My pity party on the kitchen floor

Last night, I almost lost it. As I sat on the kitchen floor staring into the pantry as if I was hypnotized, I was about to eat anything and everything in sight. If you know me personally, you know that is not at all possible. If you don't know me personally, let me explain.

When I was 15, I suddenly became allergic and intolerant to wheat gluten. It was really strange since I never had a food allergy as a kid, but nevertheless, wheat gluten was banned from my diet. This means that this teenage girl could not eat pizza, donuts, cake, brownies, bread, hamburgers (the list continues). Basically, all the good stuff. The food that teenagers thrive on. At that age, I thought the world was ending because of this horrid diet...little did I know, that diet was a piece of cake (gluten free of course) compared to what I would face in the future.

As time went on, my family and I got used to this diet change and found substitutions and sooner or later, I was a pro at eating a gluten free diet. In the beginning, it was definitely a hassle , I'm not going to lie, especially for gatherings. "What's Chelsea going to eat?" or "Oh no, Chelsea can't eat this" were phrases I heard often. So being the hormonal teenager I was, I became pretty angry and pitied myself for this terrible allergy (I'm being a tad bit dramatic). Many people often would tell me, "Why don't you just eat it anyway? I don't know how you do it?!" Well, unless you wanted to see me with blown up JLO lips, I wasn't going to eat it anyway. I hate to say it but it just isn't worth it to eat pizza...it's close though!

Seven years into dealing with this allergy, I became pretty content with my special diet and found the answer for my allergy/intolerance...drum roll please...Lyme Disease. Many people with Lyme Disease, not all, have trouble breaking down certain foods (wheat gluten being one of them). We thought it was crazy that this one little tick bite could answer so many questions dealing with my health, but my trouble wouldn't end there. Shortly after I began treatment, my diet became much more limited. You may be thinking, "how could it get any more limited?" How does gluten free, sugar free, low carb (or no carb), dairy free sound for limiting? Oh, add a few more random foods like tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes and you get almost impossible. It doesn't help that I'm not a salad person. I just don't enjoy eating greens unless they are smothered in ranch, topped with tons of cheese. So this has been my diet the past 10 months or so.

Well, I almost hit my breaking point last night. The past week I was put on a soft food diet for my jaw (go figure). Everything that I couldn't have sounded wonderful. I wanted to grab a few Chips Ahoy cookies in the pantry, eat a whole loaf of wheat bread, and get into the Halloween candy stash. I'm not proud to say it, but my pity party on the kitchen floor then began. "God, why me? That's all I want is a little bit of sugar, some wheat, and carbs. This is too difficult." Then something shook me. Self-control. Thank you God for self-control. If it wasn't for that, I might have been hurled over on the kitchen floor with JLO lips, hives, swollen tongue and a stomach ache (how's that for a pretty picture?). God had my back. Not only did I gain some self-control, I was also reminded that although my diet is extremely limited, I am blessed to have other food that I can eat. It may not feel like it can get any worse, but I was reminded that it could be worse. I was also reminded that in order to get my body healthy, I have to abide by this diet. My self-control has definitely been tested and I'm glad there is still some self-control in my system.

Do you have a problem with self-control? If so, with what?

How do you deal with it?

Here are a few Bible verses that remind us that it's important to have self control...
Proverbs 25:28- A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.
Galatians 5:22-23- But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
1 Corinthians 9:27- But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

Today's scripture for the year long Bible reading plan is Matthew 26.

Have a great weekend everyone!

 

I need more fruit!

 

I need more fruit. Plain and simple. Did you know that the recommended amount of fruit for adults is a minimum of two cups a day. Fruit is an important part of healthy living because it gives us vitamins and minerals that help fight of illness, strengthen our immune system and give us energy. 

Are you getting the recommended amount of fruit a day?

That's not the only fruit I need more of...I need more fruit of the Spirit.

 

Have you heard of the "fruit of the Spirit"? If you haven't, that's okay because you are about to learn them! We learn about the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23..."But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." So basically the fruit of the Spirit is an attitude, a lifestyle, a result of living in the Spirit, not an actual fruit that you eat. So you may eat a cup of strawberries and an apple a day, but are you forebearing the fruit of the Spirit? I'll be honest with you...I sometimes (well, more than sometimes) struggle with the fruit of the Spirit. I've noticed, however, that the more dedicated I am to serving God, the easier it is to live by the fruit of the Spirit. For example, the days where I have dedicated my whole self to God and have immersed myself in the Word, I feel this joy and I think, "Why do I feel so free and so happy?" Or when I'm at the store and it's so easy for me to be kind to others, I think "What has gotten into me?!" God then reminds me, "Hellooo!! It's my Spirit! Duh Chelsea!!" The more focused I am on God, the Holy Spirit intervenes and gives me the ability to live in "love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodnesss, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control". Now, I'm not saying I'm perfect when that happens (because I'm not), but it becomes possible to bear that kind of fruit when I'm living by the Spirit. When I'm loving, kind, faithful, gentle, etc., that is NOT me...it is the Holy Spirit living IN me. The Holy Spirit can live in ALL of us. It's definitely a choice to follow Christ and to live as He has called us to live, when we do that the Holy Spirit kind of "takes over". Can you imagine if EVERYONE produced the fruit of the Spirit? Oh my goodness, that would be AWESOME! This world would be a MUCH happier place! We can't change other people and the decisions they make, BUT we can change the way WE think and the way WE live.

 

So think about this...are YOU bearing the fruit of the Spirit? Are you focused on God? If not, ask God to give you the hunger to seek Him, to live out His calling on your life, and to bear the fruit of His Holy Spirit. He wants us to live that way! So I challenge you to really dedicate yourself to God and His teaching. Trust me, you will produce some AWESOME fruit (of the Spirit, which is better than an actual fruit!). Plus, people like that kind of fruit (of the Spirit)...I mean, who wants to be around someone who is hateful, sad, impatient, rude, unfaithful, aggressive and impulsive? Um, I know I don't!

 

Pray this with me...Dear God, I thank you that you make it so clear in Your word what you can produce in me when I live according to Your will. Help me to hunger for Your Word and to live the way You have called me to live. Move your Spirit within me and produce fruit that will bring others to You. Thank you for the many blessings you have given me. In Christ's name, Amen.

 

P.S.- If you are following along with the read-your-bible-in-a-year plan, today's reading is Matthew 17 & 18, yesterday's was Matthew 15 &16. Also, if you're memorizing a verse, don't forget to practice it and hold it close to your heart!