P31 Challenge: Day 17

I am so loving this. God really does intend for us to put all this good knowledge to use, you know? Probably one of the funniest things I've ever heard a leader say is when he told a close friend of mine, "you're spiritually obese." I am literally laughing now, and I hope she is too if she's reading. It's really true for so many of us that have been under any kind of teaching of the word for a long time. We bounce around from teachings on TV to self help books and then get our weekly buffet at church. Before you know it, you are stuffed with all this information and you're so busy looking for the next fix that you're not even going out and finding a place to apply it all. 

It's the problem that happens to those people we all know (I was one of them) that think they have to spend every waking hour at the church. Even if you're a paid-staff pastor, you have to find time to see the world for what it really is. Lately Allen has been mentioning the way people at work talk about certain things and I'm totally blown away! I'm almost embarrassed that here I am saying I want to reach out to people and yet moral standards for the world are still the same as they were 6 years ago in my mind. In the world, not of it would be my point here. This actually does tie in with what we're talking about today. 

²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household 

and does not eat the bread of idleness. 

Like any good mother, I get the sense that this one's got eyes on the back of her head. It's the only way to get anything done and still make sure your children aren't going to dive off a table or catapult the baby across the room. 

I really want to zoom in on the second half of this passage, and I will talk more about why in a moment. 

The bread of Idleness. What does that say to you? 

For me it means 2 things- 

Heavy but empty type foods that cause idleness, and 

Food that you eat because you'd rather eat than work. 

A big mistake I make as a mommy is not eating. I usually don't prepare a full meal for lunch because Ira is generally happy with leftovers or something small like soup, PB&J, crackers and an orange or sometimes a few slices of lunch meat. But eventually I hit that point in the day where I really just want to eat. And then I can't stop. I grab something simple like chips or a granola bar because it's easy and before I know it, I'm watching TV and looking for something else on commercial breaks. 

Throughout my study of these passages, I have noticed a recurring theme of selflessness, organization and wisdom. I can apply all 3 of those ideas to my eating habits. 

• Eat just enough to satisfy, don't overfill (that's also called Gluttony, which is associated with greed.) 
• Plan plan plan. I should always have food that is accessible and realistic for me and my family. 
• Eat smarter. I know I can't have a bowl of cereal in the morning. I will drag all day if I do. Recognizing that what I put in is what I'm going to get out of my day makes a difference in the way I make choices. If I put in lazy unhealthy food, I'm going to feel that way all day. 

We are nearing the end of our challenge and the end of the month, so I have been thinking about what's next. I would like to set up a health and fitness initiative (Any ideas for a name?) for the month of March!! I'm sure we're all losing sight of those New Year's Resolutions so it's a good time to reset and remember "HEY! We're almost 1/4 way through the year!" I'm going to be looking into scriptures and advice from all over to get a good grasp of what we need to do. What's realist. What's the balance with a busy life? 

It's time to stop playing victim to a flawed system and make decisions about the direction we want our lives to go. To live healthier is a HUGE one for me. So lets do this!! 

Step away from the cookies! 

Lindsay