Reshaping It All (26 page)

So you wake up in the morning, ready to take on the world; but before you do, things start to fall out of place. Nothing works out as you planned. Stress is on the rise. And as the problems begin to accumulate, your day is thrown into a spin and your plans along with it.

That's when you just might decide in your heart, "I didn't expect to deal with all of this right now—it's too much. I'm tired, I'm stressed, and all I can think of is sinking my teeth into the nearest loaf of French bread and zoning out on the couch. I'm better off returning to the life I had. After all, it was never really that bad."

This thought has been echoed throughout the ages, starting way back as far as Exodus 14:11–12 when the Israelites asked, "What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!"

When you are standing in the desert of testing with your back to the sea and all you can see in front of you is the enemy closing in, be still. Stand firm, and you will find deliverance. Have you ever stood still long enough to witness God do His work? Have you ever stood still in His presence and let Him fight your enemy? Be still. Because when you do, God will triumph over your enemy, release you from your stronghold, and you will know that He is God.

God hardened Pharaoh's heart so he would pursue the Israelites, but when he did, God not only rescued His people, but He also sabotaged the pursuit of the Egyptians by removing their chariot wheels and finally covering them with the sea. Can you hear the sound of the Israelites rejoicing at the sight? Can you hear the sound of your own voice rejoicing when you press on in faith and let God destroy the enemy that you leave behind?

I absolutely love reading the stories from the Old Testament because there is so much to glean from them. The events they lived through typify my walk with Christ in so many ways.
So many.
Whether they are about slavery in Egypt, the time spent in the wilderness, crossing the Red Sea, or entering the promised land. Those stories teach us lessons that we can apply to our lives today. Each lesson shows the power of God, so that we might have hope for today.

Hope.
Did you read that? That we might have hope! There is a desert of testing. I won't deny that or sugarcoat it in any way. It will be hard before it gets easy. In fact, it is often God's style to wait until the storm is at its fullest before He commands the waves to cease. That's how we learn to lean on Him. If it was easy, we'd all be model thin and run three miles a day. Life isn't easy, but that's okay. Let that thought sink in for a minute: Life isn't easy, but that's okay. In fact it's better than okay, when we consider the maturity it brings to our souls.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:2–4)

God desires to triumph over our enemies. He desires to rescue you from your stronghold. He desires to lead you to the promised land. Will you let Him?

Perseverance takes patience, a characteristic that most of us lack. Two weeks at a gym and women are discouraged that the weight isn't coming off yet. Even a slow computer can get us in a tailspin. Life takes time, and we need to remember that—it takes time.

If you give up and return to Egypt at the first sign of trouble, you're missing out on blessings God has to offer. You're missing out on the promise He gives to trample our enemies under His feet.

What happens at the second sign of trouble—if you plateau for a week, two weeks, or a month? If it rains just as you plan to go out for a walk—every time? Will you, like the Israelites, grumble once again, longing for the day when you ate all of the bread you wanted? That's what they did. Even after crossing the Red Sea, a miracle we can barely imagine, let alone feel beneath our feet. They wanted to return to slavery because they were hungry and too impatient to wait on God for their food. Not unlike us.

C. S. Lewis wrote, "A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. . . . A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness. They have lived a sheltered life by always giving in."
³

He speaks to the weakness many of us face from time to time. We become the five-minute girl, giving into temptation left, right, and center. Perhaps it's lack of sleep, which is a popular reason we hang off the wagon while our feet drag on the ground, or it might be a case of stress. Whatever the reason, we return to the food thinking,
Tomorrow will be a better day.
And we believe that it will.

If I have learned anything from my experience with trials, it's this: I need to take that step of patience now—not tonight, not tomorrow—right now. Push the food to the side today. Why? Because it's not going to comfort me the way that I think it will. And guess what? That food will still be there tomorrow.

Some might say, "It's just food. Get real!" But no, it's not just food any more than gold is just gold. When your life molds or shapes it into something you idolize, or use to tranquilize, it becomes your golden calf.

I could have returned to the food when Lev was in the hospital. Those hours in the waiting room I could have been spent filling my face, but instead I chose to fast, pray, and fill my heart with the knowledge that God was fighting this battle and that He was in control.

How it must pain God when He frees us from slavery, whether it be to food, alcohol, overspending, smoking, binging, purging . . . whatever our stronghold is, only to find us returning to it once again, hoping to find tranquility—excusing the struggle we have with our weakness so we can worship and cling to the calf once again.

God doesn't always provide the easy way out. He doesn't promise that life will be a breeze or free of temptation; in fact temptation is something we can always expect. But what He does promise us is this: He'll always provide a way to escape. There's always a way out—a better way to escape from our pain—and with a little soul searching and determination, a way to leave the gold calf behind.

These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. (1 Cor. 10:11–13)

Whenever I've been tempted to run to the bathroom after eating too much, this verse instantly comes to mind. When faced with the truth, knowing that I have another choice because God promised me so, do I take God's hand? Or do I turn my back on Him and dive into my sin? I know my decision. What about you?

The Pantry

CHOCKED-FULL OF FOOD FOR THOUGHT

The Main Ingredient

When faced with an overwhelming sense of stress, we have two choices: we can either cling to the golden calf, or we can cling to our Lord. If we make anything our god in this world, we are reshaping our surroundings to be something it's not. There will never be anything that can heal, satisfy, or save like the Lord Jesus can.

A Slice of Advice

Dear Candace,

Do you have any recommendations that I can do spiritually wise, in exercise, or nutritionally to reduce general anxiety? Whenever I get anxious, my stomach gets upset.

Thanks and God bless,

—Liz

Dear Liz,

Absolutely! Obviously the first thing you can do is cut down on caffeine if you are drinking coffee or cola. Caffeine makes us all a bit edgy. Next up, you might be surprised to learn that carbohydrates can act as a tranquilizer to mellow you out. They increase the amount of serotonin in your brain, which is also something those suffering with depression are often lacking. Reach for complex carbohydrates that will last longer in your system such as fruit and whole-grain breads. Okay have a piece of dark chocolate too! Also consider taking a vitamin B supplement. B6 works to raise serotonin levels.

Don't let your blood sugar get too low. If you are hungry, you may get tense. If it's not time for dinner, a half ounce of juice can raise your blood sugar and keep you going until dinner.

Exercise relieves muscle tension so you feel more relaxed. Even if you only have time for some glute bridges, try to fit a workout in every day.

Some people are generally more prone to anxiety, and although we see it as something bad, it can be a very good thing. How we handle it is another. If you find that you're in a tough spot and you need to relax, lie down flat for a few minutes. Let the feeling of anxiety move through you, and thank God that He's made you this way. Allow yourself to feel what's going on in your body, knowing that God wired you this way for a purpose. Is your heart racing? Is your stomach growling? Let the feeling move through you freely. Don't try to fight it, just let it flow. It's God's work in progress healing your pain.

Start saying, "It is well with my soul." Just saying the words out loud sets your mind in a different direction.

—Candace

A Pinch of Practicality

Patience comes with patience. In other words, the more you exercise it, the more you obtain. We definitely weren't born patient; in fact most of us came out kicking and screaming. But with guidance and—here's that word again—
patience
from our parents, we learned to wait, to tolerate, and to accept certain things—many things.

Mindfully tolerate the small things in life by biting your lip when need be, smiling under pressure, and forgiving others' imperfections. Try to exercise more of these moments throughout the day.

Place one hundred pennies in a cup on the counter. Each time you exercise patience throughout the day, move one penny from the full cup to the empty cup. The goal is to eventually move all of the pennies from one cup to the other. This exercise represents the giving of our self to others, as Christ has freely given to us.

Food for Thought

A recap of Scripture to meditate on:

• Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:6–7)

• What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn't we say to you in Egypt, "Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians"? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert! (Exod. 14:11–12)

• Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2–4)

• These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. (1 Cor. 10:11–13)

The Candy Dish

That which causes us trials shall yield us triumph: and that which make our hearts ache shall fill us with gladness. The only true happiness is to learn, to advance, and to improve: which could not happen unless we had comment with error, ignorance, and imperfection. We must pass through the darkness to reach the light. —Albert Pike

From My Stove to Yours

Fantastic Breakfast Oatmeal

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 cup Old Fashioned Quaker Oats

1¾ cups of water

½ cup raisins

¼ canned pumpkin

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ cup milk (optional)

Directions

Combine water, raisins, and pumpkin and bring to a boil.

Stir oats into boiling mixture. Cook for 5 minutes over medium heat stirring occasionally.

Add flaxseed and cinnamon. Cover, remove from heat. Let stand until desired consistency. Spoon oatmeal into bowls.

Pour milk over oatmeal (optional).

SEVENTEEN

Is Meekness a Weakness?

Way back in the day, before diapers, bottles, and stretch marks, Val and I bought an adorable, yet mischievous, Valentine gift: Emma, a blonde Cocker Spaniel. We went to a breeder, hoping to adopt a pup, and that's where we first met her. There was something endearing about Emma; one look at her adoring hazel-colored eyes, long floppy ears, and playful disposition was enough for us to know she was ours.

We chose the name Emma because it had a romantic ring to it like Emily, but shortened, it rolled off the tongue. In fact, it was much easier to say, "Emma, get out of the garbage," or "Emma, get out of my purse" than it was to use all three syllables 162 times each day.

Emma could eat her way through a meat truck and still have a hankering for the gum in my purse. She loved her food and had no off button when she was full. We couldn't leave any leftovers on the table or she'd jump on the chair and devour everything. We couldn't place garbage anywhere near her, or she'd tip it over when we weren't looking and make her way through it. We couldn't hang candy canes on the Christmas tree unless we wanted to see the tree lying on its side the next day. She was definitely a food hound.