The most important part

5 January 2022

One thing I have neglected to write about this week happens to be the most important ingredient in everything I do. In fact, the most important and chief component in the entirety of my life is God. The bedrock of my life is faith in God and in His Son, Jesus, and the equipping of His Holy Spirit. 

I live by faith, dependent upon God's grace. From waking up in the morning to laying my head on the pillow at night and slipping into slumber, there is truly nothing that I do in my own strength alone apart from Him. Everything, absolutely every thing is only by the grace of God.

So often in life, we hear the phrase that so-and-so "deserves" to succeed, or "deserves" to have good things happen to them. One may work hard at something, so people believe he or she deserves the reward. I believe that what humanity "deserves" is to die and go to hell. We have fallen so far short of the majesty of our eternal Father, and yet, He loves us. Completely and utterly loves us.

Any good we find or earn or receive is a gift from God. Even when one works by the sweat of the brow to accomplish something monumental, the fact is, he or she wouldn't have had the ability to take a breath or put one foot in front of another, let alone conceive and execute intricate plans were it not for the equipping and enabling of the grace of God. 

So at the core of this quest to rid my body of the extra weight its carrying, and find a place of health and peace physically, above all the rules of any plan, I need to be led by the Spirit of God who lives in me. Sometimes that's as simple as trying to be sensitive enough to perceive a "yes" or "no" deep inside. Checking in with what we call the conscience for a peaceful feeling that tells me this seems right or a scratchy feeling that tells me to hold back and wait. 

So I measure everything I'm choosing to do in this quest by whether I have peace about it or whether I'm getting a check in my spirit. So far what seems right is to weigh and measure my breakfast and lunch since those are the things I pack to carry with me to school. Once I'm back to teaching from home, I won't have to pack my lunch anymore. Yay! And for dinner with my husband (I will call him D moving forward), it seems right to eat moderate portions of what I give him so long as it's something healthy and nourishing. Most evenings we have homemade soup and a small salad. I don't have seconds, nor do I have desserts. D doesn't usually either, though sometimes he likes to have a couple belVita cookies and a glass of milk at the end of dinner.  I'm not eating between meals and I don't eat anything in the evening. Once I clean up the dishes, the kitchen is closed as far as I'm concerned. In the afternoon, I will often have a cup of black coffee or tea, but other than water throughout the day, that is all. 

I will report my progress as I go along. If this doesn't seem to move me in the right direction, then I will reassess. But as I said, this seems right to me. 

Digression . . . I do sometimes wonder if anyone will read these posts. For now, it doesn't matter I suppose. I'm writing for me and because this too seems right. I have thought many times over the years about becoming more disciplined with my writing, and that's also a factor in putting my words here. It is time to wind down before going to bed, so I will close with this wish for you and for me.

Peace . . .