I watched a movie last night that most of you are probably familiar with, “The Devil Wears Prada.” I really enjoy that movie, but not for reasons that you might think. Yes, I love to watch the small town girl blossom into a lovely lady, but that is not where I love it. Every time I watch that movie it reminds me of how far my self absorption could really take me and it scares me back into line.
However, last night, as I was watching it, something else struck me, in light of everything that I am trying to search through to find out who God would have me be through Finding My Weigh.
Towards the end of the movie, the main character was very proud of herself for going from a size 6 to a size 4. Her friend was also very proud of her.
Now, I could be blind, but she looked great before her amazing transformation….in a size 6…..and all during that time, she was mocked as being fat….by a woman who was obviously much larger than she was. I know this was just a movie, but it really depicted how we are trained to believe in the lie that healthy is fat and that we are mentally trained to believe that by starving ourselves and fitting into some “mold,” set up by….who?? …is exactly where we are supposed to be.
Ok. I think, and I could be wrong here, that they didn’t break the mold after making me. I am fairly certain that I broke the mold just trying to fit my larger than average self into it and painfully finding out that it just was never meant to be. At 5 feet, 11 inches tall, I am NEVER….EVER…going to be a size 4.
In fact, my life more often reflects the opening scenes of the movie, “Elf,” when Buddy realizes that he is not an elf at all, and they show his giant self trying to fit into all of those tiny elf sized things, more so than the hope that I would ever fit into the fantastic clothes in “The Devil Wears Prada.”
The number 4 is something that only exists for me when someone asks me how many children I have, or how old my youngest child is. In my little world, the devil doesn't wear Prada. If it hadn't been for certain friends in recent years, I wouldn't even know what Prada was (all of you laughing can stop now), and sadly, when confronted with a purse that said "MJ" on the tag, a friend of mine said that it stood for "Micheal Jordan" and everyone else laughed....but I didn't get the joke. In my little world, the devil lives in a doughnut shop and sells me coffee all day long! Prada is not an issue for me, so being a size 4 isn't a goal of mine.
Does this negate my responsibility to me and to my family to ignore my commitment to get healthy?
NO! I’m gunning for a size 12, and could very happily live there for the rest of my life.
It just means that my responsibility lies in making sure that my heart and body are something that honors God. My outward appearance carrying chub is a painful admittance that somewhere deep inside of me, something is out of order, and my lack of control is showing all over my body. Finding my weigh is allowing God to have control over that area.
The devil very well may wear Prada, but my Jesus wears Robes of Majesty…that never go out of style.
Thank goodness. I look much better in Robes, and they are way more comfortable.
Robes of Majesty…that’s God’s best for me.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Keep your head above water!
I love to go swimming. What was even more fun last week about being in the pool was toting my four year old around in the water with me. She gets so excited about the water, but she is terrified all at the same time. What is amazing to me is that she doesn’t allow her fear to stop her from jumping in. She would rather feel the cool water all around her than to sit on the sidelines, melting in the sun.
I love that about her.
The water on one end of the pool was just low enough that she could stand and allow the water come to just under her chin. She would float around on a purple pool noodle with full confidence that if she hopped off, she could catch her balance with her feet safely planted on the bottom of the pool. So, at one point, I grabbed the pool noodle and started dragging her into deeper waters.
That is where she lost it.
Now, I am her mother and I was right there beside her. I would never let her drown. If the noodle would have given way, I would have been right there to catch her. I was never more than and hand grip away. She loves me. She trusts me…but not in that moment. The water just seemed to big….and she lost it.
I pulled the noodle out from under her and grabbed her close to me. She started freaking out. I just held her. I wanted her to know that I was there and that I wouldn’t allow her to go under. I just talked to her. As she got quieter, she could hear my voice and started to calm down a bit. We got to the point where I was holding her out from me at arms length in the deepest part of the pool.
I wasn’t going to let go.
I have no desire to see harm come to my daughter.
She learned to trust me.
When she was done or when she needed an extra hug or hand, all she had to do was ask and it was there. When she was ready, I could hold her out again.
God couldn’t help but make this a teaching moment for me.
I don’t have a lot of fear when it comes to taking on difficult tasks. God has definitely NOT given me the spirit of fear or timidity! I live that verse. However, I do not like it when He calls upon me to do the impossible.
But isn’t that where God teaches me that He is there the most? …when I can’t touch bottom and my head is barely above water? Do I really think that His desire is to see me drown?
No.
He desires for me to ask for His hand.
He is there…stretched out and ready to grab me by the hand and give me the security that I need to continue to trust Him. If He only ever gave me tasks that were easy for me, where would Faith come in?
It wouldn’t.
Where would growth happen?
It wouldn’t.
God’s best for me is where I learn to hold His hand and be lead rather than taking the reigns and leading in my own direction.
God’s best for me is being where my feet are no longer touching the bottom of the pool, but His feet are firmly planted and He is simply holding me up.
Psalm 46:10
"Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."
I love that about her.
The water on one end of the pool was just low enough that she could stand and allow the water come to just under her chin. She would float around on a purple pool noodle with full confidence that if she hopped off, she could catch her balance with her feet safely planted on the bottom of the pool. So, at one point, I grabbed the pool noodle and started dragging her into deeper waters.
That is where she lost it.
Now, I am her mother and I was right there beside her. I would never let her drown. If the noodle would have given way, I would have been right there to catch her. I was never more than and hand grip away. She loves me. She trusts me…but not in that moment. The water just seemed to big….and she lost it.
I pulled the noodle out from under her and grabbed her close to me. She started freaking out. I just held her. I wanted her to know that I was there and that I wouldn’t allow her to go under. I just talked to her. As she got quieter, she could hear my voice and started to calm down a bit. We got to the point where I was holding her out from me at arms length in the deepest part of the pool.
I wasn’t going to let go.
I have no desire to see harm come to my daughter.
She learned to trust me.
When she was done or when she needed an extra hug or hand, all she had to do was ask and it was there. When she was ready, I could hold her out again.
God couldn’t help but make this a teaching moment for me.
I don’t have a lot of fear when it comes to taking on difficult tasks. God has definitely NOT given me the spirit of fear or timidity! I live that verse. However, I do not like it when He calls upon me to do the impossible.
But isn’t that where God teaches me that He is there the most? …when I can’t touch bottom and my head is barely above water? Do I really think that His desire is to see me drown?
No.
He desires for me to ask for His hand.
He is there…stretched out and ready to grab me by the hand and give me the security that I need to continue to trust Him. If He only ever gave me tasks that were easy for me, where would Faith come in?
It wouldn’t.
Where would growth happen?
It wouldn’t.
God’s best for me is where I learn to hold His hand and be lead rather than taking the reigns and leading in my own direction.
God’s best for me is being where my feet are no longer touching the bottom of the pool, but His feet are firmly planted and He is simply holding me up.
Psalm 46:10
"Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
O.....M.......Word....
We spent one amazing week in the Outer Banks and enjoyed every single second of our much needed and much appreciated vacation. My kids were fantastic and well behaved. The friends we went with were fun and patient with our tribe of children. I ate more carbs than the average red head, and we came home relaxed, tanned, burned, and ready to get back to life.
I gave myself one day to unpack, grocery shop and settle in, and I started my diet today. When I say "diet," please know that I am well aware that people tell me constantly to not look at this like a diet more than "a new way to live." Cut the crap. No matter how you word it, skipping the doughnuts and cheesecake to attain a healthier body is never going to be fun.
Don't get me wrong. I love my vegetables. I just love them topped with pie.
So, today, I am putting together all of the previous blog posts and pulling them all together for myself....and you, if you like.
I am respecting my God by respecting my body. I am starting this diet by breaking my addiction to carbs. I have made myself a big container of marinated salad (recipe below) and I am drinking all of my water and eating vegetables until my body quits craving the carbs.
My kids are not in love with me today.
God needs to hold me up.
I have a migraine and it's only 2 PM on the very first day.
I can do this.
Why?
Because God's best for me is depending on Him and not turning to cake with every bad or hard day. Those days happen more than I would like and my body is showing a serious dependence on those "feel good" carbs.
Deciding to be healthy is not hard. I want to be healthy.
It's not hard. It's painful.
Pray for my migraine, if you have a chance. Pray for my husband and kids as a tag line, if you have a minute.
I'm fuzzy.
I'm frustrated.
I know that what I have done to get to this point comes after a long list of bad decisions.
I know that every day that passes and my body adjusts to healthier food and plenty of fresh clean water to wash away the past, that I am getting closer to God's best for me.
MARINATED SALAD
1 lb bag of carrots
2 broccoli crowns
1 head cauliflower
3 peppers
1 bunch of celery
1 bunch of scallions
1 c apple cider vinegar
1 c canola oil
1-2 T of garlic powder
Cut up all vegetable into big chunks and put into a container that has a tight fitting lid.
Dice scallions and put them on the vegetables
Pour on vinegar and oil and garlic powder
Put on the airtight lid and shake
Only put salt on your vegetables as you are getting ready to eat them. Salt pulls the water out of the veggies and will leave them soggy.
Let set for a couple of hours and enjoy!
I gave myself one day to unpack, grocery shop and settle in, and I started my diet today. When I say "diet," please know that I am well aware that people tell me constantly to not look at this like a diet more than "a new way to live." Cut the crap. No matter how you word it, skipping the doughnuts and cheesecake to attain a healthier body is never going to be fun.
Don't get me wrong. I love my vegetables. I just love them topped with pie.
So, today, I am putting together all of the previous blog posts and pulling them all together for myself....and you, if you like.
I am respecting my God by respecting my body. I am starting this diet by breaking my addiction to carbs. I have made myself a big container of marinated salad (recipe below) and I am drinking all of my water and eating vegetables until my body quits craving the carbs.
My kids are not in love with me today.
God needs to hold me up.
I have a migraine and it's only 2 PM on the very first day.
I can do this.
Why?
Because God's best for me is depending on Him and not turning to cake with every bad or hard day. Those days happen more than I would like and my body is showing a serious dependence on those "feel good" carbs.
Deciding to be healthy is not hard. I want to be healthy.
It's not hard. It's painful.
Pray for my migraine, if you have a chance. Pray for my husband and kids as a tag line, if you have a minute.
I'm fuzzy.
I'm frustrated.
I know that what I have done to get to this point comes after a long list of bad decisions.
I know that every day that passes and my body adjusts to healthier food and plenty of fresh clean water to wash away the past, that I am getting closer to God's best for me.
MARINATED SALAD
1 lb bag of carrots
2 broccoli crowns
1 head cauliflower
3 peppers
1 bunch of celery
1 bunch of scallions
1 c apple cider vinegar
1 c canola oil
1-2 T of garlic powder
Cut up all vegetable into big chunks and put into a container that has a tight fitting lid.
Dice scallions and put them on the vegetables
Pour on vinegar and oil and garlic powder
Put on the airtight lid and shake
Only put salt on your vegetables as you are getting ready to eat them. Salt pulls the water out of the veggies and will leave them soggy.
Let set for a couple of hours and enjoy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)