confession

I need to back up a few steps and talk a little bit more about confession.

My goal this month is to ask God for help in my pursuit of health, and I have decided to start by writing a confession to pray and ask every single day of this year.  While I have studied and therefore understand the power of this confession, I recognize that this concept may require a little more explanation.

Proverbs 18:21 teaches us that "The power of death and life is in the tongue."  Our words have power as they affect our thoughts and attitude and behavior, and therefore SPEAKING something out of your mouth contains power.  As I ponder my pursuit of health this year, I searched God's word for guidance and the result of what I found along with the desires of my heart this year is this confession.  This confession is nothing more than a statement and prayer that asks and declares what I believe and desire for this year.  I must again reiterate that if our confession will bear fruit, it MUST be backed by God's Word.

Lord please restore my health this year.  

I can't do it without you. 

I release the control of my body to you. 

I recognize that it is not by will nor might but by your spirit that I will see health.  

Give me patience as I wait for you to act and help me not to labor in vain. 

John 15:5 - Zech 4:6 - Psalm 37:7 - Psalm 127:1

I was taught to speak a confession as consistently as I would take medicine.  Just like I take my prenatal vitamin every morning for the health of my body and Eden, I also speak this confession every day for the health of my entire being.  The practice of opening my mouth every day and declaring this statement has power and will produce fruit in my life.  It aligns with the reality that just as in the story of Abraham, we too can "call those things that are not as though they are."  It is a great way to start my day because while it kick starts my focus on making healthy choices, it also reminds me that I can do NOTHING apart from God.

I initially created this habit way back last July when creating new habits for our family.  This post also contains further details about the concept of confession.  

refocus

I took some time to refocus last night.  Taking some time as a mom now means thinking for 4 minutes straight during my shower while dad is playing with Eden.  In my refocusing time, it became clear to me that I have gotten off track as my posts have not remained in the realm of my monthly habit for January: confession. I am not surprised to have gotten off track because my new life is full of wonderful and constant distractions to my thought life in the form of waking up, crying, nursing, diaper changing, and beyond.

It is easy to get distracted and important to take time to specifically check in and refocus.  

The more I think about and study health, the broader and broader this topic becomes as I can almost link any given topic to health.  So while this started as a "simple" task of studying health for this year, I can now see how HUGE holistic health can be- and it is actually kind of overwhelming as I find myself frantically searching for clarity in the huge sea of potential topics to study under the umbrella of health.

So I come back to my goal and refocus on my confession.

Lord please restore my health this year.  

I can't do it without you. 

I release the control of my body to you. 

I recognize that it is not by will nor might but by your spirit that I will see health.  

Give me patience as I wait for you to act and help me not to labor in vain. 

John 15:5 - Zech 4:6 - Psalm 37:7 - Psalm 127:1

I have been diligently confessing this statement, just not writing about it specifically.  The more I speak out and meditate on these ideas, the more I recognize that I cannot do anything without Christ.  This whole entire year long pursuit of health will be WORTHLESS if I forget this truth and forget to invite God into this adventure.

More than I want to be healthy, I want to honor God by bearing fruit in my life.

And I am convinced that fruit will come through health.

So I will continue to create the habit of asking for help each day of this new year.

7 pillars of health

My writing is typically spiritual, so this is new for me to write about topics that have practical content.  It feels strange to not back everything with God's Word since that is normally where I find confidence to write.  As I check myself to make sure what I am writing is truth, I recognize that practical health education demands wisdom and wisdom is spiritual.

So as I ask God for help in my pursuit of health this year, I am thankful to learn from the wisdom and education of others who are much smarter than me and who have done extensive studying and research on pillars of healthy lives.

Dr. Don Colbert is one man in particular whom I have found much direction from as he has broken down holistic health into 7 simple pillars.

1. Water- drink 1/2 of your body weight in ounces of water
2. Sleep 7-8 hours a night
3. Eat living foods and not dead foods
4. Exercise- move your body every day
5. Detoxify- sweat to release toxins in your body
6. Take supplements- foods today are lacking basic nutrients we need to be healthy
7. Cope with stress

I wish I had known these years ago when I was so destructively pursuing "health."

Some of these pillars foreshadow topics and habits I will pursue in other months, but I like having the overview at the beginning of this road so I can already start implementing these healthy habits into my life.

"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have recieved from God?  You are not your own, you were bought with a price.  Therefore honor God with your bodies."  1 Corinthians 6:19-20

http://www.drcolbert.com/seven-pillars-of-health.html

renewing my mind

In the middle of my yoga practice the other day I got really overwhelmed, letting my mind wander to think about how many classes I could have to come to before I would actually see and feel results in my body.  This was a really bad thought habit I picked up during my years of destroying my body through overexercise and under eating.

But here, during yoga, I had a great breakthrough: 

The purpose of exercise is not to lose weight.  It is not to look good.  It is not about tangible results.  It is health.  

Therefore I could walk out of the studio today and know that I had accomplished my goal.  My personal goal and reason for implementing exercise back into my life is not to lose weight or burn a certain number of calories or run a certain number of miles or look better or tone my muscle or fit into my pre-baby pants, my goal is health.

I want to be healthy for myself.  For God.  For my family.

And I made a healthy choice and am healthier today for it.

I will continue to confess my statement for the year and ask God for help as I renew my mind to truth.

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."  Romans 12:2

for our kids

The other day when I was trying to feed Eden she was screaming like she was in so much pain.  For the life of me I could not figure out what was wrong.  She had just woken up from an awesome nap.  I had just changed her diaper and was attempting to feed but she was not interested.  Hm.

Then I heard it- rumblings in her tummy and spilling out into her diaper.  She was having major indigestion. My mind immediately started spinning as I frantically wondered what I could have eaten in the past 24 hours that would cause such pain to my daughter.  

The reality that through the miraculous gift of nursing my daughter eats what I eat is the perfect accountability for me to be making healthy choices with what I put into my mouth. 

If not for my own benefit, I want to be healthy for Eden's sake. 

This is true in other ways as I ponder holistic health.  I want to have healthy thoughts, healthy emotions, healthy finances, healthy communication, and healthy relationships for Eden's sake also. 

While most parents would never intentionally hurt their children, I bet I am not the only one that unintentionally caused harm by indirectly not making healthy choices in my own life.  My experience with nursing is the perfect example; I would never intentionally hurt Eden, but then I remembered I ate something the day before and she was digesting that. 

And Eden was in pain. 

Because of me. 

I need to have better awareness as to how my choices affect her.

I teach first grade and always find it fascinating at the first parent teacher conferences as I recognize that kids model after what their parents do, not necessarily what they say.  Usually by the end of our conference I have learned so much more about why that particular child acts the way they do. 

For example, there is nothing more entertaining than to see a disheveled parent come rushing in late, frantically scrambling to find a pen in their purse, and then in the middle of the conference reprimand their child for not being more organized in school. 

Often times the apple really does not fall far from the tree because kids are watching their parents' every move; they model the behavior of their parents and are effected by their parents choices.

While there is no such thing as a "perfect parent," it is a wonderful goal to strive to be a healthy parent by making healthy choices.

We could all give more thought to what we say, how we treat others, what we eat, how we communicate, how we spend our time and money, and what kind of general behaviors we are modeling to those around us. 

If not for ourselves, let's pursue a healthy lifestyle for the benefit of our kids.

permission to spend

One thing to know about me is I am a bit frugal.  I do not say that with pride nor shame, just stating it as a fact.

My husband and I have an interesting financial history in connection with the many life changes we have endured.  In the past 3 1/2 years we have climbed our way out of over $65,000 worth of debt, with $5,000 to go until we are officially debt free!  I will add that for 18 months of this journey my husband was unemployed and we were living on one income.  

Let's just say we have had to be frugal during recent years in order to have such incredible fruit.  We can almost taste a debt free life and are motivated in every purchase at the thought of such financial peace and freedom! Financial health is a MAJOR part of holistic health.  

However, in my pursuit of health this year, there is one area of our budget that I am going to open the bank account a little wider for this year and give myself permission to spend and that is health.

Health is an investment and it costs money.  While it seems to cost more money than an unhealthy lifestyle, I am not sure this is true.

Healthy foods, gym memberships, chiropractor and massage appointments, books and study tools to learn about health.  These all cost.

While many people argue that eating healthy is not more expensive, lets just say for arguments sake that it IS more expensive than eating unhealthy and my thought is this: what you save in money you risk losing in time.  Would I rather pay now in these minor ways or later in medical bills or heaven forbid TIME?

Health adds years to your life.  We are so thankful Eden still has so many great grandparents who are still alive!  My husband and I want to be around to know Eden's kids and Eden's kid's kids.  It is worth the investment which is why I have given myself permission to spend money on health related needs this year.  

And I refuse to feel guilty.

This is yet another area of life that I will ask God for help in prioritizing how to spend money and having all of our needs met.

Just Do It

The enemy of taking action to create new habits is the excuse, "I am trying."  I know because I have used this excuse for years.  This is what I had to tell myself:

Stop trying.  Stop trying to eat healthier and exercise more and sleep more and drink more water.  Stop trying to eat less desserts and more fruit.  Stop trying to be less stressed at work.  Stop trying to be less negative and gossip less.  Stop trying to forgive.  Stop trying to be more patient.  Stop trying to read the Word more.

Just Do It.

Whatever habit you have been trying to create for weeks or months or even years, just buckle down, tighten the reigns, and do it in 2014.  You are in control of your mind and your choices.  Set your mind and keep it set.

When we commit to trying we give the enemy and ourselves an open door to an easy way out.

Decide when you get up in the morning what kinds of choices you will make throughout the day and stick to those choices.

Here are a few examples of how this might play out:
Don't wait until after work to decide if you are going to exercise, decide in the morning, plan your day around it and then DO IT.  

Don't wait until it is 9:30 to decide what time you are going to go to bed, just make a commitment and stick to it.  

Don't wait until you get to the grocery story to decide what to buy, but make a plan and a list.  

If you are going to be spending time with a negative influence, make a decision that you are not going to join them in negativity.

Don't wait until you are in the emotion of an experience to decide.  Set your mind ahead of time and keep it set.  

When we really want something, we don't take no for an answer.  Treat your health like that this year in whatever healthy habits you are trying to create. When your emotions and flesh are screaming NO, refuse to listen. 

I was able to put this into practice a few weeks ago just days before Christmas when I had to drop off a few packages at the post office. 

Has anyone ever been to the post office just days before Christmas?   It is insane.

I was especially familiar with the insanity this year because I had made three previous attempts to send these packages and every time I drove up and saw the line out the door I immediately turned back toward home.  But I had to do it.  So finally one morning I woke up determined to send those packages and I made a choice. 

While lying in bed, before my day began I made a choice.  I said out loud: "I am going to go to the post office today.  It is going to be insane.  I am going to wait for a long time.  I am not going to get frustrated or impatient." 

Sure enough, just a few hours later when I pulled into the post office parking lot the line was long and the tension was high, but I did it.  I was the only person in that room with a smile on my face, but I did it.  I was relaxed and friendly.  I may have even calmed a few other people down around me.

All because I made a choice that morning.  I set my mind and kept it set throughout the experience.  And to be honest it wasn't that bad.  I waited for about an hour and I was calm the entire time.   

Another way I have put this into practice in through grocery shopping habits.  It was a life changing thought for me that I will eat what I have in my kitchen.  If I don't want to eat it, I need to stop buying it.

I used to always use the excuse that I was buying it for my husband or our friends that come over often, and I finally realized that I am the one who ends up eating most of it anyways.  I love having people over to our home and host quite often.  I typically like to put peanut butter M&Ms, my favorite indulgence, in a dish in our living room.  And most times after a group of people have come to visit the dish is empty by the end of the night.  I recently had a group of people over who come to our house consistently and this time instead of M&Ms I put out a plate of celery and carrots, and wouldn't you believe that plate was empty by the end of the night and NO ONE SAID A WORD.

No one asked for M&Ms.   No one really cared.

And I realized that we just eat what we have in front of us.  And I can stop buying the junk and start buying healthier foods.  Not to lose weight but to be healthy.  

Set your mind and keep it set.  If you are serious about living a healthy life this year, just do it.  While it sounds easier to say than to do, it is possible and it is your choice.

John 5 tells a story about a man that asked for healing.  This man had been ill for 38 years.  38 years!

Jesus questioned this man and asked him, "Do you really want to be well?"  This man may have gotten offended by such a simple question as in his mind of course he wanted to be well, but Jesus is asking so much more.

"Are you willing to do whatever it takes to be well?"  

At the man's response Jesus said, "Pick up your mat and walk." 

Just do it.

Stop trying and set your mind and do it.  And don't forget to ask God for help.