The Stone is Rolling

I wait for you, O Lord; I lift up my soul to my God. In You I
trust; do not let me be disgraced...  Psalm 25:1-2
 
Yup…should have known I could trust Him completely!  The stone is movin and I am amazed at the power, strength and tenderness of the Father! (For those who are new readers, you might want to look back to the final January post and the second February post for the beginning of the story.)  I finished the Whole30 challenge and have decided to continue on with the program through the rest of lent.  I managed to finish the first 30 days without a single slip; which is an amazing feat for me because I am “Miss, it’s been a week and now I need to figure out how to wiggle around the rules and make this easier!” I didn’t even so much as lick my finger or taste one thing that wasn’t on my list. Now, before I begin to sound like a rooster puffing out my own feathers,let me make one thing VERY clear…I couldn’t have done this…simply not possible…you see I’ve been at this journey for 30 years and always end up in the same spot.  I’m quite sure I’ve lost over 500 pounds over the past 30 years but they always seemed to find their way back to a location somewhere south of my chin and north of my ankles! So what’s different…it’s the trust.  In this one pee-wee sized area of my life, I surrendered…completely!  I flat out told God I was not capable of moving that stone that stood between us. I’ve asked again and again for help but turns out He didn’t need my help at all…He wanted to do the whole job Himself, the only thing He required of me was to step aside.

So, you might be wondering what’s changed since that stone started rolling away; here are some of the highlights.  *I can’t believe how much more time I have for positive things since I’m not dreaming of, planning, preparing, devouring and feeling guilty about food. I have time for things like “being still and knowing He is God”…I highly recommend that! *I have about 900% more energy since I don’t have all that sugar, flour and preservative sludge pumpin through my body. *I don’t have to worry, wonder and wrestle about my choices, the list is short and everything on it builds me up instead of weighing me down.  The greatest benefit even beyond clearer thinking, no more sore knees, better sleep, better skin, bouncier hair and waist bands that don’t cut off the circulation to my lower torso, is an amazing friendship!  The trust and gratefulness for what He’s been able to do with me since February 1st is astounding! 

Make no mistake, there have been some tough patches along the
way but without all that sludge in my body the cravings for food have been minimal and when they come, the cravings to run to Him for strength have been overwhelming.  He always helped me find a way out of temptation when I called on Him for help.  Sometimes He even did it just to show off a little.  One night I was making brownies for a bake sale and I asked for help so I wouldn’t lick the batter.  I’d managed to get through the process smoothly until right at the very end and I was walking the messy beaters to the sink when a big glob of yummy batter plopped right into the hand I had carefully placed under the beaters.  I tossed the beaters into the dish water and just stared at that gooey yummy chocolate in my hand and all of the sudden out of nowhere, in 20 degree Michigan winter weather, a fly buzzed by and landed right in the palm of my hand in the center of the batter!  Temptation over!  He even used my weakness as entertainment!
 
I’m so anxious to see what’s on the other side of that stone!  I spend time daydreaming about what He might have in store for me instead of daydreaming of dancing potato chips and almond joy bars!  I know there is still a lot of trusting to do and just like I mentioned in the earlier posts, I’m still a bit afraid of failing...and now I have a public audience for the“mess-it-up-again” show…that’s a bit freaky but it’s another great place to trust in His power!  To those of you who have supported and prayed for me, I thank you so sincerely…it has made all the difference.  

This is my stone, maybe yours is the same, maybe it’s very different but the process is the same…lay it down…give it to Him COMPLETELY and ask, beg, stomp, plead whatever it takes until you release your hold on the stone and give it to Him to roll away. There is no stone too heavy and no heart too hard. Oh yeah…since some of you have asked…I lost 88 sticks of butter (you can do the math)

A Seed To Plant:  Name your stone and make your plan, share that plan with someone else and help each other use the struggle to grow closer to God. There is great power in proclaiming your struggle and your trust out loud!

Blessings on your day!