As Good as Skinny Feels

A friend and I recently started reading a book together.  She is also trying to lose weight (although she is WAY ahead of me -- go LP!). The title is Made to Crave and is a guide to "satisfying your deepest desire with God, not food". The author is Lysa Terkeurst. I've not read anything by her before but so far have enjoyed the book.  There is a lot to learn in there - a lot to take in and digest.  She also has reflection questions at the end of the first chapter.  I am a strong believer that those questions are one of the main keys of putting her ideas into practice and applying it to our own lives.  However, as I said before I don't really like to hand write so the thought of trying to write everything down was daunting.  BUT  I could type it so here I am! :)

In the introduction titled "Finding Your Want To Terkeurst states "It's not the "how to" I'm missing.  It's the "want to"...really wanting to make changes and deciding that the results of those changes are worth the sacrifice."

That's me.  I say I want to but too often I'm not really willing to make the sacrifice required.  I've seen the saying over and over that nothing tastes as good as skinny feels but when I'm sitting before a beef pot roast with mashed potatoes and gravy I'm not thinking about how good skinny feels but how good it will taste in my mouth - right then!!! 

Another thing Terkeurst says is "I think we all get to a place sometimes in our lives we have to give a brutally honest answer to the questions, "How am I doing?" It's not really a conversation we have with a friend or family member. It's one of those middle of the night contemplations when there's no one to fool.  There's no glossing over the realities staring us in the face."

I know I need to change.  I know I am not living the full life God has intended for me.  However, my life is full of excuses, of procrastination, denial and guilt.  A vicious cyle of sorts that never seems to get better but seems to actually becoming harder and harder to bear as I get older. After all it's easier to make excuses then it is to make changes.

The thing I find unique about this book is that it deals with spiritual malnutrition.  I feel overweight physically but underweight spiritually. Terkeurst believes tying these two things together is the first step on one of the most significant journeys you'll ever take with God.

She talks about the rich man as described in Matthew 19. He comes to Jesus and asks what he must do to have a full relationship with God.  "Jesus states "If you want to be perfect (whole), go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.  Then come, follow me." Matthew 19:21

The rich young man goes away sad because he won't give up the one thing that consumes him.  I can relate.  I allow food to consume me - daily/hourly.  So many times I am wondering what will my next meal be - can I drive through that drive through? Can I have another helping? What should I have for a snack?

Jesus is asking me "I want you to give up the one thing you crave more than me.  Then come, follow me."  Ouch!  That was more then I want to hear or be asked! Yet Jesus tells me in Mark 8:34 "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me".  With Jesus if I want to gain, I must give up. If I want to be filled, I must deny myself. If I want to get close to God , I have to distance myself from other things.

"God made us capable of craving so we'd have an unquenchable desire for more of Him, and Him alone. Nothing changes until we make the choice to redirect our misguided cravings to the only one capable of satisfying them." 

Getting Healthy is about recalibrating our souls so that we want to change - spiritually, physically, and mentally.  

Spiritually - I had to ask God to give me the desire to be healthy.  I need to do this daily!!!  Hourly....Beg for the "want to" - for His strength to help me make a smart choice at that moment.

Physically - I need to remember that what I eat matters.  It's true what the doctor's say - Eat better, move more! Really it's simple but needs to be a constant choice.

Mentally - I have to decide that I am made for more than this - more than a cycle of eating, gaining, stressing, eating, gaining, stressing.  "I am made to rise up, do battle with my issues and, using the Lord's strength in me, defeat them - spiritually, physically, and mentally -- to the Glory of God."

This was just the introduction.  As I reread it and typed it I am struck again at the simplicity of it as well as the challenge of it.  It won't be easy.  It will be one of the hardest things I have done but if I can put it into practice, to make it a way of life I will be so much better in every aspect of my life.  Not only will I feel better about myself but I will also be a better, wife, mother and friend.