Have you ever thought about the food you eat? Lately, it has been one of the things that is always in the back of my mind. How does this food make me feel? Do I feel nauseous? Do I feel satisfied? Do I feel lethargic or energetic? Asking myself these questions has helped me to better understand what works for me and what does not.
This got me thinking about how many times food was mentioned in the Bible. From the fruit that Adam and Eve ate from the tree in Genesis, to Jesus having the last supper with the twelve disciples. Food is an intricate part of our lives. Meal times are meant for us to communicate with each other as well as provide sustenance. I think this gets lost sometimes in busyness. Drive Thru's do not really facilitate this type of communication. Eating a meal together may not seem all that important, but I must say the times when I have been device free enjoying a meal with others, it brings a real sense of closeness with those joining me.
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As some of you may have noticed, I did not blog this weekend. That is not because I have stopped blogging, or forgot. I have decided that I will blog Monday to Friday. I have realized that I need my weekends to rest my mind, my body, my soul and my spirit. Rest is important. It helps us to come back to things refreshed and ready to go. It helps our bodies rejuvenate. The purpose of my chosen rest is for balance in my life. I am currently in the midst of several projects at once. I am building my counseling business, I am writing a book, I am writing articles once per week, and writing in my blog 5 times per week, I am doing a health challenge, a Minecraft Let's Play (on YouTube) and I am trying to be a good wife and a good caregiver for my two sassy shadows (my black cats Zoey and Riley). Trying to find balance and margin in the midst of so much can be difficult. This is why I need to prioritize rest. If I kept going 7 days a week like I was, I would eventually burn out and then I would not be able to do any of my projects well. I have gone through burnout before in my life and everything suffers as a result. It is much easier to protect yourself from it than to try to recover from it. If you are beginning to feel overwhelmed by the projects or tasks in your life, then it may be time to build some margin in your life. It may be time to schedule in time to rest and in doing so restoring balance to your life. Also, in light of this there will be no blog post tomorrow since it is my birthday. My gift to myself is to not do any writing tomorrow. If all goes well though there may be a different surprise, feel free to check back tomorrow evening to see if it was a success! Yesterday, I had an epiphany! I was working on my health challenge and in the notes for the day it said "You do not need to LOVE the weight, just learn to accept it so you can move forward." I will explain why this hit me so hard, however in order for me to do that I need to go to the beginning.
Ever since I was a baby I was always chubby. I have always been overweight, even at my healthiest I was still overweight according to the book the doctor's and school nurses always showed me. It was so engrained in me that every time I looked in the mirror, I only saw the weight, I never saw me. I am a pretty awesome person, my friends would be quick to confirm this, but I only saw the weight. I avoided photos, being on video and as time went by I became more and more comfortable with being behind the scenes to the point where that was the only place I felt safe. (Yes, I am being very open, honest and vulnerable...please be kind in the comments). This was true until I read those words yesterday. It hit me like a ton of bricks! I did not have to love the weight. I was not my weight. All my life I had been striving to love myself, and in the midst of this I thought I couldn't love myself without loving the weight too. By realizing I no longer had to love the weight I was free! Free to love me! Not my weight, but me! They were no longer the same thing for me. It shattered the lie I believed all my life that I was my weight! I am able to look into the mirror and see me. What an amazing breakthrough for me! I am so thankful that my sister asked me if I would join her in this challenge because it has truly changed me forever! What do you see when you look in the mirror. Do you see a label or do you see who you really are? The amazing person that God created you to be. If you have held onto a label and made it your identity, it may be time to realize you are not the label, you are you. Do not waste the time and effort loving the label, accept it and move on. Love yourself instead, it will serve you much better in your life. I know this from experience! |
Connie BlackwoodJoin me on my journey through life's joys and difficulties. Archives
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