Forums

I do a lot of vegetables and fruit, nuts, hemp hearts and juice.

I don't really do bread or grains anymore, sometimes if I want it, but not often  I try to stick with fish and chicken, and use turkey if it calls for ground beef.  I'm a terrible cook and I don't like to do it, so I lean toward raw, because you can't burn it, if you only need to peel it.  I don't know much about cooking or nutrition, I'm at the beginning of this journey and just focused on staying open to what ever the Lord leads me to.

It is neat how so much of our freedom comes from learning to be okay with who we are and where we are.  I'd always thought freedom would be some other place, but it's not its right here when I'm here and not trying to be somewhere else.

juls

Julie and I had an email conversation last week that I thought might be of interest and you might even want to add to it.  

 As we've been studying about freedom from the law in our Reflections in Righteousness class, I have related this concept to the idea that dieting is law-based.

 Here's our conversation, with Julie's permission, edited by both of us:

 Georgia: As you are changing your nutrition and everything that goes along with that, do you find it hard to stay on the prescribed foods? (I hesitate to call it a diet!)

 Julie: I just take it one day at a time.  And avoid the idea that some days are failures and other successes.  Every day is just another day, I try and do what I know is right and leave the rest to the Lord.

 Georgia: So what do you do if/when you eat something that is not "recommended"?

 Julie: Move on.  My biggest problem is not eating when I'm supposed to and then I get panicky hungry somewhere that I can't get good food.  I try to keep the vegetables and fish in the house, because I'm more likely to eat what is recommended if it's handy.  I carry almonds in my purse and try to remember to grab a piece of fruit when I leave the house.  Really it's setting up the habits that help me the most.  E.Stanley Jones described self–improvement attempts as requiring a "whipping up the will" I'm just to tired of dieting for that and I haven't ever found a way to keep my will whipped up.  

 Georgia: Thanks, Juls, that helps.  So it's not about not eating the "not-so-good" stuff, but about eating the good things that promote health.

 Julie: Yes, it's about making as many good choices as possible.  There will be less than ideal choices, but if not making bad choices becomes the focus, then it's too hard to make the good choices.  Does that make sense?

 Georgia: I guess it's sort of like trying not to think a thought or if a song gets stuck in my head that I don't like.  I can try really hard not to think that, or I can just choose to think about something else or to sing a different song – it's a lot easier that way!

 Julie: It's moving on to something else and instead of struggling with something I can't beat.  I'm reading about self-surrender right now and I think there's something in it that I need.  I know that if we lose our life for his sake, we will gain it.  I think maybe if we give up our struggles for his, our own will be won? or something?

 Georgia: I am really intrigued by what Jaque posted yesterday:

"To accept ourselves in His total acceptance of us is to get on the side God is already on.

When I learned to 'get on my side because God is on my side,' it was as the changing of the tide in my soul. 

HUGE.

We can hate the sin but NEVER the sinner–this applies to ourselves before we will ever understand how it applies to others.  We think we know this; we do not.  Not until we live it [wink]

You're on track…blessed daughter of God.

Accept yourself.  God wants just you the way you are.

Still on my side,

Jaque"

 In light of this, if I am trying to "crucify the flesh,' I'm struggling in my own strength.  But if I surrender to His love and acceptance of me just as I am, then I'm no longer responsible for the outcome!

Julie: Right, all that's left is to live out the resurrection life.

 Georgia: But I can't really "do" that!  It's only as He lives His resurrection life through me that I experience it.  So what's my part?  My part is to believe. John 6.

 Julie: Yep.  That's it.  It's stunning sometimes how hard that is.

 Georgia: I agree.  Sometimes it feels very hard.  But then I have to ask:  Why is it hard?  If He has done everything that needs doing, and all I have to do is believe and receive it, then WHY IS IT SO HARD???? (sorry for screaming).  Is it my own lack of knowledge that's killing me?  Is it because I don't know how to die to my own desires and let Him live through me?  Is it lies I'm believing that seem like the truth?  Is it doctrine that I've accepted but am not aware of?  Should I try harder? Work more? Strain to figure it out?  There I go getting off into the independent "I' again, trying to make myself "like" God.  No, I will turn to him and ask Him.  "Lord why does it feel so hard to live out the resurrection life?"

 Georgia:

"Lord why does it feel so hard to live out the resurrection life?"
Beloved, you are getting used to your new life in Me, free from the tyranny of the flesh.  The flesh masqueraded as you for so long that you were deceived into thinking it WAS you.  But it was not.  When it starts feeling hard, that’s the time to turn to me, to rest in me, to ask me what’s up.  Just like you just did.  Way to go, Beloved! 

I came to give you rest, abundant life, righteousness, peace and joy.  If those things are lacking, then it is definitely time to come and ask me about it.  And that’s the beauty of having a relationship – we can talk about these things. Things can be hard for different reasons.  That’s why you should always come to me first because I can give you the comfort or knowledge or strength or whatever you need at that time.  I didn’t "do everything that needs doing" and then send you off to live it on your own. I paid the price for your sins, and then invited you to join me in a relationship that will last forever.  As you go through the hard times and experience my love and grace and faithfulness, you learn to trust me and love me more and more. If you get annoyed and blame me for the hard times because I have the power to stop them, then our relationship will be hindered. I will still love you, but it will be hard for you to receive if you are blaming Me for the way things are.

Julie:

Yea, this is it Georgia.  For me, food isn't a god, dieting is a god.  It consumes all of my attention and focus, but we've dedicated our lives to developing this attention to our relationship with God.  We can't serve both masters.  But if we'll keep our eyes on Jesus, "As you go through the hard times and experience my love and grace and faithfulness, you learn to trust me and love me more and more."  Dieting for me, is a distraction from learning to trust Jesus in all things, but to pointedly stay attentive to Him, learning to move and remain in His rest, I really believe I'll find my freedom from in all things there.

I would love to hear any insights that anyone has about this!

Georgia

I think its time to share something I remember…well.

There was nothing like it.  I changed the way I was eating–cleaned house while doing a long series of cleanses.  In my case, it took a couple of years because I was toxic, more toxic than I knew.  Then it happened.  I realized something beyond expectation.  I heard the voice of my body as if it had never spoken before.  And what it told me was that it loved what I was doing.  My head began to clear.  God's voice became even clearer.  I realized the muddy thoughts, tendency towards depression, etc. were connected to the trash coming out of my body. 

This is what I now know by experience: we are not just a spirit and soul living in a body.  Everything is connected.  The reality of spirit, mind and body as one became a living revelation to me.   The physical difference is worth all the effort…still it was nothing when I realize how Christ in me did it. 

Hi Gals,

Great thread of thoughts and sharing. I want to introduce another idea to you. Julie said "For me, food
isn't a god, dieting is a god." What if none of the things we define as "gods" or "addictions" are what they
seem? What if our basest addiction—is to the self—that cannot end it self and can never think of itself
as dead?

This revelation broke ground zero for me. I have become aware of a self that doesn't think of itself as
dead, it never wants to die, never wants a problem to be solved because the problem continues to make "it"
feel alive. It's a self that never wants me to quit thinking I'm addicted to anything but IT. Here is a self
that proclaims it is still alive, that it never died in Christ. Here is a self that CANNOT let go of any other
conclusion, a self that fools me (as long as it can) into believing it is still alive; thus I can never fully
experience victory as God means me to right now, I can never get beyond that one (or more) nagging
problems always on my mind.

Here is a self that doesn't know how and doesn't want to live apart from the illusion of independence. It
cannot do less than live a deluded existence.

When the light goes on we will know that we know that we know, THIS self is indeed dead in Christ.
Victory is ours. Then the problem will no longer be a problem. We will live free and "all these other
things" will fall into line.

Seeing is everything.

Enough said for now,

Jaque