Sunday, October 21, 2012

Spiritual Spa #18 A Union made in Heaven


In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1, 1-5 + 14

Dear family in the Lord Jesus!

When we use the word "word" we think of it as a means to express a thought or a feeling. In the greek original for the quoted verses John used "logos" for what we translate with "word" which has an even deeper level of meaning . "Logos" according to webster-merriam.com means:

"Reason that in ancient Greek philosophy is the controlling principle in the universe"

Many Christians refer to the Bible as the "Word of God", when the Bible it self refers to a real, living Person as the Word of God: Jesus Christ. 

Why is this difference important? Jesus came to establish the possibility of relationship between people who's hearts had wandered far away from their creator, but they had a bunch of written words they some what lived by. In other words, he did not come to establish a relationship with people and a text, but with people and a real, living Person. God Himself.

Yes, we learn about God through the Bible and I don't want to miss reading the Bible. But without the Holy Spirit reading the Bible is like watching a football game for me. It is too complicated or too simple- I'm not sure, but anyway I'm not too interested to find out. 

I have studied theology and I have spent different seasons of my live amongst all sorts of christian people- I have seen and practiced first hand utilizing Bible verses to justify my unloving behavior, worse, having totally missed the heart of God, but finding a Bible story to back up my ignorance. But I cannot abuse God. What do I mean by that? I cannot, knowing that God is real and guides me and other people, do something opposite from what I feel Him do, and say into his face "You tell me to do this another way!" I cannot live in relationship with someone and tell them into their face that what they ask me to do I am going to ignore or twist or add on to- to please my own various motives. The other person won't let me, not if we are in a serious and loving relationship.  
Praise to God for that!

As always I ask you, what does this have to do with Nutrition? A LOT!

I want to compare the relationship of us and God to us and food. When we think of food we think "Yummy, comforting, meeting a bodily need". When food has a so much deeper level of meaning. To narrow it down: Food is energy and nourishment. And as that it is a controlling principle in the universe. Food can give you a stomach ache or it can leave you feel saturated. It can give you a quick and short lived rush or it can sustain and please you for hours. Just because food is in our reach doesn't mean we are to eat it. Just because some foods don't appeal to us doesn't mean we are not to eat them. Someone else might be eating a certain way and amount, that doesn't mean the way and amount you eat has to look the same way. 

With all this I am saying that we need to establish a serious and loving relationship with food.

I have clients that hate food or to eat. They think they have weight issues because of food. I look at it differently. Weight issues come from an unhealthy relationship with food. Food was not created to solve your problems, so it won't. With that attitude it will only add to your list of problems. Food is not your enemy, so that rather than analyzing what and how much you eat, you have to eat on the go and eat what is available. Food is like your spouse. It needs you to take time for it and love it the right way and for what it is. It can't be blamed for what it isn't. So just like when you get into a serious and committed relationship with a real and living person you must struggle through issues to grow and love stronger, in the same way it can work with food. Let's talk about how a healthy food relationship can look like!

5 Tips To A More Thriving Relationship With Food

1. Thankfulness! 
Be thankful to our creator every time you eat. A joyful heart is more protected from despair or over eating.

2. Listen carefully!
a) Listen to your stomach as to when to eat. Only eat when you are hungry. You might feel famished or sluggish, be prepared to have a snack (like a string cheese and an apple in your purse) to carry you over. The thumb rule is to eat every 2-4 hours, if needed. But again I say, listen carefully! If you eat out of your normal routine and come home, don't eat a second dinner just because it is tempting you.
b) Listen to your cravings. They can be very informative! What are they telling you? Do you crave something sweet or salty? Don't go for the cheap fix (like chips or cookies). Both cravings can be a sign of mineral deficiency, so make sure your salt is more than just sodium and your sugar more than just a visit at the dentist. Buy real salt, like Pink Himalayan Salt (Trader Joes e.g.), and SUCANAT (e.g. Coborns) and season and bake with that. Instead of ice cream make a home made fresh and frozen fruit smoothie with a little home made heavy whipping cream. No added sugar needed and worth the extra mile!

3. R-E-S-P-E-C-T
If you truly consume the food you buy and put into your fridge you get a lot for your money. How much food do you throw out because it got bad? Stay on top of your fridge's inner life, same with fresh fruits and veggies. Bananas can be frozen and veggies can end up in a hearty soup with those chicken left overs. When you start eating what you pay for you realize it is worth spending a little extra and going organic. Also, respect food enough to know that it has an effect on you. If you eat unbalanced and processed foods you put yourself at risk of getting sick. Eat, knowing that food can work for you or against you.

4. Don't seek your own
Food will be there for you when you need it. Don't stuff yourself or use it to comfort you beyond what it is created to do. If you want to learn to eat only what you need, you might benefit from filling your plate 1x and put 10% less on the plate. This will teach your stomach to be satisfied with one portion and not being stuffed. If you are sad, stressed out or lonely pay attention to these symptoms and find the root. Your father in heaven wants you to come to Him with everything on your heart.

5. Love and delight!
I love food! How about you start lighting a candle during ever meal? I love steamed broccoli with a home made sour cream and cheese sauce! I love my fruity whip cream smoothies! I celebrate steaks and garlic with home made sweet potato fries! I love avocado and salad! Think about the foods you really love and look for ways to prepare them in a healthy way. Get your produce in every day and find ways that get you excited! There is nothing wrong with a sliced up apple and a spoon of natural peanut butter! 

6. Make room for food
If you burn energy you need to eat energy. If you eat more energy than you burn, you will get overweight. That does not mean to go fat free or low fat. It means to always maintain an active lifestyle that includes some sort of daily exercise. Counting calories can be very misleading and a true joy kill. If you stay active with purposefully looking for ways to weekly burn extra stored energy (like exercise classes) you will stay on top of your intake matching your energy need.

These were a few ideas to get the fire burning between you and your food! If you need some more ideas on eating healthy, I have posted about a lot of topics, besides that the web is FULL of great ideas!

If you know that your relationship with food needs more than a push in the right direction, seek help! I know people that overcame food addictions with asking the Holy Spirit to tell them when to eat and what. Or people that received healing in the bottomless wounded parts of their hearts and because of that were able to sustain a happy and healthy relationship with  food, myself included.

I wish you all the best for your personal, serious and loving relationship with food and also with our Father in heaven!

Be blessed abundantly!