrigued by this little gray fluff that we brought home for about ten seconds. The moment the two were introduced, Zack immediately began hissing and declaring his territory with the six members of his new family and Joshua was obviously not invited and took it rather well. He never barked at Zack, took his cue and backed away.
I had to laugh yesterday, because Zack toddled over to Joshua’s water bowl and proceeded to take a drink at about the same time Joshua decided he was thirsty enough to wake his lazy butt up and mozy over to the watering hole. Joshua got about three feet from his water bowl and there was Zack, with his ten feet tall and bullet proof attitude, taking up about 6 inches of space, but demanding about 3 feet more than he needed. Zack turned towards Joshua, put his gray paws up in the air and started batting just before he toppled over.
Now, Zack is obviously a light snack for Joshua. It would take Josh about 2 seconds to decide he is done with him and just step on him and it would all be over. But he’s afraid of him so he just stood there, staring helplessly as this mini cat drank his water. Hilarious and sad all at the same time.
I got to thinking about how this actually relates to me all of the time. I think that there are certain situations in my life that I think I have no control over and I automatically think that I am going to lose, so why even bother fighting? I constantly forget that I have already won because the Power that I can call upon at any given moment to help me find strength, peace, hope and comfort in, is not just right beside me, but living in my heart.
It’s all in perspective. God is big. He is in total control, and yet we look at these issues in our lives that seem ten feet tall and bullet proof and feel helpless to defeat it. We forget that the same power that has called our lives took down a giant with a stone, walked on water, calmed a raging storm, kept hungry lions from tearing flesh and parted an entire sea. …and we have access to it all.
Knowing the power that is available to me through Jesus Christ? That is God’s best for me.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Stuck in Opposites
I am continually frustrated when I find out how blinded I have been by the enemy.
sigh.
This was huge when God revealed it to me, and I am compelled to share this with all of you.
There are many things that I do backwards and live to regret it day after day or year after year. We all have things like that and we learn from them, but I think that Satan has us so blinded on this one that we are walking around in frustration and anger about unanswered prayers and sadness that sometimes seems endless.
Why?
When I hit emotional rock bottom, my inclination is to bury myself in a pile of "feel good" foods because, let's face it, I deserve it and it feels great. It always feels better at that moment, but in the end, it always leads to feeling worse. In the morning, my weight is up, my head is swimming, and my body aches.
Why?
Because when I hit strife and conflict in my life that affects my well being, I am not called to give into fleshly desires so that I feel better. The end to this is just another pile of sin without God's best for me. In giving in to that need to be comforted with something other than God, I have taken Him out of the answers.
Backwards.
This is where Satan has us blinded. Take a look through the Bible. When God's people had great strife in their lives, they didn't feast! They totally Fasted.
In Esther, she had all of her people fast when she found out the plan that Hamman had hatched to have them all killed (Esther 4). In Nehemiah 9, the Israelites were called to fast and come back to the Lord. In Psalm 35 he fasted because someone was sick. Jesus fasted in Matt. 4 for forty days!
When I have a big decision to make, I cover it in chips so that I forget about it.
Backwards.
Blinded.
Walking forward with both eyes open, now I need the discipline to do this God's way.
Turning away from any bad habit that has had you locked away in sin is never going to be easy. It's not about easy or difficult.
It's about God's Best for me.
Fasting and binge eating are exact opposites. Good and Evil are exact opposites. Blind and Seeing are exact opposites.
God's way....Satan's way.
Where do you want to live?
I want God's Best.
sigh.
This was huge when God revealed it to me, and I am compelled to share this with all of you.
There are many things that I do backwards and live to regret it day after day or year after year. We all have things like that and we learn from them, but I think that Satan has us so blinded on this one that we are walking around in frustration and anger about unanswered prayers and sadness that sometimes seems endless.
Why?
When I hit emotional rock bottom, my inclination is to bury myself in a pile of "feel good" foods because, let's face it, I deserve it and it feels great. It always feels better at that moment, but in the end, it always leads to feeling worse. In the morning, my weight is up, my head is swimming, and my body aches.
Why?
Because when I hit strife and conflict in my life that affects my well being, I am not called to give into fleshly desires so that I feel better. The end to this is just another pile of sin without God's best for me. In giving in to that need to be comforted with something other than God, I have taken Him out of the answers.
Backwards.
This is where Satan has us blinded. Take a look through the Bible. When God's people had great strife in their lives, they didn't feast! They totally Fasted.
In Esther, she had all of her people fast when she found out the plan that Hamman had hatched to have them all killed (Esther 4). In Nehemiah 9, the Israelites were called to fast and come back to the Lord. In Psalm 35 he fasted because someone was sick. Jesus fasted in Matt. 4 for forty days!
When I have a big decision to make, I cover it in chips so that I forget about it.
Backwards.
Blinded.
Walking forward with both eyes open, now I need the discipline to do this God's way.
Turning away from any bad habit that has had you locked away in sin is never going to be easy. It's not about easy or difficult.
It's about God's Best for me.
Fasting and binge eating are exact opposites. Good and Evil are exact opposites. Blind and Seeing are exact opposites.
God's way....Satan's way.
Where do you want to live?
I want God's Best.
Friday, July 2, 2010
My Body? His Body.
I know that there are certain things that come into my life that live on an "if-y" line. I believe that food is one of them. In this department, I will cave and bend in ways that I fight viciously in most other areas. Knowing that I struggle with food and my love of food, I will walk into a Dunkin Donuts like a recovering alcoholic would walk into a bar...eyes wide open with the possibilities!
Why? Why would I do that to myself?
Temptations are all around me. With four kids and a husband that are all fit and healthy (partly thanks to the Keeper of all Snacks and Dinners), I allow them to purchase certain luxury items for the pantry that are like ticking time bombs for me....just sitting there...eying me...like it can talk and draw me in like that.....
frustrating that cookies can talk to me like that....sigh.
BUT, I have good news! I don't have to fall into temptation! Why? Because I have friends out there that are praying for me and I have God's Word to feed me when it's a craving more than hunger that is driving me to the kitchen.
Satan has rendered me useless because he has drawn my eye and persuaded sme that what I have done to my body is a lesser sin than that of others, if it's even a sin at all?? Well, let's hold it up against what the Bible says about my body...
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (New International Version)
Why? Why would I do that to myself?
Temptations are all around me. With four kids and a husband that are all fit and healthy (partly thanks to the Keeper of all Snacks and Dinners), I allow them to purchase certain luxury items for the pantry that are like ticking time bombs for me....just sitting there...eying me...like it can talk and draw me in like that.....
frustrating that cookies can talk to me like that....sigh.
BUT, I have good news! I don't have to fall into temptation! Why? Because I have friends out there that are praying for me and I have God's Word to feed me when it's a craving more than hunger that is driving me to the kitchen.
Satan has rendered me useless because he has drawn my eye and persuaded sme that what I have done to my body is a lesser sin than that of others, if it's even a sin at all?? Well, let's hold it up against what the Bible says about my body...
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (New International Version)
19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
God doesn't own just the spiritual side of me. He owns the entire thing, including the physical body that in which my spirit resides. To love God and to be grateful is to love everything that He has given to me and to take care of what He has put me in charge of. That is why I am very careful about what I feed to my children and how much I allow them to eat and not to eat. I am responsible for them. I don't allow them to watch TV or play computer all day because I want them to enjoy the wind in their face and the sun on their shoulders. I know that God has given me the task of taking care of those little bodies so that one day they can be effective for His ministry.
So, how much sense does it make that I have allowed my body to give in to selfish desires that are less than what God would have as His best for me?
To love and to trust God is to know that He has made a way out of temptations that are all around me so that I can live in His best for me.
1 Corinthians 10:13 (New International Version)
13No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
He has given me this vessel. It belongs to Him. When I gave Him my soul, He gave me His forever, and now I need to honor Him with all that I am, including my physical body. No more excuses. I can do this....through Him.
This is God's best for me.
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