Prayed Up

Prayed Up

              

               As I reflected on/prayed about a topic for today’s Sharingglory post, this question came to mind:  What is the most difficult time of day for me to abstain from overeating?

            Those hours after the evening meal is finished challenge me most.  The kitchen is cleaned up. I’m finished with the day’s tasks (or I’ve run out of energy to do anything more).  I don’t know what to do with myself.  I don’t watch much TV or Netflix.  I don’t have a husband to harass or to harass me.  What should I do?  It’s too early to go to bed, and I think, ‘You have time to work on your memoirs,’ or ‘You need to balance your checkbook;  you could listen to that CD by Richard Rohr on St. Paul’s teaching,’ and I respond, ‘I’m too tired for that.’ Usually I respond, ‘I don’t feel like it.’  So I wander into the kitchen—dangerous territory.

            I’m not hungry.  I’ve just finished eating dinner.  I’m bored, or lonely, or sometimes I just plainly don’t want to stop eating for the day.  After breakfast and lunch, I have another meal to look forward to, but after dinner several hours loom before I can eat again.

            As I write this morning, I think of Paul’s words:   “What I don't understand about myself is that I decide one way but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise” (Rom. 7:15, MSG).  I relate to Paul.  I have decided I want to eat according to my God-given appestat—what my body needs, when my body needs it and how much my body needs.  However, too often I eat what my body doesn’t need, when it doesn’t need fueling, and more than it needs.

            And those evenings happen when I ignore my God-given appestat and those few seconds God gives me to listen to that still, small Voice within my spirit, and I overeat, often ending up with a bloated belly and miserable,.

            Jesus set an example for me and for you.  When he was challenged, he prayed.  He went away by himself.  “Rising very early before down, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35, New American Bible).  He went to the Garden of Gethsemane the night before his crucifixion (Mark 14:36).

            Both Paul and Jesus give me the solution to the challenge I often face in the evening hours.  It’s not will power I need, but grace, the power of the Holy Spirit.  I need to pray and to trust.  This morning I also realize, I need to be “prayed up” for challenging times.  I need to ask for strength ahead of time, to surrender myself to the Holy Spirit in the morning, preparing myself for the day.

                                                                                                                                    Sharon Witty

Being My Summertime Best

Last time, Sharon talked about how we are wonderfully made by God. This is a glorious time of year for experiencing God’s Creation. Healthy eating is at its easiest in the summer. 

In addition to all of the beauty that spring provides, it also brings the bounty of springtime and summer fruits and vegetables. Anyone working at watching weight has an enormous variety of healthy choices at the supermarket.

Healthy eating is at its easiest in the summer. Nothing tastes as good as something freshly grilled outside. No fat or breading needed.

The biggest challenge for me is portion control. With so many great options it is easy to go overboard and load up my plate. Potluck picnics can be challenging. I try to focus on plain vegetables and fruits rather than mixtures like potato salad, cheesy potatoes, and creamy cucumbers…I see a theme…cheesy and creamy. Delicious but often loaded with extra calories.

To help me, I like to use a smaller plate. It might be fun to purchase a pretty melamine plate from the department store to use this summer. Maybe a pretty plastic glass to go with it, to fill with water as often as I can. Drinking water is essential in the warm summer to stay hydrated and feel full.

We can enjoy the fresh peas, spinach, asparagus and strawberries in season right now, and indulge in sweet watermelon, peaches, cantaloupe, and berries as they arrive in the stores at peek ripeness. Spring and summer can bring great success to our healthy endeavors. With the addition of exercise opportunities, such as walking outside, mowing the lawn, or weeding the garden (which also gives us Vitamin D), this time of year is a blessing.

“You realize, don’t you, that you are the temple of God, and God himself is present in you? No one will get by with vandalizing God’s temple, you can be sure of that. God’s temple is sacred—and you, remember, are the temple,” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17 MSG). 

I am God’s Creation. I want to be my best for Him.

Gloria D. Stewart