Freedom and French Fries

I'm learning a lot lately. So much about God and myself.  They are lessons I feel I have to share.   My hopes are that these lessons might prevent people from going down some of the hard paths I have traveled.  I write this blog mainly for my girls.  I want them to read about details of their childhood and know my thoughts about important issues in their lives.  I really want them to know and believe what I am about to write today.  It's so important.

I wish I would have learned this about 20 years ago.  It is so simple. Yet when I heard it, it was profound and made so much sense.

Duh!

So here I am again, sharing something with you that I hope you will take to heart.  Especially my darling daughters.

Women worry so much about weight and appearance. Me included.  We (I) (Really I am writing this to myself) do not look at ourselves the way Christ does.  We need to look at our bodies as the temple of the Lord and take care of them accordingly. We need to be healthy, not skinny.

The goal for women is to be free.  At what weight are we free in Christ?  If you have to watch every morsel that goes into your mouth and exercise all the time to be a certain size then you are not free.

On the flip side, if you are not watching what you eat and not exercising at all you are not free either.  You are not taking care of your God given temple.

 God does not want us constantly be obsessing about our bodies or food or exercise.  That makes them idols. It keeps us in bondage.

As Beth Moore put it, "Exercise but then get on with your day."

This is coming from me. I. Am. A. Foodie. Self proclaimed. I hide in my closet and eat chocolate just so I don't have to share one tiny little bite.  I like nothing better than McDonald's french fries and a sweet tea and that is okay.  In moderation.  I believe God wants us to enjoy french fries.
Also, call me inconsistent. I am either running marathons or not working out at all. A little balance maybe?

I have been a size 2 and I have been a size... well let's just say much bigger.  But I have to ask myself at what size can I feel at peace?  Probably somewhere in the middle. Consider your height and weight.  What is your weight of freedom? There is nothing more satisfying than being free in Christ Jesus and accepting yourself as His glorious creation.

My prayer is that as women we can learn to be content with our weight and find the realistic size that enables us to be free in Christ.  I believe if we are being honest with ourselves, ladies, we know what that size or weight is. Don't go by what the world says.

To my daughters, please learn this concept of freedom.  Don't just make it head knowledge.  Pray about it until you believe it with everything in you.  Deep in your soul.  Learn it early in life and live it. Please. I am trying. Too bad I just learned it at 36.  I struggle and I am praying about it daily. I vow to pray for all four of you in this area as you become women.

Yes, I am literally regurgitating my Bible studies but I can't help it. Bear with me.

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own. 1 Corinthians 6:19

My girls ran their first 5K with me in December.  Anna left me in her dust.  This mama is trying really hard to practice what I preach and not just say it is important to be healthy but to model it.  I have to admit I am convicted that I preach healthy but my head says skinny...working on it.