WHAT IS GOD ASKING YOU TO GIVE UP?

That particular Sunday morning began like any other; the same routine. My husband and I were getting ready for church while our kids ate their breakfast. I stood in front of my mirror ready to put on my jewelry for a final touch before heading out the door.

I'm not much of a girlie girl, choosing not to spend the money, or the time, and not having the fashion sense to get dolled up. But, my red cross necklace was an infrequent splurge and made me feel pretty. In front of my mirror with necklace in both hands ready to clasp behind my neck, I heard God speak to my heart and ask me to give away my necklace. I paused. I sighed. I looked at my reflection with one eye brow cocked wondering what God was doing. I returned the necklace to its place, told God we would talk about this later, and went to church without my special girlie adornment.

My conversation with God in the car sounded something like this: "God, it's my favorite necklace. And you know I don't have that many anyway. It's the only piece of jewelry that matches my red blouse."

I would like to say I immediately obeyed, but I argued with God for two weeks while he patiently waited for me to surrender. A missionary friend traveling to Peru requested jewelry donations as gifts for the Pastor's wives. So, I donated my favorite red cross necklace to an unknown Peruvian 'princess' whom God wanted to bless.

Another seemingly ordinary Sunday arrived. Again, I stood in front of my mirror adding final touches before leaving for church. With an earring in one hand and the back in the other, I started to put them into my ears...then God stopped me. It seems I conveniently forgot my prized necklace had matching earrings. Again, I reasoned with God, "Whoever, gets my necklace probably doesn't have pierced ears and won't be able to wear these."

This time, I surrendered more quickly, and with less of a fight, and donated the matching earrings to my missionary friend.

What is God asking you to give up? This time for me, it was a prided necklace. But, maybe He is asking you to give up an unhealthy friendship, or sugary sweets, or a television show. God is asking us to surrender someone or something because He loves us and wants to enrichen our lives, not because He wants to take things away. When we surrender, God will usher in something better.

I purchased another necklace, but this time I thanked God for letting me borrow it until He asks me to give it away.

Today, hear His voice, obey, then trust God.

God Bless,
Theresa

RESIST TEMPTING FOODS

I am not a born and bred Southern girl, but I have been adopted as one after living in Georgia for 13 years. Not only that, but I have just spent an entire weekend in North Carolina with 600 other women at the She Speaks conference. Being in the company of so many Southern women, amid sweet tea and humidity, I became more in touch with my own inner Southern woman. So for the purposes of this post, y'all, I will ooze southern drawl.

What does all this have to do with resisting tempting foods? It all started with the Krispy Kreme chocolate covered donut on Sunday morning. With hormone imbalance and nervous energy, those donuts were calling my name y'all. After all, I had been a good girl for most of the weekend. I left food on my plate at every meal (sorry mama!), I didn't eat late at night, and I had made good food choices over the past three days of travel. So, one donut wasn't gonna hurt, and I deserved it after a long weekend improving myself at a conference.

Then...on the drive home we stopped for lunch. The menu boasted a yummy picture of peach cobbler. PEACH COBBLER, Y'ALL! I would be a good girl and order a salad for lunch, so I could save tummy room for yummy peach cobbler. PEACH COBBLER Y'ALL! This was a special occasion, and I can't remember the last time I ate peach cobbler.

The cobbler tasted good, but not great. Did you know...have you learned yet, the picture is never as good as the real food? A few years ago, I watched a food photo shoot and learned their tricks to make the food look so delicious. The picture is a fake, y'all. And, so were all my justifications for having that big bowl of peach cobbler.

What is real are the feelings of guilt and remorse on Monday morning. What is real is the one pound I'm fixin' to lose this week during exercise. Can I enjoy a treat on occasion? Yes, but this was not one of those times and my continual justifications should have been my clue. Stopping Sunday morning with the donut would have qualified as enjoying an occasional treat without guilt. But, I over indulged on the cobbler.

To resist tempting foods:
Know your boundaries (look away and walk away). This takes time and practice.
Recognize self-talk justifications convincing you of deserving a treat.
Use scripture to battle temptation.

Now, I press on. Come with me. We can do this together. This week, choose food wisely, study scripture, and resist tempting situations. Comment and share your victories and defeats.

God Bless