Time to Catch Up!

My grandfather used to tell me this story when I was younger. I didn't realize it came from the Bible until I was an adult. Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler, Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest. How long will you slumber, O Sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? Proverbs 6:6-9

Although it doesn't exactly tie into eating, it does and it doesn't. The thing is, that my eating issues over the years didn't have as much have to do with eating, as that's the way I tried to stuff down whatever I was feeling rather than dealing with those feelings- so here goes... 

It seems like with the holidays approaching, I feel like I've been more like the ball in a pinball machine bouncing from one thing to the next, instead of just focusing on what needs to be done first. I, actually, went from one extreme to the other. Last year, I sent my Christmas mail out on the lay-away plan {some now and some later}. I mailed cards up until the day before Christmas. I heard from three different people that they got their Christmas card from me in March of this year. Well, lesson learned! So, this year, I was determined that I would mail all the Christmas cards by the beginning of November, so that didn't happen again! I started making my Christmas cards in mid-October to have them ready by November 1, and they were ready! 

The sad thing is, I lost perspective of all the many things I had put on the back burner and didn't stay focused on the most important things like the ant in this Bible passage. I owe you, the Reader, and apology, because while I was trying to get ahead in one thing, I was getting behind in keeping up with my blog posts, and for that I am very sorry! Fortunately for me, the Lord God is very forgiving despite some of my big plans, and He brings me back to focus on what is most important-my relationship with Him and sharing it with others! Have a very blessed Holiday!

Since I am writing how I've applied this Bible verse to my own life, you should know that it doesn't necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the Bible verse. Debbie

Tempted Again, and Again, and Again, and Again...

 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

Although it may sound funny to some, I fell back into old eating and thinking patterns after stepping on the scale and finding out that I had gained two pounds back. I know, it sounds silly. I've gained two pounds here and there over the years, and every time I put my eating and stress in Christ's very capable hands, the weight came back off, but I wasn't doing that, this time. Actually, I was, but not with a whole heart, not focused on the Lord's will for me. I was just going through the motions!

After lots and lots and lots of prayerful contemplation over the weeks after getting on the scale, Christ had it on my heart that the snacking had become too important. I rarely used to snack, but why was it sooooo very difficult for me to give up snacking this time? I was letting food become a false god in my life again, turning to it for comfort instead of turning to my Lord and Savior. That really got me to thinking and trying to figure out how to turn this negative pattern around.

It took lots of praying, lots of making sure I had substantial food for dinner, so I didn't set myself up for snacking. It was difficult for many weeks watching my husband snack in the evenings, but not snacking myself.  It was almost a white-knuckle thing some evenings. I did keep a glass a milk handy through the evening while I watched T.V. with him, so I could drink some milk whenever I felt like snacking. Satan was hanging on to this stronghold he had on me with a vengeance and wasn't willing to give up on tempting me again and again. Fortunately, our Lord is all-powerful and wasn't going to let me slip away easily, but praying every time I felt tempted was the way He allowed me to escape and to bear it. I am sooooo thankful! 

 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

Since I am writing how I've applied this Bible verse to my own life, you should know that it doesn't necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the Bible verse. Debbie