"Crave" Week 3

This week begins Week 3 of our "Crave" study! How are you doing? I am loving how God is using this book to speak to parts of my heart that really need a good "speaking to" and parts of my mind that needs major work on. Make sure to stop by Crystal & Rebecca's pages, as well as link up at the bottom to join up!

Chapter 3: "Getting a Plan"

Lysa opens up this chapter with her example of the garden that she passes by, bringing up her longings of a beautiful garden of her own-while not really wanting all the work that it requires. I can relate on many levels, but specifically when it comes to getting healthy and losing weight. I would love to say that the one and only reason I'm working on this is to become a healthier and better version of my self, and that is definitely part of it. But to be honest, there's another (more shallow) side of me that walks through the department store daydreaming of smaller dress sizes and more clothing options of being able to fit into whatever I want. And those are the days I probably gather more gumption to buckle down than others. Sad, but true.

"I want the flowers but not the work. Isn't that the way it is with many things in life-we want the results but have no desire to put in the work required?" (35)

Yes and yes. When I'm facing that rack of dresses in the store that I am picturing myself in I feel so empowered to just say no to the bad foods that I should say no to, and all of a sudden it doesn't seem like a struggle at all anymore! This is SO worth it obviously. But check back with me a couple of hours later and I will probably say something like-eh that dress wasn't so great anyways.

Lysa also points to food being a form of addiction in this chapter. I couldn't agree more. Drugs and alcohol have never been a struggle or even temptation for me personally. But before you write me off as someone who has set herself upon a "pillar" of good girl status, wait a second, I've still struggled with my fair share of addiction. Just because I reached for food instead of another substance makes me NO better than the alcoholic down the street. No better. At the end of the day it means we are running to and depending on something other than God-no matter what that may be it is wrong and sinful.

"That's both the blessing & the curse of issues with food. Poor choices with food will rat me out every time-if not in my waist line, then in my energy level & my overall well-being." (38)

So what's so important about having a plan? Well first of all, I really appreciated her clearly saying that the plan she chose may not be right for everyone. I am one of those people! Completely eliminating sugars is simply not realistic for me personally, and I'm okay with admitting that. Ultimately the only thing that will work for you is the plan that works for each of us individually. For me personally that means calorie counting. I think it's important to point out here that sometimes (often times) it takes a few rounds of good ol' trial & error to find the plan that works best for you. And that's ok! Continue to preserve and find the plan that works best until you find something that you can really agree with and commit to.

"This journey will require you to make some tough sacrifices, but I've come to look at this process as embracing healthy choices rather than denying myself. There are lessons to be learned & perspectives to be gained in the season of embracing healthy choices. These will not just be physical lessons, the mental & spiritual lessons gained in this time will be the very thing that will equip you for the long haul." (39)

Chapter 4: "Friends Don't let Friends Eat before Thinking"

Accountability-Do you use it? Does it work for you? Sometimes I feel like we have those people in our lives who help us remain accountable overall in our lives, and they usually stand by us for a pretty long haul of our lives. But then there are those who are there to help us primarily in a single issue or area of struggle in our lives. This battle with food and health is a perfect example. I am so blessed by one of my best friends who is going through a very similar journey as I. We like to send pictures of our meals/snacks to each other. I've found this is a great way to stay on track, because really who wants to shamefully send a picture of a giant pizza when the other person is trying to help you get healthy. We also take some time each week to kind of go over how we're doing and different things we struggled with or things that worked well for us. I'm seeing a huge help in this!

"We must be aware that desperation breeds degradation. In other words, when what is lacking in life goes from being an annoyance to an anxiety we run the risk of compromising in ways we never thought we would." (42)

We've all found ourselves in those moments of weakness, trying to justify it just this one time. But its time we take down the façade of it being a seemingly simple "one time only fix" and begin to see it for what it really is-attacks from satan. Why is this so hard for us to recognize? Myself included!! If I hear of a recovering alcoholic friend being invited to go to a bar by a co-worker, my prayer becomes, Lord strengthen her against satan's schemes and attack right now. The same goes when I hear of a young girl I'm mentoring being lured in by an older boy who wants more than she's willing to give. So why in the world do I not view the same attack as personal in those easily compromising moments of food with "just this one time?" ringing in my mind. This is one of the many ways I see good, Godly friends who are willing to stand by you, encourage you, and pray for you. We have to remain aware of the attacks that will come our ways when we commit to something we know God is calling us to do, and one of those ways is prayerfully considering an accountability partner that will support you in that.