Thursday, January 23, 2014

Empowered

Feeling empowered about my food choices and my ability to walk in obedience to the Lord is a relatively new thing for me. Works like defeat, misery, shame, and failure have been much more the story of my life. At one point I was even telling myself that it was okay that I was not taking care of my body—I was too busy serving God to worry about that. Give me a break, I’m a missionary living in AFRICA. Sounds very holy, right? Boy was I wrong!

Since realizing that my food issues were of great concern to God, and that it wasn’t just the strain I was putting on my body, but also an outward sign of an inward problem, I am being freed from those old ugly words. Bringing this area of my life under the rule of Christ has been so liberating—not the burden that I always assumed it would be. While I sometimes have to make conscious choices, creating a routine of exercise and predetermining some things about my eating habits have made a world of different.

Through Him I am empowered to say no to baked goods that aren’t really that high on my pleasure list, and I no longer living with the guilt of my excuses and binges. Submitting my food choices to God has brought so much freedom—if only I could have learned this when I was a teenager and first starting to struggle with food! His strength in me makes it possible to reduce my portions, make better choices, and to actually look forward to (most of!) my exercise times. This body is a temple of the Lord, and I want it to have the ability to serve Him full out! Not that I have arrived at where I need to be physically or spiritually, but I am committed to making 'imperfect progress' for the rest of my life.

“Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me…for when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9b, 10b

5 comments:

  1. Love that you are making "imperfect" progress! What an encouragement!

    We are also in Africa - Nigeria! :)

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  2. Lina thanks so much for sharing. I'm with you FINALLY bringing this area of my life also under rule. So glad for this study to help me FINALLY get there. Imperfect progress and baby steps. Hugs. Debbie W. (OBS Facebook Team Leader/Group Leader/Blog Hop Team)

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  3. I think you are certainly headed in the right direction. You have taken a first step or two. A comfort that I have is that we are all headed in the same direction--a closer walk with God. :)

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  4. Luna, I LOVE how you relate your efforts to imperfect progress and baby steps with God's power and leading. This is an area I also struggle with daily. Thank you for sharing. Hugs.
    -Carol (mom7plus)

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  5. OH MY!, Autocorrect changed your name to Luna. I'm sorry, Lina.
    (I had to type it more than once to get it to accept YOUR name). Eeeesh!!). :)
    Hugs.
    -Carol (mom7plus)

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