Serenity in Spite of Trials

People don't recognize God at work in a "perfect" woman -- one with no scars, no troubles, no struggles. But Christ is revealed in a woman who has scars as a result of divine healing, serenity in spite of trials, and peace in the face of uncertainty. ~ The Dieter's Prayer Book

There are people I have met and know that glow with the love of God, even though they are enduring many hardships. My sister-in-law is one. She suffers from MS, but her faith in God is strong and she radiates with the joy of the Lord. Unlike myself. I can fall into a pit of despair because I don't have a kitchen sink. Fortunately my new kitchen sink was installed yesterday.

Son-Bathing

The most important thing that ever happens in prayer is letting ourselves be loved by God...Prayer is like sun bathing. When you spend a lot of time in the sun, people notice it. You look like you've been out in the sun because you've got a tan. Prayer -- or bathing in the Son of God's love (Son-bathing?) -- makes you look different. The awareness of being loved brings a lightness and a tint of brightness and sometimes, for no apparent reason, a smile plays at the corner of your mouth. ~ Brennan Manning from Lion and Lamb (quoted in The Dieter's Prayer Book)

The Thing Settled

The battle is lost or won in the secret places of the will before God, never first in the external world...If I say, "I will wait till I get into the circumstances then put God to the test," I shall find I cannot. I must get the thing settled between myself and God...and then I can go forth with the certainty the battle is won. ~ Oswald Chambers

The above passage was quoted in The Dieter's Prayer Book. I have found that having "the thing" settled is very important for my food plan. If I leave certain foods optional I am likely to indulge in trigger foods and start gaining weight. Several months ago I stopped drinking soda (I had switched to diet a long time ago...so this was giving up the diet soda also). It has been 4 months since I had one. Sunday I did. I was tired from the weekend and we had a long drive ahead of us and I wanted some caffeine. Had I been thinking clearly I would have gotten a tea instead (I seem to forget you can now buy bottles of tea). I don't feel horrible about it, but it was something I thought "was settled" and apparently I was still leaving my options open. Yes, I know, drinking a soda isn't a sin and drinking a diet soda isn't going to make me throw in the towel and start gaining weight, but I had decided to not drink them (they make me all bloated and don't quench my thirst). I thought that the thing was settled, but apparently it was not. I want the thing to be settled. How nice to look back year's from now and say, "I don't drink soda. I haven't had one since February 18th, 2007."

Run for God

It’s been said that the key to success is to be good at failing. In the midst of our own mistakes, failures, and even foolish rebellion against our own goals, great opportunities to change our course often present themselves. And God is interested in one thing: full restoration. He doesn’t forgive us more deeply if we first beat our heads against the wall, throw in the towel, or decide just to give up. Failure is part of the long path to success. It’s our response to failure that makes all the difference. When the apostle Peter failed, Jesus gently restored him, but not by saying, “I can’t believe you did that!” and going over each incident when Peter denied Him. Instead, He affirmed what He knew to be good and true about Peter, nudging him to see for himself by his answer to Jesus’ question, “Do you love me?” Judas, on the other hand, who underestimated God’s loving-kindness and forgiveness, punished himself pointlessly and irreversibly by taking his own life in guilt and shame. When you waver, reach for Him. When you start sinking, call out His name. He’ll be there, and He’ll welcome you back into His arms just readily as He did the first time you stumbled. When you fail, run for God, not from Him.

The is from The Dieter's Prayer Book. Why is it that we we fail, we want to run and hide? It seems against our nature to admit our failure and ask forgiveness. I guess it goes back to the beginning, doesn't it? When Adam and Eve failed, they hid from God. Here we are thousands of years later still hiding. God doesn't want that for us. He wants us to come to Him. We are afraid that God will pay us back for what we have done. There was a line in last week's sermon that has stuck with me, "God doesn't use discipline to pay us back, but to bring us back." Let's run to God!

Do Not Despair

Our courteous Lord does not want his servants to despair even if they fall frequently and grievously. Our failing does not stop His loving us. ~ Julian of Norwich

Praise the Lord that our failing does not keep Him from loving us. I feel like I've been failing a lot lately. I have been having problems with bingeing again. Not HUGE binges, but enough food (and of course it is junk food) that I feel overly stuffed and gross from eating. Yesterday was another one of those days. The prior three times this month, I was blaming it on cold medicine but that was not the problem yesterday (unless it was a sympathy reaction to Sugar Pop's cold medicine). So yesterday makes 4 times this month - the most since November 2005.

I am turning this over to God. This morning I pulled out the Dieter's Prayer Book and I will start reading it again. I have read through this book at least three times. It really does help keep me on track and I always seem to struggle when I am noting reading it. Actually, I should say that I am always struggling when I pick it back up again.

I am tired of fighting this binge monster by myself. It is time to let God fight him for me.