Back to the Basics

Hey there my loves!!  Thank you all for hanging in there while I was sick this week.

I am by now, very much convinced I have/had the flu.  I say have because I still feel very much sick. 

Fever, congestion, chills, tiredness...etc...its just been a pure awful week it feels like. 

However its been making me feel very...selfish.

I have been wanting to indulge myself and wanting things my way and feeling sorry for myself for having to go to work and work through this.

Why cant I just have kids and be a stay at home mom and be home when Im sick??  Ok forget the kids, why cant I be a stay at home wife??? haha. 

But I must remember that I am extreemly lucky and blessed, even when Im sick and that its NOT all about me. 

I have been eating JUNK yall...for real.  I dont know why exactly because I couldnt even TASTE it!!!!  I mean...really. 

But I think all of that brought me to a place this morning where I was broken. 

Jacob went to church without me because I am sick...and I have been sitting here reading my Bible and doing devotionals.  I know this is not a religous blog exactly, but its a blog about my life and my weight loss journey and God is a huge part of me and of it. 

A while back, maybe a year and a half ago I read a book called Made to Crave.  Maybe some of you have heard of it, maybe not.  Its all about craving God and not food. 

And for a while now I have been so selfish and so concerned with myself and my weight loss journey that this week that I have been "binging" (without TASTING!!) has made me come to a point of re-assesment. 

I want to be healthy.

I want to be slimmer.

I want to be more attractive.

But first of all I want to do things for the Lord and be focused and centered on Him.

Too often in our lives we let things distract us from our real purpose....

Micah 6:8

"He hath showed thee , O man what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"

1.  Seek Justice.

2. Love Mercy.

3. Walk Humbly with our God.

I have to get back to basics yall.  I want to focus on things besides myself and I think if we all started to do that, the weight loss might just fall into place.  I know, myself that I tend to OVER THINK it and be sooo consumed with it.  I think if we start to focus on other things to glorify God then it might just all come together full circle. 

I am going to start by reading this book AGAIN. 

I love love love this book and it so helped me in the past.  I hope you all will read it!! You might can find it at the library, at a Christian book store or definetly off Amazon. 

I have highlighted it, and put sticky tabs all through it.  Its THAT good.

This time I want to listen to God and see what kind of healthy lifestyle HE wants me to have.  Should I try to eat clean?  Or just no sugar?  Or cut out red meats?  I want one that will work for me and that can improve this temple of a body that I house the Lord Jesus in.

I want to read you a little part from the begining of it:

MADE TO CRAVE

BY LYSA TERKEURST

INTRODUCTION

FINDING YOUR "WANT TO"

"A typical book on healthy lifestyle choices should contain lots of talk on vegetables, calories, colon cleanses, and phrases like "you must" or "you should", "or else".

I have a problem with all that talk.  I know most of it.  Its not the "how to" Im missing, its the "want to"...really wanting to make changes and deciding that the results of those changes are worth the sacrafice.  More than once, I've stood in the aisle at Walmart holding said typical book in one hand with my other hand wedged into the back pocket of my jeans.  Jeans, I should add, I wished were several sizes smaller. 

While I stood there looking at the healthy eating book, a shopping card full of things I felt I could not live without stared back at me.  Indeed, that cart mocked me.  Part of me hated the junk food in that cart; but another part of me-a bigger part, evidently- loved the junk food in that cart.  So I'd return the book to the shelf, toss my head back, and think , "Another day, another time.  Im doing the best I can." 

In light of this admission, I think it only approperiate to be honest with you about a few things right up front.

1. I am emotionally allergic to typical books on healthy eating.

2.  Not once in my life have I ever craved a carrot stick.

3.  I am not bouncy perky about giving up two of the greatest delights of my taste buds-Cheez-Its and box-mix brownies.  In fact, I've even asked God if it would be such a terribly difficult thing to swap the mollecular structure of Cheeze-Its for carrot sticks.  They're both already orange.  And, really, how hard could that be for someone whose changed water into wine?

4.  I wasn't sure I had any business writing a book like this.  I'm a simple Jesus girl on a journey to finding deeper motivation than just a number on my scale for getting and staying healthy. 


....YALL how great is she??? I seriously LOVE this book and I hope you all choose to read it with me!!! 

I love this other quote from it too....really hit home with me.

"Food had become like a drug.  And honestly, it's a good drug choice for a Christian woman.  Every church event I attended readily provided my drug out in the open with no hesitation or judgment."

She really hits it home for me on sooo many levels.

I am going to start reading this again and praying daily for Gods help. 

I know not everyone who reads this is a Christian, but I think we all like to share things that have worked for us and I encourage every single one of you to read this if you are having a struggle with weight or even your relationship with God.  And I am here for you all! Love, Lauryn.

Also, please go check out my friend Staci she is having a birthday girl giveaway on her blog, and Happy Early Birthday Staci!!! :)...However I must say I am hoping to win, Subway is one of my fave places to eat!!!