~ I'm
sharing the high points that I found in each chapter and then I answer the
questions at the end of each chapter with my honest feelings. I'm reading the
book on my Kindle, so I don't have page numbers for any of the thoughts I have
taken from the book. This has been a journey that has spanned at least a decade
for me. I'm not where I want to be, but I'm farther along than I used to be.
Walk with me and feel free to share your thoughts. Be kind. Be blessed.
- Satan wants us to sneak things in secret. Things hidden and done in secret clues the father of darkness into our weaknesses and opens the door for him to assault us with targeted schemes. That’s why the apostle Paul wrote, “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of god so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Ephesians 6:10-11).
- “They gave in to their craving… they put god to the test” (Psalm 106:14)
- Let’s take a closer look at that verse in Psalms: “In the desert they gave in to their craving; in the wasteland they put God to the test.” The desert is a place of deprivation. In a deprived state we are much more likely to give in to things we shouldn’t.
- I was in a weakened state and faced with something that could instantly and easily fill me.
- We must embrace the boundaries of the healthy eating plan we choose. We must see them as parameters that define our freedom with things like grilled fish and broccoli, not as horrible restrictions keeping us from chips and salsa. And we must affirm these boundaries as gifts from a God who cares about our health, not restrictive fences meant tot keep us from enjoying life. Vulnerable, broken taste buds can’t handle certain kinds of freedom. So, boundaries keep us safe, not restricted.
- My brokenness couldn’t handle freedom with food outside the boundaries of my plan. Not yet. Eventually, I will be able to add some things back into my diet in small quantities. But, not yet.
- Here are some of the healthy boundaries I have set to ensure success on my healthy eating adventure.
- God has given me power over my food choices. I hold the power – not the food. So, if I’m not supposed to eat it, I won’t put it in my mouth.
- I was made for more than being stuck in a vicious cycle of defeat. I am not made to be a victim of my poor choices. I was made to be a victorious child of God.
- When I am struggling and considering a compromise, will force myself to think past this moment and ask myself, “How will I feel about this choice tomorrow morning?
- If I am in a situation where the temptation is overwhelming, I will have to choose to either remove the temptation or remove myself from the situation.
- When I’m invited to a party or another special occasion rolls around, I can find ways to celebrate that don’t involve blowing my healthy eating plan.
- Struggling with my weight isn’t God’s mean curse for me. Being overweight is an outside indication that internal changes are needed for my body to function properly and for me to feel well.
- I have these boundaries in place not for restriction but to define the parameters of my freedom. My brokenness can’t handle more freedom than this right now. And I’m good with that.
Personal
Reflections
- Congratulations! You’ve been chosen to participate in the latest reality TV show. How much would your eating change if you knew that dozens of tiny hidden cameras were strategically placed throughout your home, car, and workplace, recording everything you ate and broadcasting it live on a local cable channel? Would your eating change a little or a lot if you knew that nothing you ate was secret? I think my eating would change a lot. There is a lot of snacking going on when my family isn’t around. When I take time to send a picture of my food choices to a friend, I eat much better than I would otherwise.
- As Lysa was modifying her eating, she had to flee some temptations because her brokenness could not handle certain freedoms. What areas of brokenness in your life aren’t yet capable of handling freedoms? I have an addictive personality. I struggle a lot to give up things that I love when I don’t get much of consequence for eating them. That being said, I haven’t given up any one thing completely as I work on eating healthier. How do you typically respond to temptations in these areas? Depends on the situation. I am allergic to yeast, so normally, I avoid eating bread if at all possible. If I go somewhere that bread is the central focus of the meal (pizza or sandwiches) I make that allowance instead of going without. I try hard to stick to my plan at all other times though. The discomfort of eating bread is minor if I have it on occasion verses the discomfort of eating it all the time.
- When it comes to boundaries with food, it’s important to focus on what we can have rather than what we can’t have. When you think of what you can have right now, for what three to five foods are you most grateful? Fruit, veggies and nuts. How might focusing on these foods keep you from dwelling on the foods you can’t have right now? I really enjoy these things in cooked/raw/juiced forms. I need to find ways to eat more of them instead of dwelling on the foods I can’t have due to how they affect the yeast in my body.
- Lysa describes seven healthy boundaries that are helping her on her eating adventure. For each of the boundaries listed below, place and X on the continuum to indicate whether the boundary feels more like a punishing restriction or a hedge of safety for you.
- God has given me power over my food choices. I hold the power – not the food. So, if I’m not supposed to eat it I won’t put it in my mouth. Punishing restriction ______________________x_______Hedge of safety
- I was made for more than being stuck in a vicious cycle of defeat. I am not made to be a victim of my poor choices. I was made to be a victorious child of God. Punishing restriction ________________________ x ____Hedge of safety
- When I am struggling and considering a compromise, I will force myself to think past this moment and ask myself, “How I'll I feel about this choice tomorrow morning?” Punishing restriction _____ x _______________________Hedge of safety
- When faced with an overwhelming temptation, I will either remove the temptation or remove myself from the situation. Punishing restriction ________________ x ____________Hedge of safety
- When I’m invited to a party or another special occasion rolls around, I can find ways to celebrate that don’t involve blowing my healthy eating plan. Punishing restriction _________________________ x ___Hedge of safety
- Struggling with my weight isn’t God’s mean curse for me. Being overweight is an outside indication that internal changes are needed for my body to function properly and for me to feel well. Punishing restriction _________________________ x ___Hedge of safety
- I have these boundaries in place not for restriction but to define the parameters of my freedom. My brokenness can’t handle more freedom than this right now. And I’m good with that. Punishing restriction ________________ x ____________Hedge of safety
Take a moment to review your responses. What do they reveal
about how you view boundaries? I love the idea of
boundaries in my eating, but I struggle to stick to them. Which boundary
feels most like a restriction? Thinking about the
consequences of my eating makes me feel like I don’t have freedom. Is
this something you’ve struggled with before? Yes, in
avoiding foods with yeast, there are so many more that I shouldn’t eat that
it’s hard to think about what I can eat. What boundary feels most like
safety? I was made for more than being stuck in a
vicious cycle of defeat. I am not made to be a victim of my poor choices. I was
made to be a victorious child of God. How might you lean into this
boundary to give you strength and confidence with the boundaries that might be
harder for you to keep? I need to remember this
statement when I am struggling to make the better choice with eating habits.
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