Pull up a chair and get something you enjoy to drink…fresh water works, too, if you aren’t hungry! 🙂 Let’s put up our feet and, if it is cool in the part of the world where you live right now, get a comfy blanket to snuggle up in.
I have just done these very things. It is a beautiful morning in Cool, California (yes, I live in a place called “Cool!”) With the windows thrown open wide, the sunshine is pouring in, but so is the cool air (it is about 56 degrees!). So, I have my throw, my mug of yummy white chocolate caramel cappucino. In my living room, I can easily imagine sitting around with my cyber-space girlfriends. I wish we could all be together in real space and time! 🙂
Lord, please guide and direct this “group” study of the second lesson in the HEAL book. Most of all, I pray that we might catch a glimpse of what you want for each of us individually. What an author calls “Basics” may be challenging to me, Lord. I ask that you help me not to embrace a burden of condemnation–likewise, I pray that you would keep me from making excuses. Maybe you are calling me to take a larger step forward than I have been willing to make in a long while. Lord, help me to believe you for what you want to do in my life. Help me to follow you…if you want me to take a big leap, help me to do so and to trust you to catch me. If you want me to take a baby step forward, I pray that I would do that. Help me not to condemn myself using the words of others (including an author of a book I read or study), but to allow you to challenge me to experience the new thing you say you are doing even now! In the Name of Jesus I pray, Amen.
If you have the HEAL book, I am on page 51. We are asked by the authors if anything in the lesson resonated with us. What did God teach you through lesson 2? If those of you who completed the lesson respond here, God may use your words to encourage even those who don’t have the HEAL book. PLEASE respond here! 🙂
Other questions we are asked include:
- Have you ever dieted? If so, what was that experience like?
- How is your previous concept of “healthy eating” similar or different from HEAL?
- When do you engage in all-or-nothing thinking?
- What lies about yourself have you believed?
- How have your accountability moments been going?
- What phase of the HEAL pyramid do you need to grow in the most at this point on your journey?
Wow! There is so much here in just these questions alone! I want to give you all a chance to respond to these without my own commentary about each question.
I will share this, though (of course!)…I think one of the things that struck me was how controlled I am (even still!) by my dieting past. No, not in the same way, but controlled in an opposite sort of way. I don’t want to be obsessive about “healthy foods” like I did in the past. I don’t want to fixate on calorie content, fat grams, carbs, and proteins and labels. So, I swing way to the other extreme…where I don’t even allow myself to consider these things as tools that God can use in my journey. Sure, sometimes, I sort of do…but generally I don’t.
I think it boils down to being controlled by a spirit of fear. I am so fearful of allowing myself to be obsessive again with exercise (logging minutes, miles, repetitions, sets, etc., etc.) and with food that I throw out (almost) all intelligent thought about these things. Truth is, this is being controlled just as much as I was before–when I obsessed. God wants me to be free from this fear so that I can walk in knowledge and in peace. He can use information about food content to encourage my heart, my health, and my life so that I can glorify him. Will I dare to grow in this? Yikes!
Oh dear! There it is again! That call for balance! I don’t trust myself to handle it well, I guess!
Or…hhmmm… even as I type that, I wonder…am I making excuses again for indulging my flesh? Hmmm….I have a lot to pray through!
Ok…YOUR turn! 🙂
Before I put the questions here I have to say that I am feeling on the exact same page you are at the moment. I have that fear, spirit of fear, you are talking about. I have gone away as far as possible from healthy eating to lose all my weight with TW and to go back to that, or to "balance" I fear it, I fear that I won't do it right and have the wrong control going on…instead of God being in control…so here goes with the questions, I will just copy and paste them here below and pray as I answer :)Have you ever dieted? If so, what was that experience like? I have dieted but never lasted more than a day. Yeah I could keep some of the "rules" but only the ones that seemed convenient, and basically that goes for all of the diets I have ever tried.How is your previous concept of "healthy eating" similar or different from HEAL? Well if I defined healthy eating I would say it would be fruits and vegetables (most organic if possible), organic meats, organic dairy, beans, seeds, 100% whole grains, and water and thats it and I have always said thats how I wanted my diet to eventually be. Wow can I say bondage! I don't knwo where to draw the line though in this…and I am praying and asking God's leading in it because truthfully those are the best foods for your body but I need the balance, I need the right perspective and having this as a perfect goal has prevented me from getting to my goal somehow and honestly I would rather not have that be my goal (and maybe thats my flesh talking here)…When do you engage in all-or-nothing thinking? In pretty much every area of my life. This is huge here. It prevents me from getting anything accomplished if I can't do it ALL right, hence all that healthy foods/eating i wrote above.What lies about yourself have you believed? I can't do it. I may as well settle for half way because I will never make it all the way. Don't set a goal b/c you won't reach it. How have your accountability moments been going? I have an accounability partner and we talk pretty much daily via email. I get great encouragement from her and pray I can encourage her as well even with my "messed up" thinking and feelings lately. I pray the Lord will work in this and just bring out the best of us!What phase of the HEAL pyramid do you need to grow in the most at this point on your journey? Definitely my relationship with food, its horrible!!!
Before I put the questions here I have to say that I am feeling on the exact same page you are at the moment. I have that fear, spirit of fear, you are talking about. I have gone away as far as possible from healthy eating to lose all my weight with TW and to go back to that, or to "balance" I fear it, I fear that I won't do it right and have the wrong control going on…instead of God being in control…so here goes with the questions, I will just copy and paste them here below and pray as I answer :)Have you ever dieted? If so, what was that experience like? I have dieted but never lasted more than a day. Yeah I could keep some of the "rules" but only the ones that seemed convenient, and basically that goes for all of the diets I have ever tried.How is your previous concept of "healthy eating" similar or different from HEAL? Well if I defined healthy eating I would say it would be fruits and vegetables (most organic if possible), organic meats, organic dairy, beans, seeds, 100% whole grains, and water and thats it and I have always said thats how I wanted my diet to eventually be. Wow can I say bondage! I don't knwo where to draw the line though in this…and I am praying and asking God's leading in it because truthfully those are the best foods for your body but I need the balance, I need the right perspective and having this as a perfect goal has prevented me from getting to my goal somehow and honestly I would rather not have that be my goal (and maybe thats my flesh talking here)…When do you engage in all-or-nothing thinking? In pretty much every area of my life. This is huge here. It prevents me from getting anything accomplished if I can't do it ALL right, hence all that healthy foods/eating i wrote above.What lies about yourself have you believed? I can't do it. I may as well settle for half way because I will never make it all the way. Don't set a goal b/c you won't reach it. How have your accountability moments been going? I have an accounability partner and we talk pretty much daily via email. I get great encouragement from her and pray I can encourage her as well even with my "messed up" thinking and feelings lately. I pray the Lord will work in this and just bring out the best of us!What phase of the HEAL pyramid do you need to grow in the most at this point on your journey? Definitely my relationship with food, its horrible!!!
That is GREAT that you have an accountability partner that you can connect with daily! It makes all the difference in the world!
That is GREAT that you have an accountability partner that you can connect with daily! It makes all the difference in the world!
Thanks for sharing your answers, it encourages me to share instead of keeping my HEAL journey to myself – it is so easy to isolate.1. Dieted? Yes, many times and ways. It all works if you do it. But I gained it back every time because my heart did not change; my relationship with food remained the same. So there I was, each time scared, so frightened that I would get fat again and I each time I did.2. All or nothing? When I am frustrated with me my perfectionism kicks in and if I cannot be perfect then I was a failure.3. see above4. Lies I believe about me? Just like Sunshinemama – I can't do it, I always fail or reach goals, I give up too easily. One or two good days then I give in.Thanks Ladies for being there. I do not have an accountability partner,so this is it and I am grateful! Becky
Thanks for sharing your answers, it encourages me to share instead of keeping my HEAL journey to myself – it is so easy to isolate.1. Dieted? Yes, many times and ways. It all works if you do it. But I gained it back every time because my heart did not change; my relationship with food remained the same. So there I was, each time scared, so frightened that I would get fat again and I each time I did.2. All or nothing? When I am frustrated with me my perfectionism kicks in and if I cannot be perfect then I was a failure.3. see above4. Lies I believe about me? Just like Sunshinemama – I can't do it, I always fail or reach goals, I give up too easily. One or two good days then I give in.Thanks Ladies for being there. I do not have an accountability partner,so this is it and I am grateful! Becky