Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
My daughter enjoys watching the movie The Jungle Book. Every once in awhile she will ask me to play the Bare Necessities song that Baloo sings after meeting Moglie. One day we were listening to the song, when suddenly it hit me, it’s really true! We only need the bare necessities of life!
What are the bare necessities? Food, shelter, clothing? Maybe there are additional things like companionship. Water? I’m sure we can all think of what those bare necessities are in our life.
So how does this pertain to our Thin Within journey?
I can tell you what it means for me. I learned this the hard way this past week.
The last year has been incredible. The Lord has helped me overcome so much. Through Christ, I have seen victory after victory. There have been bumps along the way, but all of a sudden, this past week, I stumbled and fell on my face. And I ate dirt. And as Heidi just talked about, I got back on the horse, and then fell off again and ate more dirt. And then I felt like the last time I fell off the horse that the horse dragged me through a manure pit. Ever been there? Yeah…so instead of just brushing the dirt off myself, this time I had to get a hose and spray off the grime.
But I’m back on the horse again. 🙂
So what happened? I started to get panicky and tried to create ways to be more in control. Instead of just eating 0-5 and staying within my boundaries (my bare necessities of my Thin Within journey), I decided to keep a food journal of what I was eating and give myself a check-mark if I ate 0-5 (which, is totally ok if you are led to do this–I was not). AND then I thought that I should limit certain kinds of foods. I really thought this was the Lord’s idea, but looking back, it was NOT. And maybe He allowed it to prove to me that my ideas are not the greatest ideas. Ha! Instead of being helpful, it brought me back to my dieting and restrictive days. The first couple of days were fine, but then I slowly started to see myself deteriorate into this rut of restriction. This is not a good place for me. I started to obsess. And that’s when I really began to eat some dirt. I wasn’t staying within the basics.
The Lord has shown me that I need to keep things simple. It’s those bare necessities of my Thin Within journey that are what He wants for me. If I go outside of that I find myself trying to control and be obsessed. And then the mental weight becomes heavy and suddenly I’m burdened down like I was back in my dieting days. There’s only a few things that the Lord would like me to focus on in this journey. Those are my bare necessities.
Christ has come to give us life, and life in abundance. The enemy has come to steal, kill and destroy–his focus is death. (John 10:10) Christ wants us to live simply. The enemy wants to complicate things, burden us down, and confuse us. Christ wants us to walk by faith. The enemy wants us to walk by sight.
Walking by faith is not always easy. When I follow the Holy Spirit’s leading with my eating, I’m trusting in Him and putting my faith in Him. I think what happened is that I was starting to doubt, so I wanted to help things a bit by gathering some control. Well, I gathered “control” all right and licked up some dirt! If anything, I was out of control.
Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all of your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
I will choose to trust Him. I am choosing to acknowledge Him before each meal and I’m inviting the Holy Spirit to guide me in my eating. And He certainly meets with me when I do so.
So today I’m letting go of those extra, non-essential things. They aren’t necessary. They complicate things. They make me greedy and discontent. I’m going back to the simplicity I found in the beginning–through Christ–not my own strength or works. Christ’s burden is light , but I started carrying a heavy burden that I brought upon myself. And apparently the horse I’m riding didn’t care for that extra weight. And the last time I got bucked off, I left that extra weight on the ground. Praise God!
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30).
I really want to encourage you in your own Thin Within journey. Maybe this has been part of the struggle for you. Maybe you’ve been focused on too many things. Is God calling you to simplicity–to get back to the basics of eating between hunger and satisfaction? Your bare necessities could be a combination or just a couple of these things:
Spending time in the Word
Truth Journaling
Creating and reading truth cards
Adding to your God List
Praise and worship
Journaling
Bible study
Renewing your mind
Inviting the Holy Spirit into each eating experience
Being accountable to your accountability partner
Maybe there’s something that is essential for you that I haven’t listed, but you KNOW that it’s something the Lord has asked you to do. Those are all great things, but sometimes God only calls us to focus on a couple of things.
Something the Lord has been showing me is that He will provide my needs. Christ says in Matthew 6:25, “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?” He doesn’t want us focused on food or what we are going to eat. He’s going to take care of those basic needs, but our part is trusting Him and following His leading.
He’s also been showing me that if I am doing more than He is calling me to do, that I will start to lean on my own abilities and strengths–and I will become greedy. Ouch! If you are taking “too much thought” about what you will eat, how you will lose the weight, etc., then maybe it’s time to step back and re-assess your focus. It could be time to simplify. And really, this journey is about growing closer to the Lord and keeping food in it’s proper place, so it could be simply that He just wants you to read the pure Word of God.
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19
How about you?
Are you carrying burdens that you were never meant to carry? Are you living by faith and not by sight in your Thin Within journey? Are you trying to control things instead of just trusting in the Lord? What are your bare necessities for this journey? For me, it’s been reading my truth cards, reading the Word, truth journaling, renewing my mind, and going through a Bible study. It may look different for you. The Lord will show you. And if you are carrying too heavy of a load, you will know.
Thinking about this one: I have FREEDOM to walk in the Spirit when I keep my boundaries. It is just like when you go for a walk in a park or nature reserve and you see a sign that says, “Stay on the Path! The sign is posted there to protect you…the path itself is safe. Off the path there may be a drop off or poison ivy or animal traps, etc. It is only when we choose to veer off the path because something catches our eye and we think, “oh I think I just wanna step off for a moment, pick a flower, etc…no one will notice.
Stepping off the path can ruin the beauty of the journey for others to enjoy. We need to stay on the path as an example for others also. We don’t realize the impact of our feet. Sometimes there are reasons WHY and we don’t always know them…but the signs are posted for our protection and the protection of those around us.
When you think of stepping off the path…think again!
Just like the path in the park has signs, God has signs posted along our journey. These guiding markers are there for our protection. The signs of hunger and satisfied are simple, quiet ways that God gets our attention. They are not there to stop us from enjoying ourselves. They are there so we can get the maximum pleasure from this life as we follow Him!
Do you feel backed into the corner by life? Patsy Clairmont gives you hope in this video.
Trust Me and find out you are safe… ~Jesus
Here are the boundaries video resources that have helped me the most:
Click HERE to find great blog resources on boundaries. These have been very helpful to me!
I have made a “Why I love keeping my boundaries” list…When I review the benefits it is easy to decide to stay within my boundaries of 0 to 5. Why not consider making your own list? Also, be sure to make some Truth Cards to glance at when you are tempted to jump the boundaries! You will be amazed how much easier it will be to stay on the path!!
How about YOU?
Ask yourself:
What is God speaking to me about a FREEDOM FOCUS?
How can I see my boundaries in a different light?
How can I ENJOY THE JOURNEY?
Susan lives in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. She is the Mother of four great kids and Grandmother to one. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, writing, crocheting and a good movie with a cup of herbal tea!
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do:
Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14
This Week’s Video:
Video Questions:
1. How is Thin Within different from the dieting approaches you have tried.
2. I describe in the video two times I have lost 100 pounds. What are the differences between the two? (One of the differences is that after losing with Weight Watchers, I gained my weight back! Not this time, with Thin Within, though!)
3. What will happen if you look at Thin Within as a diet? What might be the benefits of looking at Thin Within differently than just as a means to losing weight?
4. How has this journey been like riding a horse down the trail? Where are you in the journey? Are you on the ground? Is it time to get back in the saddle? Do you feel tempted to “send the horse packing” and to forget about ever trying this again? How can you strengthen your resolve to stay on the path?
5. What is the difference between celebrating your failures and celebrating what you can learn in your failures? List three things you can learn from your most recent “failures.”
6. In what ways have you seen God’s grace in this journey?
Renewing the Mind
Truth Journal at least once this week. Truth Journaling is a technique I learned from Barb Raveling. It isn’t typical journaling. Watch this video that explains how it works.
Pick One (book or workbook):
Trade Book
We have completed the assignments for the Thin Within trade book. It was a ten-week study for those using the book. However, now would be a great time to go back through the study guide pages and the book itself and complete any exercises or questions you haven’t yet completed. Use this week and next as a chance to catch up. 🙂
Workbook Assignment
1. Read, highlight, mark 🙂 Lesson 12, Celebration of God’s Grace, on pages D48 – D52 or listen to the “audio book” version of it at Sound Cloud. Discuss it here in the comments section below this post or at our Class Facebook Group.
2. Complete the exercises for Lesson 12 on pages D54-D60. Respond to the Review questions on page D61 and share your thoughts at our Facebook discussion group!
3. Use the entries for Day 78 through Day 84 in the Temple Tool Kit. Could any of the tools help you in having greater accountability for your eating? Is it time to set aside the fear of using the tools that might have been wise weeks ago? What is God leading you to do this week?
5. Memorize Philippians 3:13-14. Personalize it and add it to your truth cards.
6. Join us on March 31st for our live webinar at 4:30 Pacific Time. We will be wrapping up lesson 12 on Celebration of God’s Grace and our entire time of study together.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
~ Philippians 4:6-7
This Week’s Video:
Video Questions:
1. God wants me ____________ more than he wants me ________________.
2. Can you stop the video and pray about your desire to release weight, or to defeat your anorexic tendencies, or your bulimia or…? How about stopping and doing so now and waiting just a bit in his presence. If you feel led, share with the community here at the blog what you dared to ask the Lord for.
3. What is the one “rule” that I mention? What part does prayer play for you in this journey? Is there room for growth? How so? Is there a way you can be intentional about it?
4. Have you been keeping a God List? If this is new to you, have a look here for what a God List is and how to create one. It can be transformative!
5. Have you used your God List to do a Praise Fest? Here is a series of posts about the Praise Fest and also links to Sound Files that are examples of what a praise fest might look like. When I exalt God, I am not likely to exalt myself! Give it a try! Share with us what happens.
6. Can you think of a time when it might help you in your journey if you were to have a Praise Fest?
7. How can Praise and Gratitude profoundly affect our journey? “Instead of proclaiming myself as ________ over my life, I proclaim Him __________ over my life” (04:24). Why does this matter?
8. Praise is _______________________________________________. (05:30)
9. Gratitude is _____________________________________________. (05:35)
10. When I struggle with obedience, there are three questions I can ask (05:58). What are they?
11. How do these three things relate to Prayer?
12. What difference can any of this make to you?
Renewing the Mind
This week, ask the Lord in prayer to make you aware of any lies that you still believe. Invite him to show you HIS “Big T Truth” that can replace any lies or, even, “little t truths” that you are giving too much sway in your life. Create new truth cards from what He shows you.
Pick One (book or workbook):
Trade Book
We have completed the assignments for the Thin Within trade book. It was a ten-week study for those using the book. However, now would be a great time to go back through the study guide pages and the book itself and complete any exercises or questions you haven’t yet completed. Use this week and next as a chance to catch up. 🙂
Workbook Assignment
1. Read, highlight, mark 🙂 Lesson 11, Prayer, on pages D34 – D38 or listen to the “audio book” version of it at Sound Cloud. Discuss it here in the comments section below this post or at our Class Facebook Group.
2. Complete the exercises for Lesson 11 on pages D40 – D46. Next Monday before the webinar, respond to the Review questions on page D47 or even better–do so at our Facebook discussion group!
3. Use the entries for Day 71 through Day 77 in the Temple Tool Kit. What have you learned through your use of any of the tools in the Temple Tool Kit?
5. Memorize Psalm 139:23-24. Personalize it and add it to your truth cards.
We have a new class starting up on the heels of this one. On March 31st (the same day as our last webinar for this class), Karon Ruiz is launching into a study of workbook #2 in the series. Visit our class page for more information.
________
NOTE: The Webinar wrapping up Lesson 10 on Forgiveness is here.
Image courtesy of anankkml / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
In less than a week (give or take), I will be holding our newborn son in my arms for the very first time. A lot of changes are around the corner, and I’ve been reminding myself to take it all one moment at a time, even with the lack of sleep a baby can bring.
I’ve been thinking a lot about what my eating will look like after the baby comes. Most of my journey with Thin Within and overcoming the issues I was having before, took place during my pregnancy. I shared a little bit about this before in a post about Pregnancy & Thin Within. To be honest, there have been times when I’ve wondered if after I have the baby, I will be tempted to go back to Weight Watchers. My accountability partner knows this has been a concern of mine. I have seen the Lord do some amazing things in my life, mind and body throughout this journey while being pregnant. In so many ways, it’s been such a blessing. One blessing is that I have paid no attention to my weight. And now seeing how I look and feel with only a few weeks of pregnancy to go, I want to give Him all of the praise, honor, and glory for helping me stay at a healthy pregnancy weight (whatever it may be). I can tell I’ve honored my hunger within the boundaries God has given me, and He has helped me learn to delight in my boundaries. Praise God!
The other day I was reading in Barb Raveling’s book Taste for Truth: A 30 Day Weight Loss Bible Study. She was talking about how she was breaking boundaries right and left. She said that instead of renewing her mind, her response was “being frustrated and thinking my boundaries didn’t work” (page 95). This spoke volumes to me because that’s exactly what I start to think when I break a boundary. “Oh, I guess these boundaries aren’t working for me (since I broke them), so I might as well go back to Weight Watchers.” But these boundaries DO work!
So if it’s not the boundaries that are flawed, what is it? It’s the LIES I am believing! So then enters the importance of renewing my mind (which I keep on crowing about–ha!). Instead of wallowing in my mess (remember my potty training illustration from this post?), I need to renew my mind about whatever lie that caused the boundary breakage.
This is huge for me. HUGE! I’m getting closer and closer to completely cutting off the lie that I have to return to a diet when I choose not to following my boundaries. Praise God!
When I was spending time with the Lord this morning, He was showing me that eating between hunger and fullness works all of the time in helping one to lose or maintain weight. There is no special program I have to go on in order to lose weight after having a baby. Eating 0-5 will work! So I won’t need a diet! I won’t need to measure, track, weigh, or focus on food! My boundaries are perfect boundaries!
Maybe you are reading this and thinking, “Whoa, ‘perfect’ is a strong word to describe your boundaries!” But if I didn’t believe that, then I’d be in trouble. They are perfect for me because it’s what the Lord has asked me to do and it’s the only thing that He’s given me peace about. So basically, I know it’s His will for me. It’s been my prayer that I would see my boundaries as delightful.
Here are some truths I have in my truth cards pertaining to my boundaries:
I can stay within my boundaries in spite of temptation or even when I don’t feel like it.
“Boundaries aren’t restrictive fences meant to keep us from enjoying life, but gifts from a God Who cares about our well-being.” Lysa TerKeurst
“The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” Psalm 16:7
I don’t need a diet when I can just listen to my body. I can eat within my boundaries.
Breaking my boundaries is not a reward.
Boundaries make my life better.
I feel immediate joy when I choose to honor my boundaries.
Not even one bite outside of my boundaries.
Boundaries DO make my life better. They keep me safe. Some boundaries that I have for eating are: eating 0-5, eating while sitting and without distraction, and eating slowly so I can enjoy my food. These are the boundaries God has given to me right now, and I am really starting to see how delightful these boundaries are. I CAN stay within my boundaries!
So as I proceed into the next chapter of my life (being a mommy of two!), I know I can persevere in what God has already showed me to do: delight in my boundaries!
How about you?
Do you believe your boundaries are perfect? Or are you tempted like I’ve been to go back to a diet when you break a boundary? What lies have you been believing? What truths can combat those lies? Will you join me in persevering and delighting in your God-given boundaries?
