Day Six

My Food:

Breakfast: cup of oatmeal with raisins, no sweetener and a bowl of fruit (melon, grapes, pineapple), decaf coffee

Lunch: 2 black bean burgers, salad with romaine, raw green beans, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, buffalo hummus, Dijon mustard, my fudge cake with pb-date frosting

Dinner: large bowl of leftover No-Beef stew, glass of smoothie (frozen berries, cherries, kale), 1/2 ear of corn on the cob.

My Thoughts:

Today was another good day. We enjoyed our time at the potluck and I felt great about my delicious plate of food. I was so excited that my friend and others enjoyed the chocolate cake that I brought. It's so rich and filling and makes me feel so happy to serve it to others knowing it's going to just fill them up with all manner of goodness. 

We came home pretty tired after a full day of driving, floating, visiting, and playing with friends.  A dinner of Must-goes was in order and the hot stew was very comforting. 

Along with craving some comfort after another weekend of work I was also looking for some inspiration and motivation for the days ahead.  I'll keep on keepin' it real here and admit that on the long ride home I was dreaming about the days when we'd pick up a couple of pizzas and just crash in front of the tv.  The easy days. The lazy days. The pizza days. 

So, after dinner I hunted for a documentary.  I chose, Food Matters, streaming on Amazon Prime. I've watched this film before but I knew it would still bring out some new challenge. 

This paraphrase of Dr. Andrew W. Saul, PhD really stuck out to me:  The reason that one vitamin can bring such great healing is because the deficiency of that vitamin creates such great illness.

As I think of how my body is detoxing, cleansing, and responding to the changes I've made this week, (and they haven't been THAT extreme when I consider my overall diet, but the responses are still quite noticeable) I'm reminded again that I am on a path of healing, not weight loss.  I'm feeding my body nutrients to heal, grow, and fight the disease, toxins, and damage that has been done over the course of my lifetime.  What is happening on the outside is minute compared to the restoration that is occurring within.  A healthy weight should be the outward sign of a healthy body.

It's beautiful that this all comes from the food that God created and designed for my body to thrive on.  I'm always in awe of that miracle of His creation.  It causes me to be thankful for this fickle, fragile body I live in because it daily causes me to rely on Him and His provision for it to function well. What a glory that His design includes this crazy ability for my created body to respond to His created food so that it can not only be fueled but restore and even heal itself. 

Of course, this will never be complete on this side of heaven, but I do have this small, momentary life to have a glimpse of His great healing power.  In this fallen world, we have certainly altered and damaged His creation in such a way that our food lacks the original value it once had, yet when compared to man-made wisdom and devices, there's no denying that the symbiotic relationship of body and food my Father created brings the life I crave giving me the reason and ability to reflect His glory and sing his praises each day.

Looking Ahead:

I've already started my day of rest this evening. I'm going to continue by getting to bed early tonight and keeping our day as simple as possible tomorrow.  Simple food, simple tasks, and, Lord willing, a simple nap to allow my body to fill up on the sleep I need.  That's a deficiency that is certainly only met by a true gift from the Lord, that's for sure!

*Special Note: 

Thank you!!! I've been receiving such great notes of encouragement from many friends who are reading along and some even joining me on this journey.  You are such a great blessing to me. Your words and prayers truly mean a great deal to me. I savor them and keep them close. Believe me when I say those words are often what I think of when facing hard choices each day.  Your prayers for me, your cheers, and your support is tremendous.   Thank you, friends.