I will be doing a workbook give-away in August in preparation for what might be (still haven’t heard for sure) a study of the Thin Within workbook in September – December.
I hope this video is helpful to you!
The hope for the fulfillment of a life-long dream was given wings over seven years ago when we moved to Cool, California. We got our horses soon after. A rugged trail opens across from our driveway, linking up with the entire Western States trail system. I have always wanted to live where I could have horses and ride them off our property. Monday was a big day for me as I mounted my horse, Harley, and adventured from our home to the river. I typically take my horses via trailer to another location.
I was beside myself with joy about realizing this goal. The trails are relatively steep, and my horses are not spring chickens, so I have pretty much stayed off of the trails around our home. Now, I am convinced that we can enjoy adventures on these trails if I help my horse out a bit. I discovered on Monday (if I didn’t know before), that Harley has a strong opinion about what pace is the best pace for heading home from the river.
My goal was different. I didn’t just want to get there, but I wanted to get there safely and with a positive experience–where Harley’s prey animal instincts hadn’t taken over (as they often do in a dark forest with spooky shadows and noises) and without Harley arriving home terrified and exhausted. My goal wasn’t just a destination…it was how we would get there, too.
But he said to me,“My grace is sufficient for you,for my power is made perfect in weakness.”Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses,so that Christ’s power may rest on me.That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses,in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.For when I am weak, then I am strong.– 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
I asked Harley not to use all his strength for speed. I asked him to rest between my reins and my legs…to go slowly. I asked him to make the effort to quiet his mind (and his heart and his body). I needed him not to display his power. I needed him to be willing to be meek, to be submissive. In fact, to me, the how about going home was every bit as important as getting home, which was the more obvious “goal.”
When Harley did try a couple of times to put his full effort into cantering up the trail, I allowed my body to get in his way…instead of riding with him at that pace, my reins asked him to slow down and so did my body. What may have seemed to Harley like trying harder was actually striving more against me and my goal.
How often I miss this in my journey. I am so bent on accomplishing the destination–a size, a shape, a number–that I miss that I am really striving against God when I think I am trying harder. I really believe that he is more concerned with how we go than the “goal” — some “end point” that I have fabricated and assumed is on his agenda for me.
How about you? In what ways are you convinced that God wants you to try harder? What deeper goals might the Lord have for you to which he wants you to submit? How are you striving with his “reins?”
I want to share a slide show of food portions that hubby and I put together a couple of years ago when I was releasing 100 pounds. I live a relatively active life and it still doesn’t take much food to satisfy or to sustain me.
Click here to get to the slide show–it will open in a new tab in your browser. Be sure to read the captions at the bottom of the photographs.
How about you? Are you discovering that it doesn’t take much food for you to be satisfied? How do you feel about this? Are you surprised at the amounts pictured in my photos? Everyone is different so just listen to the Lord as he leads you. Are you surprised at the types of foods? These photos were taken during the time I released 100 pounds. I ate those foods routinely and still released weight and remained healthy.
When I first saw the trailer for the movie Despicable Me about a month ago, I thought it was the most ridiculous thing I had ever seen. My 16 year old daughter and I were arrogantly dismayed that our society could call such tripe “entertainment.” We were certain we wouldn’t be caught within 15 miles of a theater showing that movie when it was released.
Even so, just two days ago, there we were…my daughter, son, my cousin and his wife (and ME), celebrating Daniel’s birthday at the movies, watching Despicable Me. Hmm….how is it that a “Plugged in Online” review could get us to change our minds so readily?
I am embarrassed to say it, but I actually loved this movie. . And this is coming from a woman who *hated* Toy Story 3 (only because the dolly with blinking eyes put me over the edge…).
Somehow, Despicable Me was the stupidest movie I have ever seen and I also laughed more than I have in a long time. The message–that anything can be redeemed–is also powerful.
So, while I laughed a lot, for a brief moment, I also cried.
It was the scene where Gru thought he would never ever leave the girls…and I had a flashback–they seem to be coming thick and fast lately–to when my own parents tried to have me placed in a foster home. My parents were medical professionals. They had money. But they didn’t want me. That has stuck with me. I guess I felt like it was all explained by taking on the belief that I was just plain old Despicable Me. So in that scene, where the girls were wanted, I felt poles apart from them…and was reminded that I wasn’t wanted–not by my human parents.
The belief that I was rotten, worthless, “despicable” accompanied me everywhere. The fact that I was rejected so outright…a castaway…well, I sort of embraced that. I assumed I was “despicable me” and lived like I was “despicable me.” Like Gru in the movie, I tried *not* to care.
Isn’t it something that God has placed Psalm 45:10-11 right smack in the middle of the Word of God ? I can see him cupping my face in his hands, leading my eyes to look upward into his own tender face…
Which truth are you living out of right now? Are you living out of the truth that came from your past heartaches and pain? Are you allowing the rejections or name calling of your past to be where you find your identity today? Could this at all be why you struggle with eating, and body image? I know it is very much at he heart of things for me.
Will you join me in setting aside the past? Not in a superficial, “ignore-the-truth” sort of way. In the days and weeks ahead as we continue to study our way through the Thin Within material (even if you don’t have the book), we will see how we can do this most effectively and authentically. But it really does begin with making a choice. Are you open to see what God may have in mind for you now and for your future? It may mean stepping out of the comfort zone. Our comfort zone, as comfortable as it is, may actually be a hindrance to us.
I am praying for you. Will you pray for me? I really need it. 🙂
This week will require more reading than previously, as we will be reading chapters 10, 11, and 12 in the Thin Within book.
This week’s assignment:
1.) Check in! Post here at some point this week and give us a status update! You are being prayed for and about and even if you feel like you aren’t getting the “food thing” together, God IS at work! He IS doing a new thing. You may not see it, but can you believe him for it? 🙂
2.) Continue your list of God’s attributes.
3.) Take time each day to praise God for some of the attributes on your list. This is an act of faith. Even if you haven’t experienced him in the way His Word says He IS, you can, in faith say, “God I know your Word says you are the HEALER. I anticipate that you are MY healer, that you ARE healing ME! Show me this in my life, Lord! Thank you that, by faith, I can know it is true! I choose to walk in that truth today!“
4.) What are some things you have added to your gratitude journal lately? Why not take time for a Praise-Fest of your own and go back over all of them at once as a prayer to God? Do this out loud when you can do so without feeling embarrassed and overheard! LOL! Or maybe that would be a GOOD thing! 🙂 Keep on adding things to your gratitude journal.
5.) Read and complete Days 10, 11, and 12 – through page 130. Be sure to be prayerful as you go, give yourself the time to finish all the material without rushing. If you *do* feel like you need to linger longer with a concept, give yourself grace to do so! Nothing about our schedule is cold and fast. 🙂
6.) Chapter 10 opens with this question: “Today, will you choose to ‘press on’ rather than spend time reliving your defeats, or even your successes? Today, will you choose to continue to allow God to renew, restore, refresh, and remake you? He brings glorious wonder from what we think are defeats.” What is your answer to this? It might be good to write this question down in your journal (or copy and paste it) each day and answer it. 🙂
7.) Chapter 10 speaks about failure. As you read this material, prayerfully consider if you agree with it. Continue to jot down anything you are reminded about the attributes of God.
8.) At the bottom of page 101, there are some questions to ask yourself. Try this and let us know how it impacts you!
9.) Continue to add to your “Fat Machinery Log.” Did God reveal anything new during the past week?
10.) Chapter 11 begins to focus us on developing discernment. Please keep in mind that this doesn’t mean we leave freedom behind! Not at all! Freedom remains the foundation! Can you identify with the attitude behind the statement “This is my body and I can do with it what I please” ? How so? What is God calling you to do, say, think, feel?
11. ) Complete the activity on page 113. Did God reveal anything to you about the lies you have been believing? (This reminds me of our discussion about truth journaling…have you been doing that? If not, how about giving it a try? If so, can you post and let us know how it is going?)
12.) Chapter 12 evaluates further the lies we believe and the value of replacing lies with truth. It is very easy along the path of God’s provision to hop back on to the path of my performance. It usually begins with a subtle lie or shading of the truth. This chapter encourages us to really evaluate our thinking and to be circumspect so as not to allow ourselves to become focused again on our performance. We do this in two ways, typically: 1. We are proud of how well we are doing and want the world to see our new body and how great it looks in the next size down. or 2. We are ashamed of how poorly we are doing and want to quit altogether. The truth is, whether we are releasing weight or not, God is doing a work in our hearts and we want to keep submitting to that process! Grace teaches us to say no to ungodliness.
13.) Turn to page 125-127 and read this list out loud. Even better if you can stand in front of a mirror and read it as if you were giving a speech to someone (yourself!). The statements here come from Scripture. Do you believe them? Ask God to help you to trade the lies you have been believing for his truth. The challenges we face with weight, food, self-loathing are truly a battle of the mind. What will we choose to believe? We will live out of our beliefs.
14.) Join us at one of our chats this week! Or visit a different venue to offer encouragement to others. (You can find them all at our God Is Doing a New Thing website).
God IS doing a new thing! He IS! 🙂
A dear friend of mine posted this link at the Thin Within forums. A blogger she follows has been allowing his dog access to the keyboard, I guess. Thing is, “Lucy” has a lot of wisdom for us. Have a look by clicking here and then I would love to hear from you.
Do you sense God encouraging you to embrace any of Lucy’s perspective about your body?
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I would love to encourage any of you who are hanging in there with us for our book study to check in again. It seems that we may have lost some momentum. Please post and say hey, ok? 🙂 Missing the great camaraderie we had going there for a bit! 🙂
Our chat is tonight, Saturday, 7-8pm Pacific, or 9-10pm Central or 10-11pm Eastern 🙂 Go to this link to find out how! 🙂
We are looking at how challenging trials an hour ago, a week ago, a decade (or more) ago, can affect our eating today. Also, I will try to field questions and offer support generally. Hope you can make it!
Have a great weekend and it would be great to see you there!
Do you struggle with eating again and again at the same time each day, even if you aren’t hungry? I have tried a couple of different ways of handling this tendency, including planning my physical hunger to coincide with the “needy” time of the day.
This, however, seemed to be more of a band-aid. Whatever-it-is that has made me needy each night, has insisted I recognize it.
When we have a longing to eat even though we know that doing so goes against godly goals we have established, rather than deny that we are hungry, how about if we affirm that “I am hungry, but I am not physically hungry.” This gives a voice to whatever-it-is that is going on in us and gives us something to work with. Then, we can take it a step farther. Let me explain…
This is what it looks like for me now. Each evening, after my chores, after dinner, I head for my bath. I draw the water, plug my iPod into the speakers, and play the raining forest selection complete with bird calls and frogs. I turn off all the lights in the bathroom except for one (there is a blue light in the tub that is very relaxing) and I settle myself down .
As I do this, I prayerfully confess to the Lord that each evening, I am hungry for something and I tend to stuff that hunger with food–an attempt to numb the sensation, or stifle the cry of my heart. I ask him to show me right now what I am hungry for today.
He shows me–without fail!
One night he showed me that I was hungry for one-on-one time with my husband. With all the traveling he was doing, I felt forgotten. I needed some of his attention! I probably wouldn’t have realized just how starved I was for time with my husband had I not taken my time with the Lord in the bath.
Yesterday, I took my bath a bit earlier than usual. As I let down my emotional guard in the tub with the Lord, I began to weep. My oldest child turns 18 today and, as I prayed about that and if there are feelings that go with that, the Lord showed me that I needed to grieve the baby that went to heaven before my Daniel was born–it was our first pregnancy and first child. I have never grieved the miscarriage of that baby like I did yesterday afternoon. Had I not taken the time to ask the Lord what I was feeling and had I not listened to him, I know I would have stuffed the feeling with food. (I had been feeling drawn to food yesterday for the first time in a long while.) Not only that, but it would have come to the surface *some* time. God wants me to bring it to him and to be honest with him so we can deal with it head on! Funny that I haven’t *consciously* thought of that baby in a while. I wonder if my grief about this responsible for a lot of feelings that I anesthetize with food!
All that to say, so often we want to just stifle the cry, but I want to encourage us to give the heart a voice, instead, offer it up to the Lord, and allow him to answer. “Lord, my heart is hungry, hurting, empty in some way. Please show me what I need in order to experience the soul satisfaction that you intend and help me to look to you to provide it.”
He will do it.
What about you? Can you carve time out before you eat outside of 0 and 5 to ask the Lord to show you what you hunger for or what isvthe source of the emptiness you try to fill with food?
This is so fitting for our journey right now. As we sit in our *need*, we want to know God…the TRUE God–not an image we have of him based on a parent or authority figure or what we have been taught about him from others. We need to know Him. When we do, we will discover that we can walk through the valley of the shadow of death with our God. He is with us. He is faithful. He is loving, tender…
Even if you aren’t doing the book study with us, I encourage you to allow God to turn this into a deeper work…not just about weight, but about what the root cause is…sit in your need with the God who created you. He is for you.
Join us at the Thin Within Academy where you can sign up for our online courses as they become available.
