Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Matthew 1:23
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. John 1:1-5
Jesus. There is no other name quite like it. He is God with us. He is the Alpha and the Omega–the beginning and the end. He is the Word of God. He came to be with us, to live among us, to save us, to free us, to deliver us. He is Emmanuel.
Emmanuel: God with us.
Think on that. Really think on that. He chose to come to live among us. Did you know that during the 33 years that Christ lived on the earth that there was “peace on earth?” There were no wars. There was peace. I think that is so beautiful. And I relate that to my heart: when I am in Christ and Christ is in me, I have peace. When I am in the Word (Christ is the Word), I have peace. He is with me. He is with us.
Jesus. The Son of God. Our Deliverer. Our Savior. Our peace.
We know that the true meaning of Christmas is Christ. It’s to celebrate His birth, that He was sent to the world as the Father’s greatest gift, so that ‘whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life’ (John 3:16). And we take hold of that gift and unwrap it when we acknowledge and accept Christ as our savior and ask Him to forgive us of our sin.
But there’s more to the gift. There’s healing, freedom, comfort, beauty, deliverance, peace, joy, love, and the list goes on and on. Every single aspect of our life is touched by Christ’s love, by the Father’s love. All we have to do is accept that gift and reach into that wellspring of life of God’s Word.
When I thought of writing this post, I thought about how much the Lord has done in my life this year in regards to eating and how I think about food. I’ve thought about the amazing transformation that has taken place in my heart and mind–which has also become evident in my life and eating. And I know I’ve talked so much about this, but I attribute that to being in His Word and Him being so faithful to watch over His Word to perform it. It was faith in action. I believed what God said (took a little while at first), but after awhile His Words became so real in my heart and then I saw the evidence of that in my life.
It says in John 1 that Christ is the Word, and the Word (Christ) is life. His Word is a wellspring of life. Christ is our life. He is the reason we truly live. I am seeing that I am not truly living unless I have Christ as the Lord of my life. He is the One I fix my eyes upon. He is my strength. I lean upon Him.
And so that means I lean upon Him when it comes to my eating habits. And one of the ways I do that is by being in His word. This isn’t a task I cross of my “to-do” list each day. This is an essential part of my daily walk with Him. Somewhere along the way I gave food, weight, and body image a place in my life that God never meant it to be, but through Christ I have overcome and continue on this journey of finding peace and satisfaction in this area.
And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:32
So then faithcomesbyhearing, and hearingby the word of God. Romans 10:17
One of the ways He speaks to us is through His Word. And when we read the Word, the Holy Spirit brings that word back to our remembrance. And in a sense, His Word is in us. Emmanuel: God with us. He may not be physically right here with us that we can reach out and physically touch Him, but when we read His Word, He touches our hearts, minds, and souls. He breathes His life into us. This is so beautiful!
I’m so thankful the Father sent His Son. Jesus is the BEST gift of all!
How about you?
How can you embrace that gift (Jesus) this Christmas and every day of your life? Do you look at spending time with God as a “have to” or a “get to”? He wants to be with you: have you invited Him into your life? And if you have invited Him into your life, have you invited Him into the area of eating? He wants to be with you! He is Emmanuel.
Christmas is upon us, followed by New Years, which brings parties, potlucks, family dinners, buffets of sweets, candy, etc. In my Gearing Up for the Holidays post I shared about ways to be proactive before the holiday celebrations begin. This time, I would like to share what took place before Thanksgiving in order for me to prepare for the big feast.
For several months now, since participating in the Renewing of the Mind study, I have been reading through my truth cards each day. I’ve stated before how important it has been to be in the Word and reading those truths each day: it’s literally CHANGED my life! The Lord has done an amazing work. He gets all of the praise, honor, and glory! So knowing how powerful His word is in renewing my mind and transforming my life, I knew how important it was to have those truths before my eyes before Thanksgiving.
This is what I did to plan ahead:
1. I wrote in my journal, which is ultimately a prayer journal. I asked the Lord to help me in the days ahead to stay within my boundaries.
2. I looked at Barb Raveling’s app ‘I Deserve a Donut’ about social eating, which suggested I read the parts about Justification Eating and Entitlement Eating.
3. In my journal, I wrote out the Justification Eating questions and answered them. I mentally saw myself on Thanksgiving day and the days surrounding Thanksgiving, knowing that I may be tempted to be a social eater or to make excuses to eat beyond what my body needs.
4. I wrote down notes from the app that really spoke to me so I could look back at them if needed.
5. I wrote out a plan of what I wanted Thanksgiving day to look like. I knew that we would be eating with dinner-size plates (I usually use a small plate), so I visually planned to load up my plate as if it was a small plate. I decided that I would eat slowly, savoring each bite, leaving one bite of food on my plate. I decided I would not take seconds. And then later I would enjoy a small serving of dessert, even if I wasn’t fully at a “0” (I felt that this was pleasing to the Lord and acceptable in His sight).
6. I wrote out a plan for when we would be going to a restaurant one of the days surrounding Thanksgiving. Since we were out of town, we wanted to visit our favorite restaurant in the area. I knew what I wanted for an appetizer and the entrée, so I planned ahead for what I felt would help me stay within my 0-5 boundary.
7. I wrote the victories I had already experienced that week, praising God for what He has done. I needed to remember those victories and remember that God is my strength!
How did it all turn out? The Lord gets all of the glory! I was amazed at how smooth Thanksgiving went. I ate according to the plan and I felt completely satisfied. While there were others who said they were stuffed and needed to nap, I felt energized. And a few hours after our meal, I was hungry and ate again. I am so thankful for what the Lord did that day and the days surrounding Thanksgiving. I was faithful to keep my eyes on Him and His truth and He was faithful to watch over His word to perform it. Praise God!
And He wants to do the same for you!
How about you?
Do you have a journal you can write out a plan in? How do you want to visualize yourself for the upcoming holiday celebrations? What can you do to prepare?
A very young Michaela and Daniel Bylsma, with the Christmas Dog, Samson.
Holidays and weekends are wonderful. Many of us get to enjoy a footloose and fancy free attitude. We get to “let down.”
But often this change in our routine brings with it some challenging trials to navigate.
Often we get a sense of “safety” and predictability from our “business as usual” routine during the week when we don’t have holiday happenings, weekend wanderings, or guests landing on our doorsteps. So managing these “zaps” to our routine require intentionality!
The question becomes: How can we incorporate some sense of predictability and a friendly bit of routine into our weekends or holidays or when family/friends are visiting without ruining the experience?
1. ) Integrating some aspect of predictability into our lives can be very helpful without spoiling the party! Sometimes, I call this “planned spontaneity.” For instance, if we know that the family really enjoys suddenly jumping in the car to go out looking at Christmas lights followed by a stop at the favorite Marie Callendar’s for pie, it can help us to plan to be at a zero for this event if we are intentional about the timing of the “surprise” visit out to look at the lights and to enjoy pie. Rather than leave these sorts of events up to chance, we can build the joy and suspense in our family members’ lives by surprising them with a plan earlier in the day. I have found that the family looks forward to the event and the joy isn’t diminished. In fact, it seems to be intensified in a fun way as we anticipate the outing all day! AND I get the added benefit of not having left something like that to chance when I might still be satisfied after having dinner just an hour prior. I can plan to be hungry so that I eat pie guilt-free!
2. ) When company comes to visit, I know that meals may not be quite so predictable. Having an assortment of nuts and fresh fruit/veggies available for pre-meal munching if we get hungry before the meal is ready can be a life-saver! This eliminates the concern that we will get too hungry before the holiday feast is prepared. That said, however, we have also learned over the years that we won’t melt into nothingness if we get hungry even an hour before we gather at the table and the meal is ready. “When in doubt, leave it out” is a helpful adage. Having company doesn’t need to spell disaster for our 0 to 5 boundaries. Instead, we can commit ourselves to honoring our godly boundaries, call on God’s strength and have some “fortifications” on hand that we can turn to if we need to. Knowing that foods are accessible any time we get hungry, but also that we are perfectly safe and ok if we get hungry and linger there for a little while, helps prevent the panicked eating we sometimes do when things are less predictable.
3.) For me, to maintain my focus and not give in to continuous celebratory grazing during holiday time, I have to carve out time to renew my mind each day at least once, if not twice. I can do this by setting my alarm a bit earlier than normal so that I take the time to be still with the Lord before company or family members awaken or arrive. Lately, I also take time at 5pm each evening to refocus…to recommit my eating to the Lord for the evening–even five minutes helps! While this may seem to be a sacrifice that is too great for us when we would rather use those extra moments to sleep in or to relax, I have found that it is worth it. Establishing a priority to taking time to bible study, review Truth Cards, Truth Journal, listen to Sound Cloud files, journal a set of “I Deserve a Donut” questions or other similar activities brings me out the other side with a sense of accomplishment and victory! It is worth it!
What About You?
What baby step of routine can you incorporate into the days ahead that lead up to Christmas? What about for Christmas Day? How will you maintain your godly boundaries in spite of the challenges to your routine? If you share here, you may inspire and encourage others!
The holidays are quickly approaching, with Thanksgiving (in the United States) just a couple of days away. This means there may be a lot of opportunities to practice staying within our God-given boundaries. There may be temptations lurking around every corner, but with every single temptation, God has provided a way out. This is such good news!
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13
There is nothing wrong with the sweets and goodies that surround our holiday parties and traditions. The Lord has said that ALL foods are hallowed in His name. I am determined to view all food as being “good”.
For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. 1 Timothy 4:4-5
Six years ago, I was practicing the principles of Thin Within for a short time. I released 5 pounds and was delighted to see that eating within 0-5 truly works! But then shortly after, I went home around Thanksgiving time and everything came to an abrupt halt. You see, my grand-parents make the most amazing and delicious turkey dinner my taste buds have ever laid their eyes upon. That is, if taste buds even had eyes! Since I knew this was a meal I only partook of every few years, I ate way more than my body needed. And then there were the leftovers, which were just as good as the fresh, out of the oven delicacies. And for some reason, I lost momentum and went back to overeating and struggling with my weight and body image.
Looking back, I realize it didn’t have to be this way. I could have enjoyed smaller portions of their amazing turkey dinner during the actual meal AND leftovers. And because I did choose to overeat, I could have observed, corrected, and then continued eating 0-5 and releasing weight. I let the guilt and condemnation weigh me down. I believed the lies that I would never get back to being a normal eater. And after this incidence I struggled for years with dieting, eating, and food, all because of one turkey dinner and its leftovers.
I blamed the food. That’s a diet mentality.
I felt so guilty that I decided to eat more and more. That’s a diet mentality.
Since that Thanksgiving meal, I asked my grandmother for her recipes. On a recipe card, I have typed out each step of how they prepare their turkey dinner, from brand names, to minutes of stirring. I have replicated this meal several times over the last several years, and though it’s not quite THE turkey dinner my grand-parents master, I think I have come pretty close!
You can do the same thing with holiday meals or foods. When you know that you can have that food later (even if it has to be next Thanksgiving or Christmas), you will find that you can actually relax and enjoy each delightful bite! Ask for the recipe! Take leftovers home! Freeze cookies. There are so many options to having that food for future enjoyment!
Heidi posted about the importance of being proactive in our eating in her post titled It Takes Energy!. On one of my truth cards I have copied some questions she asked:
How much energy do you put into lamenting poor choices…after the fact?
How much emotional energy do we put into beating ourselves up and then trying to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps?
What if I put some ENERGY into changing the way I think?
What if we went into the holidays geared up and ready? What kind of truths can you focus on to renew your mind about eating during the holidays? Do you have truth cards prepared for these moments?
My plan is to go into the holidays being proactive. I will have my truth cards. I will type out scriptures in my ‘notes’ section on my phone to read. I will read through the sections in Barb Raveling’s ‘I Deserve a Donut’ app. I will pray and ask the Lord for His strength. I will give thanks. I will have joy in knowing Christ has come to give us life and peace!
Those are all choices I can make BEFORE the holidays are even upon us.
I can be ready to turn down every temptation.
I can immediately expose every lie of the enemy with TRUTH!
Remember:
You can always have those foods again!
It’s completely possible to eat within 0-5 during the holidays.
Eat what you enjoy!
If you did choose to overeat, you can observe, correct, and wait until 0 the next time to eat.
ALL foods have been blessed by God and hallowed in His name. Give thanks and enjoy His provision!
How about you?
How can you prepare in advance for the approaching holidays? Do you have your truth cards ready and handy?
Need some strategies for managing through the holidays, weekends or traveling? Consider these tips:
1. Figure out why you are going to a social occasion like a party or family gathering. (See chapter 25 in Thin Within.)
– Write down your purposes in attending and plan accordingly. Most of us, once we have decided to surrender this area of our lives, don’t go to parties intending to overeat. So ask yourself if it is because you want to connect with family, friends and co-workers, it is easier to accept that food isn’t required for that.
– Then, when you get to the event, achieve your goal! Socialize or network or whatever it might be!
2. When planning to attend a social event that includes food, plan to be at a zero (stomach totally empty) by eating a smaller meal earlier in the day.
– It may be unreasonable for you not to eat at some events–like sit-down holiday dinners and the like. If your event is at 7pm, for instance, and you get hungry at 5:30 pm–you are definitely at a 0 at 5:30pm–then have just a few crackers or a cup of milk or something that will just remove the hunger. You don’t need to eat to a 5. This way, you will be more likely to arrive at your holiday dinner at a 0 and ready to eat.
– You can also “ride the 0” a little while unless you know yourself well enough to know that you will have a hard time eating slowly if you get “too hungry.” Sometimes, when we eat too fast, it is easy to eat way too much.
3.) When you are eating 0 to 5 at a holiday party and there are TONS of choices from which to choose, you can look at all that is offered and evaluate before you choose the foods you will eat which choices are most likely to be “teasers,” “pleasers,” and “whole body pleasers” (see chapter 18 in Thin Within). You want to be “picky” about what and how much of each “pleaser” or “whole body pleaser” food you select.
– Identify which foods offered are teasers and don’t even “go there.”
– If something is available all year long (like fresh french bread) you may want to forego selecting it in favor of something that is a favorite at holiday time.
4. ) Look around the party or dinner for a naturally thin eater and note their behaviors. See if you can spot someone who is naturally thin, but who is enjoying the party without overindulging. (This may be tough as most Americans use holidays as an excuse to eat way more than we need.)
5.) Sometimes people give gifts of food. It is true that some people “love on” others by giving food any time of the year–all the more during the holidays! In Thin Within, there is nothing wrong with having a small piece of whatever food that you receive, of course. If you know that you can withstand temptation to overeat it, feel free to have it in your home, of course! But if you know that you can’t handle the temptation, then here are some suggestions:
– When someone wants to send you home with a bunch of treats 🙂 either politely tell them “No, thank you,” or oblige and state (or not) that you will be glad to share the treats with others…then re-gift them as soon as possible before temptations lures you into eating them.
– When you end up with treats anyhow…THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH FLUSHING THEM DOWN THE TOILET THE MINUTE YOU WALK THROUGH THE DOOR! If you are like me and sometimes need “permission” to do something so drastic, consider this a blanket permission… “Flush the cookies, cakes, pies, candy, whatevers…down the toilet!”
6.) Put the fork down between bites when you are eating out or at a holiday party. This helps slow me down quite a bit any time…not just for holiday parties.
7.) Maybe most importantly, EXTEND GRACE to yourself. If you “blow it” for a party or a meal or even for a day or a week…just OBSERVE and CORRECT! This isn’t a diet, so you don’t have to feel like you “blew it!” Instead, you just had a step or two back on your path…but forge ahead “forgetting what is behind!” Remember this is a journey…a life long journey! God extends grace to you in all things, so extend some to yourself!
What about you?
Do you have strategies that have helped you make it through the holidays? What are your plans for this weekend?
