Eat, Pray, Grow
Average Rating: 
[5 Comments]
My doctor and I were shocked. I, a seemingly healthy 40-year-old woman, had a blocked artery. Then there were my blood profiles: both cholesterol and blood sugar too high. I determined to set things right, chopping veggies and putting them into baggies, adding salads to each night's downsized dinner. As the knife struck the cutting board, I heard the Holy Spirit murmur, It takes time and commitment to be healthy, doesn't it? I knew he wasn't just talking about my body. He was talking about my soul.
Because it's easier to ignore spiritual issues, God often uses physical symptoms to help me take a closer look at what's happening inside. Insomnia forces me to examine what I'm not handing over to God. Tension headaches ask me to slow down and loosen my grip. My physical illness got my attention, so I decided I'd work on what lay beneath.
I'd developed a pattern of taking on too much. In order to (falsely) comfort my overly busy self, I ate the wrong things in the wrong quantities. I finally understood that my overfed but malnourished body was an outward reflection of an overfed but malnourished soul. While I had many activities that looked good on the outside and garnered praise, they ate up time I might have spent deepening my relationship with God.
I'd relegated my prayer life to rushed pleading in the midst of trouble; my relationship with God felt empty and silent, stagnant and struggling. My body displayed on the outside what was happening on the inside. In the process of healing one, could I heal both? It was time for me to take a serious assessment.
First, I looked at how I ate. I'd run to a warehouse store and stock up on high-quality processed foods that were easy to slap together—maximum bang for my time and buck. Lots of prepackaged items, lots of convenience, lots of microwave ding. Though my family dined together many nights a week, when we timed ourselves, we were astonished to be finished and rushing to the next activity in fewer than 15 minutes.
Sadly, that's what my spiritual diet looked like too.
Instead of savoring and pacing my lessons, I'd wait till the night before to scan the Bible and fill in the blanks for my weekly Bible study. I was more concerned about showing up with filled blanks than in deeply understanding what the teacher, and the Word, might have in store if I'd spend the time to digest slowly and meditate. What was the "real" meal I needed to savor? In Matthew 4:4 Jesus reminds us, "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."
That wasn't how I wanted to handle physical or spiritual eating, so I had to make some changes.
Considering my blood-sugar profile and that I'd had gestational diabetes, I knew I had to minimize my refined carbs intake. I'd heard if you cut back on bread, after awhile you lose your taste for it. With a twinge of sorrow, I realized that abstaining from daily Bible reading had caused me to lose my taste for it. I'd put off spending time with Jesus and reading the Bible to the end of the day—after I'd gotten everything else done. Unfortunately, by then I was either too tired to learn, or I simply told the Lord that I needed time for "me," certain he'd understand.
Related Topics:
Busyness, Food, Spiritual Growth
More from Sandra Byrd:
Kyria.com | Books
Join the Kyria.com Community!
Become a member to have access to the following:
- Full access to the bimonthly Kyria digizine, each issue focusing on a spiritual discipline or theme
- 50 percent discount on all of the downloadable resources in the Kyria Store
- Hundreds of members-only articles for thoughtful, influential women
downloadable guides
Sabbath Rest in a World of Stress
Practical insights for how to live a life that honors the spirit of Sabbath-rest.
The Mentoring Series: Nancy Ortberg
Discover leadership principles from a well-known author and respected leader.Browse More Guides
back to top
Average User Rating:
Catherine
Thank you!
Catherine
Thank you!
margo
Great insight.It helped me in all aspects of my life. Thank you sister.
heather
In response to Carol, I hear your heart and want to assure you that when you ask God to put someone in your life to be a friend that you can be accountable, he will! I have developed a wonderful relationship with a woman from my church and we have become so close and haven't even known each other for a year and come to find out- she had prayed for a friend and I was that person that had invited her to my home and have great fellowship with her. I too have helped her with her dietary changes as that is my profession! Just believe and God will give you the desire of your heart!
Carol Noller(Registered User)
This article really hit me where I am at. I also have heart issues starting with a heart attack at age 43. I seem to of struggled spiritually for the last 9 years as I spend all my time trying to stay healthy but leaving God out of the equation all to often and than wondering why life is so darn hard at times. I liked how the author tied everything into the healthy way we need to live and how we do not just nourish our bodies but also our very soul and we are not healthy until all of us is healhty, body and soul. It has given me some serious things to think about. I wish I had a friend to help be accountable to for this change I need to make in my life, but I do not think that will happen.
Rate & Comment on this article *