DESTROYING LIES

I read the book of Jude for my devotions today. This verse stood out to me so I wrote about it in my journal and thought I would share my thoughts with you.

Jude verse 8: "In the same way these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings." (NIV 2011)

It seems ironic that I spend time on the outside of my body like showering, hair, and facial moisturizer. Yet not so much on the inside; what I eat or doing exercise for example. Another irony is that I take all these medications and supplements to promote health. Yet I still struggle to use food or exercise to promote health. I am getting better at the food part but not so much the exercise part.

It's easy to slip into self-flagellation and condemnation. That does not ensure a positive move forward though. It leads me to crawl under a rock and beat myself up some more thinking "I'm not worth anything else". That's not the truth either.

Beating myself up leaves me on the couch, giving up before I stand. It leads to "who cares' and "why not eat that scone". I'm so good at beating myself up I do it without a thought. It's second nature to me.

I'm beginning to see that the way forward is to be my own best cheerleader. To briefly acknowledge the failures but to focus on the victories! That might be the key to getting up again.

I grew up in a denomination that sang a song when I was a kid that had a line something like this talking about Jesus dying "for such a worm as I". Circumstances conspired to make me believe even more that I was a worm. (I'm happy to say that while we still acknowledge our sins, we also are very big on celebrating God's grace to us. Plus that line has been changed in our new hymnal.)

I've come along way getting out of that mentality and belief but I still struggle with it. It's more subtle and harder to detect now. Changing this old view of myself is like trying to remove lies from my DNA and replace them with God's truth and love. Yet isn't that why Jesus came? To make us new creatures in Christ?

Oh how I need God's grace and love in every aspect of how I treat my body and how I live. How I need God's Word, the Holy Bible, to tell me the truth about myself.

What lies are you to trying to replace with God's truth?

P.S. I'm finally celebrating my 50 lb weight loss with some girlfriends by getting a manicure/pedicure. I can't wait.

40 lbs Lost!!

I was going to write this post a month ago when I had reached the milestone of loosing 40lbs. Half way there! It has been quite the struggle and I was ecstatic. For a week or so, only to put weight back on.  So how could I celebrate the loss and talk about how it's impacted my life.

I realized that as I struggle again, I need to remind myself of what I've learned so far. Maybe I've gained some weight but I still did lose 40 lbs. I need to remind myself what I felt and thought.

Our church is journeying through the New Testament this winter, reading 10 pages a day and then meeting once a week in small groups to discuss what we've read. Somehow familiar words read and discussed many times took on a new meaning. They hit me so hard, I could hardly breathe.

I Corinthians 3: 16 & 17 (NIV 2011)
"Do you not know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Holy Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred and you are that temple."

My body is the temple of God's Holy Spirit. I've known that for years but never lived like that. What startled me the most is that when I mistreat my body, I'm mistreating God's temple! It is sin! I've never seen it so clearly before. I had to repent and once again as I write this I have to repent again.

This truth hasn't sunk deeply into my heart yet. I think I need to put it on the fridge, the bathroom mirror, the car dashboard. My body is God's temple. What an honour! What a sacred blessing! So how can I not honour God by how I treat my body.

For me the biggest thing is mindless eating. I especially struggle at night and when I'm anxious, tired or feeling alone. God is asking me to fill myself with Him, not food.

I went to my Weight Watchers meeting the next week and stepped on the scale. I had reached the 40lb mark. Not even on my radar yet! I was hoping for one or two pounds or not to go up. I was overjoyed. I can still feel those feelings of success. of strength and of inner determination. If I could do this, I could meet whatever other challenges come along.

In Weight Watchers there is a question we are suppose to ask ourselves. "Is what you are going to eat, worth it?" I was so mindless in my eating that I could never ask myself that question. Suddenly I could. Was this scone worth it? This latte? This bowl of icecream? I felt balanced and alive. It was wonderful.

Along the way though, I still did something wrong because I gained 5 lbs back. Just like that. I was and continue to be heartbroken. I have to admit that I gave up. The truths of scripture fled in the face of my anger and disappointment. The knowledge of success and courage vanished. Once more I was in the depths of my deep struggle with food. I have given in to the lies of shame and guilt.

Thinking about it this week, as I've continued to struggle and I'm sure gain some more, I realized that I could ask for forgiveness for a Father who loves me so much. That turning to him, he could once more show me the way. I've committed to learning this scripture passage to begin with. I've committed to tracking again. I'm praying for and receiving forgiveness.

Whatever your struggle, know that God wants to be in it with you. That's the best way to find freedom.

What does the Lord require of me?

"What does the Lord require of you? To do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God."

Micah 6:8

I've been thinking a lot about justice lately. We're studying the prophets in church right now and a lot of them are about justice. God values justice and mercy above our ritual attempts at worship. Without justice there can be no true worship.

So what does that mean for me? In our small group we've been struggling with this question. Quickly we become overwhelmed at the vastness of injustice in our world. Human trafficking, prostitution, hunger, war, killings, rape, imprisonment, poor wages, living and working conditions, slavery, the powerful gaining at the expense of those without power. We see it all over, even in our own community. 

I can no longer ignore these injustices. Nor can I remain paralyzed by the overwhelming nature of injustice in our world. I am one of the powerful. I am part of the problem. Yet, solutions are complicated and there seems little I can do to fix the whole problem.

Perhaps that is the problem. I think I must fix everything. I must be "like god". I've begun to think that is not what God is calling me too.

I've been forced to think in terms of my own life and choices, not the problems out there. What am I doing? How am I bringing justice in how I spend my money, in what I choose to buy and eat, or in how I treat the people I come across. We probably all have different answers as to what that looks like. Here are a few of mine.

1. To, where every possible, buy fair trade. There aren't a lot of fair trade products out there and most of them would fall under the wish/want category not the need category. I don't need chocolate. It's a treat. Despite what I might think, I don't need coffee either. Water will do just fine. I'm endeavouring to buy fair trade chocolate and coffee. I just found a source of fair trade tea, Jus-Tea.. (http://www.justea.com/) Yes, they are more expensive but I can afford them. Just giving up a latte or two covers the extra cost.

2. I can donate my money sacrificially. We had an offering this Sunday for World Hunger. At Christmas we donate money to buy goats for Kenya. There are reputable agencies I can support.

3. Christmas gifts. You might have received them also. Gift catalogues from relief agencies. My niece or my friend's kids really don't need another toy or set of markers. In addition to a small gift, I am choosing to donate to the relief agency connected to my church since I know the most about them. Medical supplies for children in other parts of the world will be my gift this year. 

4. Buying goods from factories with fair wages and good working conditions. I was struck by Amos 2:6. "They sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals." We talked a lot about this because it is really hard to source products like clothes and be sure of what conditions they are made in. None of us are wealthy, so the topic of affordability did come up here. However, I can live with less in order to afford the better choice. One shirt instead of two is not a big sacrifice.

5. Buying local. This pertains to food mostly. I have a wonderful fruit and vegetable market close to where I live. They grow a lot of vegetables themselves. They also source locally or within BC where possible. I'm not perfect about this because I do enjoy that pineapple now and again. I'm trying.

6. How I treat others in my day-to-day life. The checker in the grocery store and the pan handler outside on the sidewalk all deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. I need to acknowledge that they exist as a person instead of turning away or being so absorbed in my own thoughts I barely notice they are there.

I'm sure there is much more I can be doing. The issue of human trafficking keeps pulling at me. I know I need to do some more research about that. Already I know of 2 agencies that work locally and internationally with trafficked women and children. How may I help them?

So I'm coming to see that while I might not be able to change governments, stop wars or act on a global scale I can and must act justly in my life. That is what God is calling me too.I believe this is what God is calling us all to. So that in the words of Amos 5:24:

"But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!"