Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.
– Psalm 150:6 NIV
Have you ever known someone who, no matter what wonderful things were going on, they found the dark clouds amidst all the silver linings of life? A”Christian Eeyore” has that “There’s not a cloud in the sky, but that’s because a terrible storm is brewing and it is sure to take us by surprise” approach to life. You know the type, right? I hope you aren’t that type, though!
This week, we are going to choose NOT to be like that. We are going to CELEBRATE and count the many ways that God has been at work in our lives.
The nature of this journey we are on, requires that we prayerfully scrutinize our choices. We “observe and correct” and find there is SO much to “correct.” We tell ourselves repeatedly how we could/should have done this or that better. I don’t know about you, but after I have just inhaled an extra piece of pizza beyond satisfied, I can “overlook” the previous three days of wonderful choices, honoring God, walking with him, and submitting to his leadership!
We have been doing some HARD work this summer! Rather than weighing our bodies and comparing notes and results, let’s invite God to weigh our hearts right now. NOT our bodies. See below to see what I mean:
Heart Scale
All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart.
– Proverbs 21:2
If God were to weigh your heart, where would it land in the above illustration?
Here is a spiel about what I want us to do this week! 🙂
2.) Create a list of “land” you have captured for Christ on this journey this summer so far!
For instance:
I said no to a second helping last night at dinner
I have been drinking more water and less sweetened tea/coffee
I have been renewing my mind frequently and have noticed that I have begun to think God’s thoughts about myself, food, and God–to actually believe them!
I have been adding to my truth cards each week.
I have an accountability partner.
I have had 3 nights of successfully eating within my boundaries from dinner preparation time until bed time!
etc.
Your turn!
3.) If you have noticed that you tend to break your boundaries under certain circumstances, prayerfully make a plan for how to take that situation captive *before* it happens next time.
4.) Which of the three challenge levels mentioned by Barb in her evaluation post are you going to try out? Pick one and get an accountability partner if you haven’t yet. What can you do to structure your life to meet this challenge with victory? Make a plan!
5.) Consider having a gratitude blog or gratitude journal, specifically for thanking God for his gifts. Try these spots on the web:
6.) PLEASE POST HERE! What changes are you seeing in your life? Please praise our God and tell of all his wonderful deeds! Every continent (except Antarctica) has been represented by visitors to this website. So, if we are supposed to “declare among the nations” the things God has done for us, you can do so here and consider that one way of telling “The World” about what God has been doing! In fact, while I am asking for the moon :-), I would love you go to the Testimonials page and share a testimony there for everyone to see who lands at that page! Come on! 🙂
7.) Some sad news is that our trial membership at GoToMeeting and GoToWebinar has come to an end. I had *thought* that it was only $50 to continue, but it is $100! 🙁 I just can’t swing that. So, sadly, we won’t be having an online class this week unless I find a host that is cheaper. 🙁
8.) Will you pray for people to be encouraged through this ministry? I would love for visitors to see the many ways you see God at work in your life this summer! Thanks so much.
Image Courtesy of Daniel Bylsma Weather in Wells, Nevada
If you are like I was, you have dieted for years on and off and had “success” on and off, but have lost and gained the same weight. Even if you have been a Thin Within participant, this may be your experience with it, too–it was mine! Until 2006, that is.
There are a number of things that made a difference for me (three of them are mentioned in an audio link that I send you when you subscribe to my newsletter…what a shameless plug!). But I can summarize those three by saying the single key was a general shift in my mindset.
So…What made the difference for me so that I released the weight and then have stayed a healthy weight since?
And, more importantly, what will make the difference for you?
If you are doing the HEAL study with us, then you may have read the section entitled Breath of Fresh Air on page 15 (of the latest edition).
Even if you aren’t doing the study…the truth is the same! What you can do to experience a different, permanent result this time is, simply:
Change Your Focus
Think about it…in the past experiences with dieting or Thin Within, whether you were successful or struggling, what did you focus on? Was it, perhaps myweight, mysuccess, myfood, myeating, my body, mydeprivation…MY MY MY ME ME ME? 🙂
Think about it for a moment in another context… When you “fell off the wagon” was it perhaps mystress, mylack of support, mytrials, mylack of self-discipline, my busyness?
Oh…shoot! **I** quit!!!
The solution to the problem of being caught in this cycle, again, is to:
Change Your Focus
Ok, I know I said that already. I want you to believe me. 🙂
So maybe you buy it, but you want to know what should you change your focus TO?
Bear with me on this one, too.
Simply… Change your focus to…God.
HIS power
HIS provision
HIS will
HIS way
HIS love
HIS character
HIS performance
HIS actions and activity
GOD GOD GOD!!!
So, howpractically can you do this?
Here are some tools you can use that will make all the difference in the world. In fact, these tools–no matter what I am going through–if I shift the focus from ME and “How ever will *I* make it?” to “God is strong enough, mighty enough, loving enough, caring enough to do ANYTHING!” I find that nothing is impossible.
This really is all about HIM, even if it FEELS like it is all about “me” (or YOU in this case!).
Like Allie and Judy say in the HEAL book, To experience authentic healing and restoration, we need to focus on something bigger than ourselves.
God.
Here are the tools for you to try. And you just knew I would challenge you to choose one of them today!
Each time you hear yourself saying “I will never be able to…” recognize it as a lie and one that is about YOU and trade it for a God-thought, “God, you are more than able to perform anything!” Write them down…keep track. One column is LIES and you cross those out as you go and the other column is TRUTH and you make those phrases big and bold and biblical!
Develop a God List. Take a moment each day to jot down aspects of God’s character and his deeds. Here are some places where you can learn more about that: YouTube Video, How to Create a God List, Sample God List. You can use the inside of your HEAL book or, even better, a larger journal, or, for you techno-geeks (like myself), you can keep it in Evernote on your iDevices and computer! It is always at the ready that way!
Create a play list on your mp3 player or iPod that has songs that specifically state the truths about God and his character. I will be sharing some ideas for songs you can include here at the blog from time to time. Or you can have a look at my other blog to see the songs there that I have recommended for a similar play list.
Memorize scriptures specifically praising God for His character. Put post it notes up around your car, office, kitchen, wherever would help to keep you remembering that this is *not* about your will-power, but about God’s work in you. HE is able and more than willing.
Keep a growing list of gratitudes–things that you are thankful for. These are gifts that God has blessed you with. It’s different than the God List. The God List is for keeping a list of what God is like. The list of gratitudes is a list of the gifts that he gives you personally. The idea is that you take note throughout your day of things he gives. Have a look at my online gratitude blog to see what I mean (I don’t keep it up to date like I need to!). In fact, YOU could start an online gratitude blog and share the link with us here!
Set the timer on your watch to go off every hour (I have been known to set mine to go off every 20 minutes…I am desperate!). Each time it goes off, I breath a prayer “All for your glory, Lord,” or “Jesus, help me honor you,” or…well, whatever you choose. Check in with the Lord this way and use your timer to remind you!
When we focus on the Lord, something happens…the attitudes of entitlement and justification that seem to cause us to reach for food dwindles. We are kept in a humble place. Instead of insisting on “my rights” we turn to the Lord and think “For your glory!” We also aren’t so prone to “failure” eating, since we understand that this isn’t about MY performance, but about God doing a work in me that HE will complete. It takes time to create a thing of absolute perfection…God will take my entire life and do the finishing touches on it when I go through the door to heaven and not one moment before!
When I focus on him, I am not so prone to engage in “Keeping Boundaries is Hard” eating, either. Gosh, in fact, if you were to go through all of the different types of eating that Barb’s study had us look at, I bet a BUNCH of them would disappear if we took a proactive approach to focus on and exalt God instead of thinking of ourselves quite so much. Dieting does, by definition almost, insist that we be myopic…self-focused. Let’s transform our experience! Let’s try something radical!
Who is with me? Will you start today? Right now?
What tool will you begin with (or continue, or restart) today so that your focus is more on the Lord and less on you? Be sure to check in here again and tell us how it went. I can’t wait to hear!
I am currently working on Beth Moore’s Stepping Up: A Journey Through the Psalmsof Ascent bible study. This study is already ministering a lot to my heart even though I am only in week two.
I want to share some of what has encouraged me. From the Holman Christian Standard Bible, Psalm 123 reads as follows:
Looking for God’s Favor A song of ascents.
1 I lift my eyes to You,
the One enthroned in heaven.
2 Like a servant’s eyes on His master’s hand,
like a servant girl’s eyes on her mistress’s hand,
so our eyes are on the LORD our God
until He shows us favor.
3 Show us favor, LORD, show us favor,
for we’ve had more than enough contempt.
4 We’ve had more than enough
scorn from the arrogant
[and] contempt from the proud.
This psalm encouraged and challenged me. First, can you relate (as I can) to the statement of the psalmist, “We’ve had more than enough contempt. We’ve had more than enough scorn from the arrogant and contempt from the proud.”
When I was heavy, I felt this all the time. I felt the contempt of men, children, and even women. I was treated differently than I am now. Sure, some might say that it was all in my mind, but whether it was or not, I *felt* it. I felt like I was treated differently because of being overweight — obese.
I will never forget being late for a connecting flight once…it was a small little “puddle jumper” from one airport to another about an hour away. As I climbed aboard (I mean this was a SMALL plane with only two seats on one side and one on the other), I felt the eyes of all looking at me like: “Now the plane will surely list to one side. Put her on the side with only one seat! She will balance out the side with two!” There was one man in particular, whose scrutinizing gaze reduced me to nothing. Why I gave him that power is beyond me. The memory is still with me (obviously).
I have had enough of that sort of contempt.
Even as I was reminded of this, I was encouraged by the words of the psalm. In those moments when I feel like the target of assaults–from the enemy, from strangers, from people I love and know…on what will I choose to focus my attention?What will I invite to fill my vision?
Right now, with all that confronts you, confronts me, with all the demands made of us, to what are we looking? Upon what am I choosing to focus? Is it the trial? Is it the circumstance? Is it the person and the way I feel wounded by them? Or is it how little food I get to eat if I really want to release weight–or keep the weight off? Am I focused on the things that bother me? Do I make provision for my flesh by choosing to fill my gaze with things that will cultivate discontentment and resentment?
This psalm has an answer to a question that I may not even know I am asking.
Who is it that is over all? Who is in charge? Who is truly on the throne? My YHWH, LORD, God Almighty, I AM is in heaven. He is on the throne. As the song goes, He is God alone. In verse one, the psalmist declares “I lift my eyes to YOU…” His gaze had to be lifted from what was facing him, the contempt being shown him, the circumstances that overwhelmed him. But the one choosing to do the lifting, the shifting of the gaze is him. I must choose to do the same.
I have a choice. I can choose to focus on what it is that has my shorts in a bunch, the insults, the contempt, the trial, the person blocking my goal or disappointing me somehow, or I can LIFT my eyes and look to God. As I focus on HIM, all the other things fade in significance. This is a principle that is so true and it has been revolutionary for me personally as I have walked this path. It is very much related to humility and to gratitude. If I insist on being the focus of my life, or if I insist on focusing on all the things I am bothered by in my life, it will change everything how I perceive what comes next, or seems to.
Beth Moore points out in the lesson on this psalm that: WhereI look affects—->
WhatI hear, which affects—->
What I feel, which affects—->
What I expect…
I would add that what I expect then affects what I experience.
No, I don’t believe in the “power of positive thinking,” but I do believe that what I expect affects where I look in the next moment…and paints it accordingly. What I expect affects what I experience, which, unless I stop the cycle, will affect where I look and what I hear…and so on. It is a cycle!
I want to break this cycle. I don’t want to focus on “my problems” and perpetuate a bad attitude which seems to perpetuate trials, which perpetuates my fixating on the trials and on and on. I will break the cycle by choosing to focus on the LORD who is ON THE THRONE. He IS sovereign. He IS good. He IS sufficient. He IS loving. He IS gracious…
When I choose to foster gratitude and praise the Lord, I am doing this. I am breaking the cycle. I am choosing where I look, which affects what I hear, which affects how I feel (WHOO HOO! When I think on, look to and praise the Lord, my feelings change!), which affects what I expect and what I experience! WHOO HOO!
I choose to begin this day with gratitude. I have posted at my Gratitudes Blog.
I know for a fact that gratitude changes, transforms, flips things around. When I choose to praise, thank, worship the Lord no matter what happens, things change…*I* change.
When I make fleshly, sinful, ungodly choices, it is really an expression of pride–that my way, my will, is being exalted above God’s. There is no way that pride can exist when worship–true worship–is going on. That is because worship, thanks, gratitude given to God puts me where I belong, in a humble place.
So, today, I choose to praise, worship, thank the Lord for anything and everything I can think of. I will take captive any thoughts that are not obedient, surrendered and submissive to Christ.
For quite a while, I have known a key to “success” — spiritual, emotional, and physical — is to foster an attitude of heartfelt gratitude, praise, and thanksgiving to the Lord. It is odd to me, then, that I have not *done* what I *know* is vital. You see, no matter how I have “lost” weight in the past, it has always been pride that has been my undoing–even if it has been on the path that Thin Within endorses.
Even recently, I have seen the insidious nature of pride (again) as it creeps in so subtly. Earlier in this weight-releasing journey I would lean hard on the Lord to tell me when to stop eating and even what would be a good choice to eat. It is almost like I have now taken the things that he has graciously done for me, taught me and turned them into my own set of rules for keeping the weight off. This is rooted in pride. I need to continue to ask God, ask God, ask God. When I invite him into each moment, I foster a humble dependence on Him that not only blesses His heart (I believe), but it lifts me up as well.
Today I read day 17 in my Thin Within book. The TW group that I lead has an extra week off because of Thanksgiving, so we have two weeks to spend on days 16, 17, and 18. How fitting that day 17 is on gratitude! This morning, I spent time pondering afresh many of the blessings that God has bestowed on me. I will be posting them to my gratitude blog site (I haven’t posted there in a LONG LONG time!), but thought I would also post here.
To elaborate on the connection between gratitude and the Thin Within journey–which is really just a journey toward Christ-likeness–let me share an example from my life and see if you can’t relate.
As I eat, I may hear a conviction in my heart: “Child, enough for now. That is enough fuel for your body.”
I decide to play a game of sorts… “Did I hear you right, Lord? You said enough?” (Said as I take another bite…)
“Yes, Child. You have had all the food your body requires and I do hope you enjoyed the blessing I have provided to you.”
Taking yet another bite, I respond, “Lord, I must not be hearing you right, as I still am not at a ‘5’ on the hunger scale…” You see, in this place, I am saying *I* know best–that it is my *right* to have more food! In fact, it doesn’t matter if I am at a 5 or not. God has chosen to reveal HIS will to me…and the humble response will be obedience…not “Can we discuss it and see if I agree?” kind of obedience. It is pride that keeps me from just heeding His will and doing what He says.
In fact, it isn’t about the food at all. It is about what saying no to Him about *anything* does to my heart…it hardens my heart just a bit. Do I really want to do that?
When I *daily* spend time listing out things I am filled with gratitude to God for, it puts me in the place of humility…and Him in His rightful place–as provider, sustainer, satisfier, my all in all. How can I say NO to such a wonderful Lord? When I struggle with wanting food for any reason other than physical need, if I can choose to write out even 5 things for which I am grateful to God, I see a definite change in my attitude. I go from “I can TOO eat what I want. This little bit won’t matter after all!” to “Whatever you desire for me, God…” Again, the bite of food isn’t the point…it is the heart attitude that is.
When asked in my Thin Within book this morning to list things I am grateful for, it was easy to list a number of things:
1. For new trash cans (I know that sounds silly and I won’t explain it, but God knows!)… 2. For the cedar chest now snuggled into the bay window near our dining table (another one that God understands…LOL!) 3. For my pony, Breezy, who continues to give me wonderful rides during which I can fellowship with friends with whom I wouldn’t otherwise spend time. 4. For lunches out with my Mom–that she is fun to be with and still in good health at 82 years of age. 5. That God has removed the extra weight from my body, lowered my blood pressure, and that I no longer fear keeling over from a heart attack… 6. For the privilege of leading a Thin Within class at my church. 7. For the joy that the ladies in my TW class give me. Oh! How I LOVE them so! Lord, don’t you just love them so? 🙂 8. For Jordan, the dog we got at the shelter about 6 weeks ago…God has used him to help heal our hearts, we missed Samson and Bo so much…and still do, though Jordan helps so much. He is such a blessing! 9. That I can nap with my arms around “psycho-dog” Daisy…she is crazy much of the time, but does a good imitation of a stuffed animal when I snooze with her and cuddle with her. 10. For my mustang, Dodger’s, huge try… 11. For Harley, my Morab horse, and his incredible beauty and the joy he gives me. 12. For Doc, my big baby (another horse) …who has the most kissable nose on the planet! He is just so incredibly sweet, even though he is in such pain all the time. 13. For a husband who loves you, Lord. 14. For a family time last night of watching the movie, Amazing Grace, and even how it tied in with some of the things the kids have been learning about in our history class in homeschool! That was an unplanned blessing! (Thank you that Daniel CHOSE to join us!) 15. For the privilege of participating in the writing of the Thin Within book with Judy and Dr. Arthur…I still shake my head at how atonishing that was…is…and the continued blessings that come from that. 16. For the pre-release copy of “Raising Fit Kids in a Fat World” that Judy sent me! Oh, Lord! I can’t wait to see what you DO with this! It is sooooo reflective of your wisdom, your fun-loving nature, and joy in your Children! Thank you for the privilege of letting me participate in that project as well. 17. That my two teenagers still cuddle me, hold my hands, put their arms around me–even in public!!! 18. For the privilege of homeschooling another year… 19. For my retreat time with you, Lord, where you helped me to see YOUR priorities for my life…I have your peace as a result, even if there seems to be so much to do in the time I have. 20. For a church that preaches and teaches your Word…thank you.
These are just off the top of my head this morning…I am thankful that I have so many things that I am so thankful for! LOL! Truthfully, as I ponder all of these things…and there are so many more…it is only fitting that the Giver of such gifts is exalted, esteemed, worshipped. In this place, I can’t imagine exalting myself, my opinion, my desires above whatever He calls me to.
I am positive that one of the greatest weapons for fighting against my own rebellion, pride and/or apathy in my Christian life and in my quest to be healthy inside and out (which for me are the same thing) is choosing to give thanks, even with an act of my will…even when I don’t feel it. As I choose to give thanks, list the blessings that God has given me, I find something amazing takes place…I find that my own spirit begins to soar, be buoyant…is lifted up out of the pit.
