This lesson is one that is near and dear to my heart. In fact, if I were to boil down my journey to just a few “valuable principles,” the heart of this lesson in TLT would be near the top of the list.
In a nutshell…it is that there is incredible value in humility.
This is a teaching throughout God’s Word, of course, and it is also foundational to Thin Within. In fact, the word “release” used by the Hallidays in Thin Within to refer to letting go of extra weight is connected to humility. As I choose, in humility, to release my unmet needs, my unmet wants, my “rights,” my “way,” my food, my body, to the Lord’s more capable hands–as I do this, which requires humility–I not only release all of these things, but I will release other things as well…wounded emotions, resentment, bitterness…. In fact, I learned that doing this is connected to releasing extra weight my body carried. VERY connected. 100 pounds worth of “connected!”
This lesson in TLT teaches that blessings come from being willing to be humble–from being willing to esteem the LORD above all things and to crucify pride in self.
When it comes to the food, overeating, and body issues, we may be better at being prideful than we realize. We plan to do it ourselves and take into our own hands the diet that will do the trick. We will embrace the prescriptive eating plans and if we overeat we will, again, take it into our own hands that we must somehow make up for it…we manipulate to make it all work out our way.
Instead, I will cease my striving. Join me. Let us lay it all down, all plans, all tactics we have for defeating this thing. It is bigger than us and the Lord is bigger than it! In humility we say, “Lord, only you have the answer.” In the moment when I am tempted, I say “YOU know best. I do not have the ‘right’ to this ______ (whatever you are tempted to have).” Let us invite the Lord to BE Lord in our lives and to have his rightful place on the throne…he RULES and REIGNS in my life. NOT me.
Day 7 Summary in Short: Humility is vital to walk this path. God will honor a humble heart. I have great need for HIM. I am impoverished apart from Him. He alone has the answer. He IS the answer.
Practically speaking: How will I allow this truth to affect me today? In what way have I, in pride, yet been clinging to my will, my way, my “rights,” my food, my body? What must I, in humility, release to the Lord? How can I–in the moment–affirm that HE is Lord and I am not?
