Ohhhh…I am so excited about this! Yes, yes, food and fitness excite me. But a faith-based approach puts it all into perspective. I mean, really, Ladies, we already know He wants ALL of us. So, why withhold the very essence of our earthly existence, the care of our human bodies?
Our bodies are more than just a calorie consuming vessel; more than a physical representation of us, more than an aesthetic physique to judge when we look in the mirror…our bodies are our biggest earthly blessing! We are created in His image, with His plan and purpose and so perfectly put together that somehow all these little cells cooperate to make a mommy, a woman, a wife, a worker...a Christ follower!
Without the blessing of your beautiful BODY, you would not be living and breathing and now today considering how important it is to eat clean and care for it!
So, as we embark on this 30 day challenge, I want you to hear this first and foremost. Come on, lean in. Really LISTEN:
You are MADE FOR MORE than caving in to cravings.
You are MADE FOR MORE than a number on a scale.
You are MADE FOR MORE than following food rules and fitness fads.
You are MADE FOR MORE than fitting in to some unrealistic social mold.
So, there’s that. Read it over and over again because in the next 30 days I plan to continue reminding you of Who made you and how beautiful you ALREADY are. We are not doing this to LOOK a certain way. We are doing this because our bodies are a blessing and worthy of real care and nourishment.
And what’s more is this: The choices we make with and for our bodies can glorify God. ‘Whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, do it for the glory of God!’ 1 Corinthians 10:31
Maybe it seems like a stretch to you right now. But when you face any kind of temptation or when you model health to your children or you develop a pattern of thinking about your own body you have unique opportunities to give thanks and glory to the God who created you. We will continue talking about all those things as we work with the tangible tools of eating clean and exercising.
Whatever your wellness weakness is (you know, that thing you do that sabotages you), I will challenge you to look at it from the inside out rather than covering it up as you eat a certain way or set your sights on your scale. In fact, I urge you to PUT YOUR SCALE away. Take it out to the trunk of your car (YEP! I have done that for many-a-client to keep them from weighing their worth on their numerical weight).
Some of us struggle with overconsumption. Some of us are sedentary. Perhaps your issue is pure mindlessness or lack of concern for your beautiful body. Or maybe you struggle with stress or sleep. As you begin, I’d like you to think (I mean REALLY think) about the underlying issues causing you to come back to the starting block over and over again. And as you tackle the clean-eating list, implement the exercise goals and immerse yourself in the inspirational reminders, keep coming back to YOUR truth and surrendering it to God.
What do you need to lay down? Don't miss this post...it is something to ponder as you surrender.
This is about NOURISHMENT, not nauseating rules. This is about building your body UP, not tearing your psyche down. It’s about strength of mind, body and spirit. This is about making some healthy changes and leaning on GOD, not dripping in guilt.
For me, my weakness is the tendency to make wellness my world. What’s so wrong with that? Well, my world is much bigger than wellness and, in the past, I’ve allowed it to drown out other important areas God was giving me. I spent too much time thinking about it, my relationship with food felt horrible and I exercised for all the wrong reasons. I had to learn how to truly surrender to my Savior.
It was only when I made the choice to give this area of my life to Him that I learned how to embrace health and enjoy my body. And not because this five foot, utterly non-curvaceous body of mine is perfect or always performs pleasingly to me. But because I’ve learned to give thanks for the blessing of my very existence. I’ve embraced the energy living well gives me: energy to raise my babies well, energy to work towards His calling on my daily life, energy to approach my choices mindfully and not get all mucked up in exhaustion or discouraged by the mundane of some days.
Ladies, your existence is a miracle of HIS! He is using you, pursuing you and loving all over you every day. So, respond with reverence as you lay down your battles with living well and use your existence to praise His name and follow your purpose!
And here’s a real-deal worldly reality: As women walking the earth (sometimes walking exhausted and weary), the tangible motives to eat well and exercise are REAL. We want to feel good, have energy, avoid health problems and, yes, we want to LOOK good! We want to rock that outfit and wear our skin well! That’s all okay.
But, if we don’t FIRST put all of our concerns at the cross, we will keep coming back unsatisfied.
So, let’s dig into this challenge of spring cleaning ourselves. But let’s do it differently this time. Let’s start by bowing our hearts and lifting our arms to Him, giving Him this area of our lives it’s so easy to withhold. Let’s honor God in this process!
Here we go! The 30 Day Spring Self-Cleaning Challenge is ON! Use THIS LINK if you still want to sign up...or even better, send this to a friend so you both have support and someone to hold hands with along the way.
Comments