That brings me to something I want to share with you. We all get to choose how content we are with our lives. We can be unbearably negative, unrealistically positive or somewhere in between the two. I have landed in both extremes more than I want to admit, but the place that I find the peace is a settled surrender to God in the middle.

The middle ground of being real with myself about life…It’s not all good, it’s not all bad…and in every place I find myself in, I can also count on finding God with me.

Will I recognize his presence? Will I move to his heartbeat on streets paved with problems or disappointments?

The Apostle Paul spoke of finding contentment regardless of his circumstances in Philippians, chapter 4. It’s a quick read and would be a great way to start the new month.

First he starts with–Be anxious for nothing. Followed by–pray about everything. These two are topped with– Thanks in all things. He says the result will be peace and then a few verses later he tells us he found the secret to contentment.

What is the secret to contentment?

Is it good outcomes? Perfect circumstances?

No, it is hanging on in the middle–praying, trusting, thanking and finding anything good and staying focused there.

This speaking season I have been speaking on what we do with our problems. And, let me tell you, the message has challenged me. As I sit here, in a green room, in Tennessee getting ready to speak again tonight– am in terrible sciatica pain that emerged after the 5 hours of flying a few days ago.

I have hobbled through the past two days and tonight I am hoping I can hobble again unto the stage. My life is not perfect circumstances today, but this I know–As I stop the negative, focus on the positive and remain in God’s presence, have peace and I am content with my current circumstance.

Oh yes, I want this pain to go away, but if it doesn’t….I know in my heart, that God has something for me in the middle of it all.

Choose your tent friends…discontent or content. It is not dependent on circumstance, but is dependent on a choice of the will to trust God in all things….

Let’s do this focus upward all October!

Will you join me?

xoxo

Debbie

I have worked hard for years after depression NOT to be a Debbie Downer. But, if I am to be honest, depression that lasted a few years, reframed my thought patterns. What once was positive became cynical and eventually negative. Because I didn’t want to be a downer or live life under a cloud, I knew I had to do something about my thoughts. I became aware that my thoughts directly  informed my feelings and directly affected my moods and actions. In other words, all outcomes started with how I was thinking about things.

And though I see clearly in Scripture that this progression from thoughts to outcomes is really a thing, I hadn’t put enough time into working it through. As a life coach I am well aware that thought work is an important part of helping people move forward. It all starts with the narrative they are believing and the story they are telling themselves about their life and circumstances. As a woman I am well aware how thoughts and feelings can threaten to uproot even the best of things.

“As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23:7

How are you thinking? Because that is who you will be. Thoughts dictate how you will live and the choices you will make.

Romans 12:2 instructs us to be transformed (changed) by the renewing of our mind. Yet, despite such clear cut Biblical wisdom many of us fail to recognize that we have a choice in what we think. We do not have to live with our thinking on autopilot. The narrative that we repeat and the stories we tell ourselves, might not be healthy for us. If we don’t challenge the thoughts we won’t experience much life change.

This isn’t mind over matter talk, it is a biblical view of how our thoughts, focus and minds are important when it comes to living the life God designed for us to live. Abundant life rather than a just getting by life. A life of joy and peace rather than despair, fear and low grade depression.

Very few people want to be unhappy. For some unhappiness and negative thinking has become such a habit that they have no idea how to live any other way. But, let’s be clear, that negative spiraling started somewhere…most likely with a single thought over a problem or event. The thought unchallenged brewed more and more negativity and before long…this way of processing became the story we told ourselves.

One New Habit

“Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious–the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.” Philippians 4:8 The Message

Pay attention to what this is saying. The fact that Paul was teaching the church this means they could change their thoughts. They had a choice and he was teaching them to choose wisely. What they thought on was entirely up to them. If it wasn’t  natural to lean towards the negative, we would not need this teaching and reminder. What Paul was teaching them is that with God’s help we can control our thoughts.

” And the peace of God will rule your hearts and minds.” Philippians 4:9

• Here’s the one thing: Look for good and dwell there.
• Here’s the outcome: You will have peace of mind
• Here’s the reality: Joy comes when we focus on what is beautiful rather than on what is ugly. In people, in our environment, in circumstances…. choose to make a new habit of finding good.

Example: Someone was complaining to me about their sister. I listened while her spiral became increasingly negative. Then when asked what I thought…I told her I was sorry she was in this disagreement but what if, her sister had a good heart and meant well and was being misunderstood? I asked her to tell me some good things about her sister. Before long the good was overshadowing the bad and she began to have a lightening of heart and an openness to believing the best.

What if we decided…Lord, I am going to walk in your word here and learn to choose believing the best. I will not complain about people or things. Instead I will call out the good and beauty. Try it one day at a time for 30 days and new patterns will begin to develop.

I have been practicing and when I do this, my mind is clearer, lighter, more loving. When I do this, I get convicted of my judgements and want to repent. When I do this I have a sense of peace that goes beyond what I could get any other way.

Will you join me sitting in Scripture? Let’s sit with this the next couple of weeks and see what God does.

XOXO

Debbie

We went from in person visits with kids and grandkids to zoom Christmas. The year 2020 will obviously go down in history and has thrown us all into the meantime. We have little control of what is going on in our country and  world. The corona virus, economy problems and business shut downs or lay offs  have affected us all. In our own family, two  have  lost jobs during this time,  friends have gotten sick with covid-19 and trips have been cancelled.  For me, all speaking events had been taken off the calendar for ten months. The question isn’t how hard it’s been, but how will we live in hard and what will we do with the disappointments and changes.  Will hard produce holy in us? Or will hard simply create a heated disappointment and discontent?

The meantime is the space between a problem and it’s solution, a prayer and it’s answer, a beginning and ending.  Sometimes the meantime is a few hours, maybe a day or two, though it can be months or years. The meantime is part of life and because of that, learning to handle the meantime places of life is pretty important–especially as Christians who are interested in following Jesus in the practical places of real life.

The Apostle Paul wrote his letter to the Philippian church while in the meantime of a prison cell. His arrest most  likely unfair, but his mindset about his situation, something we can all learn from. What we know as the   four chapters of Philippians, teaches us what Paul had come to believe about God, life and living well despite the circumstances. He didn’t live under the circumstances, but learned to live above them as his mindset stayed focused upon the promises of God.

Paul imprisoned was certainly in a meantime lockdown! He had no control over his circumstances and could not free himself from his chains. But, there were a few things he did have control over:

• The attitude with which he faced his circumstances ( mind set)
• The direction he took each day and each step ( action)
• Where he put his hope and trust each day ( faith)

Can I encourage us all to take this into our Christmas holiday?

• The attitude with which he faced his circumstances ( mind set) i will have JOY regardless of changes in Christmas plans
• The direction he took each day and each step ( action) I will abandon previous expectations and make the most of it
• Where he put his hope and trust each day ( faith) I will trust that God sees, knows and is with us even if it all looks different

Because life is hard and we all hope to be shaped more holy, I would like to invite you to join me in a 30 day group exploring a deepening of our faith as we are Living in the Meantime. We will be using the book, A Woman Who Trusts God.

The group will be held in a private FB group that will have daily posts on each week day, weekends off and a FB live teaching each Monday. There will also be scheduled zoom meetings if you would like to hop onto those. The group will begin Monday January 18th, with a introduction meeting  Thursday Jan 14th. We will be covering all 22 short short and practical chapters of the book, as we go through Philippians. Upon joining the group, you will receive the schedule. To join the group go to Debbie Alsdorf/Author page on FB and groups. ( link below)

Some things covered:

• Expect the unexpected
• When bad things happen God is still in control
• Living overwhelmed is a choice
• God is always at work in the details
• You are held together by God
• The refining fire of hard times
• Anyone can fall apart, be different
• Refuse anxiety by replacing it with thanks and praise

Grab a friend, anyone who needs to be refocused to trust God.  If you are on my mailing list, I met you at a speaking event or retreat and I look forward to connecting with you again!

During the summer I offered The Faith Dare in groups on facebook with hundreds of women across the United States and it was such a great time to re-focus. Let’s go into the election season and the holidays with our focus upward as we find peace in God daily.

What you need to join

The book purchased here:https://amzn.to/3l3zDaa

Join the Group here:https://www.facebook.com/groups/406724813713399/

My prayer for us all, is that we would experience the presences of Christ this Christmas. The one and only who came to be a Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace.

Merry Christmas with love,

Debbie

We moved in on Friday the 13th of December. Yeah, you heard  that right, Friday the 13th! And, besides  buying a house we were excited about, everything   else was truly like what you’d expect for Friday the 13th….so many stories and so much hard….oh man, can hardly believe all we went through to get here. But we are here…and guess  what? We aren’t sure exactly why. And that’s ok. Sometimes God says, go…and you go. The details are  being covered  by him. (someone remind me  of that, ok?)

There is a peace in  trusting God with the unfolding of details.

I’m at the age of looking back over the things I have learned and remembering God’s faithfulness through the hard and the holy stops along the way. Through all I have lived through, there are three truths that keep me steady.

1. Remembering God loves me and is for me.
2. Remembering God is always working, even when I don’t see him or feel him.
3. Remembering that every single thing has  purpose, for  my good and growth.

Without remembering God with me,  I can spiral rather easily, but when these three truths are in place, my attitude is different and life is viewed as a story bigger  than my circumstances. It’s  like  viewing life as the front of a puzzle box.  The end result of all the pieces within the  box is a beautiful well planned picture. But, with 1000  pieces to put into place, the  opened  box  looks  like  a  big mess rather than a perfectly planned  design. But, piece  by  piece,  it  all fits. And, the same is true for  us. Life often looks  like a heap of  pieces that don’t make sense. But he knows  how even the hard and dark  pieces of  our story  will  work  together  for our  good and our  growth. Believe  me friend, I have seen  God work his  faithfulness  over and over again.  But, it’s not  an overnight  thing, it’s  overtime.

If you are struggling with  the hard  right now stop  to remember those  three truths. If you are stressed over not being able to make sense of your own details, remember those truths.  Focus  on the  truth,  fix your  eyes  on  the bigger  picture   and  believe that  he   is  masterfully working  all pieces together. And,  above   all   else, don’t compare your pieces,  your  hard, or  your  story with anyone  else. Comparison is the  thief  of  joy  and comparison will  rob  you  of focus   quicker  than  anything else. Comparing  with  others is  a  tactic  the enemy uses  to steal  the joy of our  one-of-a-kind  God  ordained story from us.  When focused on  everyone else, we can not see the beauty of what  God is  doing in us.  Close the door  on  comparison.

If I could  meet  you for  coffee I might bring  a single   puzzle  piece and  ask you to  tell me what one  piece  of life you  are struggling  with today.  Then   I’d share  my current struggle piece with  you too. In the end, I’d  remind  us  both  of those  three  truths with the  hope  that as  we  continually  regain our  focus,  our  hearts  will be drawn to God’s bigger story and our minds will stay fixed on his love for us.

Life is not always easy but armed with the truth we can defeat the enemy’s whispers on the daily.

Here’s some references to go with my rambling…..

“I have  loved   you  with an  everlasting love; I have  drawn you with loving kindness. I will build you up again.” Jer 31:3

” I know the  plans  I have  for you says  the Lord, plans for  good and not  evil…” Jer 29:11

“I  will never leave you nor  forsake you”  Hebrews 13:5

“In all things God works for  the good  of  those  who love him, who are  called according  to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

“It is God who works in  you to will and to  act according to his  good  purpose.” Philippians 2:13

“And he determined the times set  for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so the men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of  us.” Acts 17: 26

On another note…

California  friends  I will be on the Aspire tour in March… speaking in Merced 3/20,  Livermore 3/21 and Chico 3/22. I will be joined by  two  amazing women… comedian Anita Renfro and recording artist Mia Keohne.  www.aspirewomenevents.org  for  tickets.

Talk soon….

with joy ,

Debbie

I haven’t posted or blogged for awhile. I have been occupied writing a new book that will come out September of this year.  The book, looking at the imprints we received as children, specifically daughters, led me down a healing journey that has been both beautiful and has left me awestruck with the reality that healing can happen, at any age, by the working of God’s spirit in places we didn’t even know needed healing.

To share briefly, I’d like to tell you the key things I am learning:

1. God has always been with me
2. God will always be with me
3. God is compassionate and kind
4. I can be compassionate and kind towards myself and others too
5. There is a smaller version of me that reacts and responds to life in immature or hurt ways
6. There is a grown up Spirit filled larger version of me that can learn to live in truth and healing.

This book , It’s Momplicated, hope and healing for imperfect daughters of imperfect mothers, which is a healing journey for women, included writing our stories. Have you ever taken the time to write yours, or parts of yours? So often we dismiss the past and over simplify or over spiritualize the facts by quoting , I am new in Christ, while living like we are not renewed at all.

We are new in Christ. We were changed spiritually when His Holy Spirit came to make residence within us. But what still challenges many of us is the ways we learned to think about life, ourselves and others. For some, lies that are contrary to God’s truth, dictate our emotional life, our soul life. Though renewed in Spirit, we may be living in a soul of a small child that was hurt and reacting to live through those hurts….without ever knowing it.

For me, today is a new day, and there is one specific prayer that has become my daily request. It is right out of Psalms,  “Lord, teach me to number my days, that I may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12

I want to finish the race strong, faithful and focused on eternal things.

I wish I could express to you what this past year has meant. There don’t seem to be words. The inner healing that God has done is as tangible to me as a healing of an external wound would be. It wasn’t that way at first, but over the months, I experienced God changing the inner part of me in ways that I can not quantify. But isn’t that just like Jesus, His Spirit works, and we can’t explain it. This healing has affected the way I view other people, the emotional climate of my soul and the way I respond to my day. The healing  has changed me from within so that I am less likely to need to respond to life with overeating or over numbing of any kind. Like I said, Only Jesus.

So here’s my prayer today. I am asking God to do the unexplainable in your life. It’s a new month. Make this the month that you get real with God about your emptiness or any ache that you do not talk about with other people. Sit with him each day, even if it’s just 5 minutes. Ask Him to purify your heart and cleanse you from things that are not pleasing to him or are not healthy for you. Expect him to work. He will. Truth is He already is working. His love for you is far greater than you can imagine. May you experience more of his love this beautiful new month of March too.

I am praying the same for me.

We can do this. We can yield our lives to God.

Living up,

Debbie

          “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand.”  Jer.18:5

It’s summertime and I am always looking for a new craft or activity for grandkids. A quick trip to my local Michael’s presented me with many ideas, including making hand prints in wet cement followed by painting them into a masterpiece. The whole idea of wet cement is something I have been thinking about a lot lately. Not because I like to play in cement, but simply because I am writing and researching the imprinting that takes place when we are children. Imprinting that carries on throughout our life if we don’t notice it, address it and change it. Not all imprinting is negative, some is very positive. But sadly, because we are raised in an imperfect world with imperfect humans raising us, some of our imprinting is in need of God’s healing touch once we reach adulthood.

While each of us is born with all we need, the basic hardware and the wiring  to learn about love and connection, we can not use what we were born with unless we have a guide…someone to teach us…thus the imprinting begins. In the life-shaping process some of us were affected in a way that now needs healing. The cement has dried on some fears, insecurities and bad attitudes. It’s time for the old imprinting to be broken up, making way for the imprinting of God on our souls, which will affect every part of our lives.

Just for fun…try this exercise:

• Take out a paper and make 3 columns: Fears, Insecurities, Attitudes
• In each column list the things that come to your mind for each
• Pray over your list asking God to give  you healing where you need it.
• Pray Boldly, asking God to pour a mold of His Imprint into your heart and mind.

For instance, one of my fears growing up stemmed from being left alone much of the time. I never felt safe,had ulcers by 4th grade, and the cement hardened around my fears. They became part of me and I never really knew why I was so afraid. Neither of my parents seemed afraid of much, but I was terrified of everything.  As I placed things in the fear column, I began to realize that perhaps fear isn’t my middle name, but instead something I learned from a young age.  This gives me hope. I can be freed from fear as God changes the imprint from the human cement to the heart print of His Holy Spirit revealing the truth that: I am never alone.

Now, you make your lists and together we will listen to God speak to us truth about our lives that might make things a little clearer and our prayers a bit more directed.

Happy Wednesday….back to my writing desk!

Debbie

 Pretty basic and seems simple. But, I can not count how many times I sit down to get my words on the computer without first sitting down with God in worship, thanksgiving and prayer. Too many times.

All of us can do things, but it is only as we are connected to the life giving flow of the Holy Spirit that we do things of eternal value. Jesus talks of this in the gospel of John:

“Remain in me and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” John 15:4

Writing or creating without the anointing of God is like trying to blow dry hair without the dryer being plugged in. No power source. Crazy? Yes! But all of us do this. We wouldn’t think of doing it with an appliance, aware that it must be plugged in to operate. Why then do we assume that we can go off on our own and create anything of life-giving or lasting value without first plugging in?

So what’s a writer to do? I mean we are busy. We have lots of other things on our plates.

I must stop and spend time with God before hitting those computer keys? Yes. It’s not only a good idea, but one that promises a fruitful outcome.

What does remaining in God look like on a practical daily level?

It’s connection. It’s abiding. It’s starting the conversation.

Though I often tend toward a negative spin, I force myself to begin by thanking God first for who he is and then for all he has done lately in my life or the lives of those I love. I follow this gratitude by asking God to cleanse me of all that is not pleasing to him. This could be anything from fear and anxiety, to actually doing something unloving or hurtful to someone. It’s a wide range and I take my time, listening for God to reveal to me what to confess. Now with clean heart, the fun begins. Prayer winds down the road of asking God to fill me with the Holy Spirit and lead me into that day’s writing and word counts. The adventure of life is best done in connection to Jesus and the adventure of writing is much more enjoyable when empowered by His Presence.

What can you do to get into His presence today?

How might confession and thanksgiving help you with writer’s block?

This week my writing projects include, a new four-part message on Peace, a study on pastoral leadership for a church staff training and of course the daily seeking God for direction and words to help women heal from early childhood mother wounds. You can see why I need to be plugged in!

Grab a journal and begin to make lists of thanks, write out scripture to memorize, and prayers to ponder.  Turn on some music and worship all by yourself. Write and then write some more.

God bless  you my friends!

Debbie

I am working on a new project.

It’s different than anything I have ever done. I am co-writing a book with a therapist. Yes, that’s right. We both have a heart for women to receive healing in wholeness in all areas of their lives. That said, many of us as women carry around with us a bruise or wound from our little girl days that has unknowingly shaped us as we grew up. Those hurts are complex and they are not to be blamed on anyone. But those hurts are real. Jesus cares about real hurts and he cares enough to hold out healing to us…

Together we will tell our stories of mother wounds in the hope that other women will face the complexities of their own mother-daughter relationships. My mother was distant and acted uninterested  when I was young. I was left alone much of the time. I had no idea how this affected me. Her aloof nature built the fear of abandonment, rejection and a deep shame that something was wrong with me. It has taken years to be able to see and face the reality on this.

That said, I loved my mom, dearly. Crazy, I know. But she wasn’t a bad person, she just didn’t want another child late in life. She wasn’t prepared, she wasn’t excited, she wasn’t ever going to let me in.

You can imagine how this plays out in the psyche of a child turned woman. Thanks be to God, for the healing power and presence of Jesus is real, very real.

He asked the blind men, ” What is it you want?” Couldn’t he tell? Didn’t he know they wanted to see? He knew and he was calling out their heart, asking them to ASK him for what they wanted. Have you ever thought of what you want? Have you asked God? He knows you enough to see the need, but what if, you just found a quiet place and asked, really asked him, for what your heart wants….I believe he would meet you there and answer in his way and time.

Back to writing….do you have a story of a complicated mother-daughter relationship? Do you ever wonder if there is something wrong with you because you don’t have the relationship you wished you had with your mother? No mother bashing here. Mothers are imperfect just as we all are. But if you have a story or anything you would like to add to the discussion, I’d love to hear from you.

Well, my coffee is getting cold and my writing time is ticking by…back to work.

with love,

Debbie

Are you looking for a summer devotional? You might want to get The Faith Dare. It’s a 30 day challenge with daily dares to live out scripture, journal, and meditate on biblical themes, like choosing to love, daring to stop being critical….etc. Women love it. I loved writing it and you can get it by clicking this link.

https://www.amazon.com/Faith-Dare-Days-Live-Fullest/dp/0800733673/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495764086&sr=8-1&keywords=the+faith+dare

I posted this yesterday on the Design4Living site. Today I am copying it here as I believe the message in this little post is needed for us as women today.

“Teach me to number my days, that I may gain a heart of wisdom” Psalm 90:12

Within the last week I have heard of the untimely deaths of seven people I have known. Though each has graduated to heaven, the realization of life, loss and death have hit heavy on my own heart. After the shock subsided each time, I heard news of the next one.

With the reality of the brevity of life so close this week, I have wrestled through the night thinking about purpose and the use of my days. I have thought of who I am living for and who I am expending energy trying to please. I have prayed for the families experiencing the losses and prayed for myself to be rid of anything that is keeping me at arm’s length of living fully today.

Imagine my surprise the other morning when praying and God spoke softly and sweetly to my heart, telling me that I waste time. Waste time? Hmmm….could this be the voice of the Lord? I asked if it was He who was pressing this on my heart and I got an affirmative. Then I began to ask Him to show me how I waste time and what to do about it … the answer is not what I expected.

I figured maybe it was too much television, shopping, recreation. But, no, that was not the time-wasting in my life at all, it was actually deeper than any of those. I waste time by allowing my mind to go places it doesn’t need to go. I frequent a mental place called, The Funk, and often just wallow there for hours, sometimes days. For those unfamiliar with The Funk, can I just say it is a place of a dejected, discouraged mood. ( That is Webster’s definition).

As if I never learned any of this before, it all has become a new lightbulb moment. I have an enemy, the battlefield is my mind and he works overtime to tempt me to allow my mind to go places it doesn’t need to go. If he can’t get me to do other things, he works on tempting me to thinking that causes defeat, discouragement, shame and feelings of dejection. The longer I stay in this funky place the more time of my life is wasted. Each of us only have a limited number of days, why waste them allowing our thoughts to be negative and painful?

If you can relate, let me share what gets us into this place and how to get out! For each the cause or circumstance will be different but the problem is exactly the same. The problem is our focus. When our focus gets “off” we get funky, eyes get on self, our problems, negative feelings and the current circumstances. This is the enemies greatest way of derailing us. Since focus is the issue, then focus will be the solution as well.

There is a reason we are taught in Scripture to set our focus on things above. When we set our focus, choosing where we will allow our focus to be, the enemy can not get a spiral going. In Lamentations we see Jeremiah getting funky. He got his focus on himself and on everything that was negative and began a mental spiral into a bad perspective. Look at how he turned it around:

“I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope. Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:19-23

You see, he stated prior that he was a man who had seen affliction. He wasn’t a wimp, he had real life stuff going on. Hard stuff. So naturally, just like us, it was easy for him to focus on the stuff. But that focus led him down a wrong path mentally. When he began to LOOK UP, his mental attitude began to change.

If you, like me, have found yourself wasting time mentally spinning about stuff in your life… hurt feelings, bad relationships, lost opportunities and hardships, then pay attention to what we can learn here. Instead of focusing on bitter things how can you and I lift our gaze to better things?

Just some thoughts from someone who doesn’t want to waste the precious days I have spinning a web of discontent and discouragement.

“But my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign LORD; in you I take refuge…keep me from the snares.” Psalm 141:8

Hello there!

I will be using this blog for awhile to encourage us all on the journey to a healthy lifestyle. It took me a long time but I am finally learning that taking care of me is one of the most important things I do each and every day. Like most women, I know how to take care of others, but me? Not so much. For years, I always came last in terms of making my health a priority. But after a breast cancer diagnosis and a new liver diagnosis on top of one I already had, I realized it was time to give my all to trusting God with my body and my health. I hope that this blog will lead you to the grace and strength that comes from God and the desire to surrender to Him your body and your choices. For surely surrender of who we are and all we have is in itself an act of worship. May we worship Him as we make choices that reflect the truth that we are His and our body has been created for Him.

A New Kind of Normal

There is a reason diets don’t work. Diets have a start button and a stopping point. They are all or nothing. Trouble is, the all or nothing life, doesn’t promote good health. We have heard it for years, diets don’t work, but lifestyle change does. It’s true.

The bummer is, lifestyle change truly means that I must change the way I handle myself in regards to what I eat, how I move and how much sleep I get. It takes focus and most of us are so stretched these days that focus is hard to come by. Taking care of ourselves is not the number one thing on our priority list—but friends, it needs to be.

Taking Care of You

No one else can take care of you. No one else can make continued healthy choices for you. No one else can submit to God, surrendering your body for his use—but you. Yes, taking care of ourselves is not only practical, it’s spiritual. It is our spiritual act of worship at base level.

It’s now been ten months since I began the journey to renewed health. Though it was hard, very hard, in the beginning, it became surprisingly routine and easier as time went on. Gone were the cravings for my beloved sugars and favorite processed foods. In their place was an appreciation of all the wonderful colorful things I could eat. And, to my surprise, I began to like the shopping, preparing and cooking that went hand in hand with a healthier lifestyle.

At the eight month mark I had lost 46 lbs and was happy with myself and grateful to God for the strength He had given me every step of the way. When my medical Dr. had suggested I lose 40 lbs, in my denial, I thought it was too much. I soon saw that 40 lbs was not even enough and at eight months was well on my way to a solid 50 lb loss. And, that is where I decided to stop and begin to maintain.

Practicing A New Lifestyle

Being it was the holiday season, my birthday and other noteable events, I decided to work on maintance during the eight weeks from December to February. I started out by practicing moderation while allowing back into my life limited grains, sugars and dairy. Part of the maintance discipline was keeping a daily food journal, something I hadn’t done the entire previous 8 months. This journal helped me not over eat and opened my eyes to what my personal body needed to maintain it’s new weight.

About this time I ended up with a repetitive stress injury in an ankle that I had surgery on 8 years earlier. For months, walking 4 miles each morning, six days a week, had become routine. Though I wasn’t into it at first, it was a discipline I grew to look forward to and love. Now my Dr. was telling me to rest my ankle and as it got better to curtail the daily repetitive activity, finding varied ways to get exercise. At first, that wasn’t a problem, as my ankle pain screamed at me.

Over those two months of trying to maintain my weight loss I learned some valuable lessons that will now take me the full course of this journey.

1. I must pay attention to what I eat.
2. I can’t just eat anything I want.
3. I don’t feel as well with a diet rich in processed foods.
4. Breads/ Processed Carbs are not my daily friends, they cause bloat, fogginess and food cravings.
5. If I am not active, I can not eat as much. Period.
6. A TREAT meal or TREAT day, once a week or every other week is not a deal breaker and helps me keep my focus all the rest of the days. ( I purposely refulse to call it a cheat day or meal as that is negative. It’s rather a treat to be able to have something I have purposely given up, on a daily basis, for health reasons)

In my next post I will address, paying attention.

As I close for today, I pray, for us all.

I pray we will have the courage to take care of ourselves as unto the Lord, resist discouragement when the days don’t go perfect, and refuse to live in bondage but rather grasp for freedom in every choice we make that honors God!

living up,

Debbie