Getting at the Heart of the Matter

Getting out of the house looks differently than it used to. Yesterday we were excited to take Ezekiel to the lake for the first time. We decided that we would wait until after his morning nap, to assure he was well rested for an action-packed afternoon. After he awoke, we rushed around the house packing the lunch sack, securing the canoe onto the car, feeding Zeke lunch, and rummaging through our calamity of basement storage to find swimmer diapers. Finally, the child was ready, slathered from head to toe in sun screen, and we were off. First stop? The grocery store, for some lunch meat to go along with our bread and cheese. I insisted we go well out of our way to the store I had coupons for (saving us a total of $0.30...) Ok, now we were ready, and off we headed. We shortly realize we forgot to bring Zeke a bottle. Not a huge deal, we won't be more than a couple of hours. Oh, wait, the snorkel gear, that was forgotten as well. I guess we won't be snorkeling, maybe next time...10 minutes down the road, Grayson gives a exasperated sigh, pauses, then lements that all of the fishing gear is sitting at home. He gets a pensive look on his face as we continue to drive. Giving another sigh, he slows and turns around. With fishing gear in tow, we back out of our driveway, again, and drive in the direction of the lake. This time, we only make it five minutes before Ezekiel begins to yell, signaling to us that he has had enough, and is ready for his next nap.

In defeat, we turn around and head home to allow Zeke another few hours of sleep before we give it another go. However, once we finally arrived at the lake, to see my little boy discover such a magnificent expanse of creation, how it warmed this Momma's heart.

The heart. Our heart is the bottom line. It is the essence of who we are. The Bible calls it the "inner man" (or woman). It is where truth is taken in, and decisions are made. Our heart is the source of our behavior, and I believe that we cannot address our health until we address our hearts.

At the "heart" of our society's obsession with diets is found a masquerade of lies and empty promises beset in behavior modification. We see it pervading our culture. It is the foundation of today's secular psychology. You have a problem with lust? You have a temper? You are depressed? You eat too much. Ok, we need to set some rules, some goals to modify your behavior. The problem comes when we just don't have the will-power to keep those rules. Behavior modification, in the realm of health, meets us in our desperation offering quick-fix prescriptions. They are sought out by our lesser desires. A desire to be thin. An aversion to being judged. A covetousness of those with "quicker metabolisms".

To attain these lesser desires, we set goals. Lose X amount of pounds. Run a half-marathon (or maybe a 5K, to begin....), fit into that bikini by June. Surrounding these goals, we set up barriers of rules. Stop eating sweets. Cut out "this", or eat only "that". Stop snacking. Walk everyday. We abide by this list of do's and dont's hoping to finally, at last, succeed. But when we do not meet success, we despair. We despair in our own failings, our inability to achieve those goals. Or, sometimes even more harmful, we do succeed. And when success is attained, we become prideful. This was my case in high school as I dabbled in, or rather plunged in to anorexia (about me). With perfect self-control I denied myself meal after meal. I took great pride in every jealous glance offered by the girl at the next table, eating her burger (or even her salad...) Her "failure" was my motivation to continue.

And so, what are we left with? Despair in failure, or pride with success. This is what today's trend of chronic dieting has produced. It is no surprise that an estimated 95% of those who lose weight on a diet gain it back, a statistic which haunts those who have finally "lost the weight", threatening
to steal back every ounce of control they have mustered up to shed the excess.

However, behavior modification finds its fault in its failure to address the crux of why we just can't set down that bag of oreos, or why we click "next episode" on Netflix instead of taking a walk with the family, or even where this "excess" on our midsections came from, anyways. Behavior modification looks at the problem and offers solutions. Embracing a wholesome lifestyle requires a deeper look into the conditions of our hearts. In our hearts lie our motives and desires. If these are not set securely on a knowledgeable and passionate track, we will get nowhere in getting healthy.

Grayson and I don't have rules in our "diet". I shy even from the word "diet" for its common assumption of rules and regulations. Instead, we have goals guided by deeper desires
to be healthy and well able to raise our family and serve the Lord.

In our Christian life we live in the truth of "regeneration". We have a new restored and revived heart, with new desires, prompted by God Himself! Many people do not want to follow Jesus because they think they will need to change their behavior. Yes, our behaviors will require change, but it comes naturally as we come to know Jesus, and He aligns our desires with His. I find the same in our life choices around health. We don't want to "get healthy" because it will necessitate change. Rules only make "getting healthy" all the more unattractive. But when we turn this around, and we look not at what we can't do, but at what we get to do, and what we will reap from it, "getting healthy" becomes a whole lot more attractive. Our desires change.

As I learn about Jesus, I find a natural inclination and passion to get to know Him deeper. As I learn about our health, I am excited and motivated to continue seeking knowledge. As I spend time with Jesus in His Word and prayer, I come to desire more and more of Him; to be in His presence. As I spend time cooking healthful meals, going on walks, and writing these blogs, I am prompted more and more to pursue this wholesome lifestyle.

People ask me if I cook all day. I tell them, "Some days, yes." but I say it with a smile on my face. It's not as if I'm slaving over a hot stove or breaking my back kneading dough on the counter for endless hours. Most days I don't even consider the time which goes into our food. I prepare our meal throughout the day as I have time, so as not to become overwhelmed, and I take joy in the process. After all, my desires have changed. I want to bless my family with a wholesome meal we can enjoy when once we come together again at the end of the day.

When it comes down to it, we will get no where with our health if our motive is to be thin. We'll make no progress if we don't enjoy what we are cooking, or the process of getting it to the table. We will only come out frustrated if we set up edicts, precepts and strict regimens. With legalistic rules, and laws which we cannot healthfully maintain as a lifestyle, we set ourselves up only for failure and defeat. Rather, let us embrace this only as our hearts are set on a true bettering of our health for the glory of the One who created us. May our intentions always be simply to give thanks, praise, and Honor to God for how artfully He has crafted us, and live in these bodies to our fullest potential that He has created us for. That is something I can set my heart on.

"If you love God, if you delight in God, if you are satisfied in God, enjoy God, celebrate the Person and work of Jesus Christ, then God will actually put desires in your heart, and a passion to pursue them. Then life is not about what you don't get to do, it's about what you get to do!" - Pastor Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill Church

A Day at the Beach with my Boys!

"Keep your heart with all vigilance,
    for from it flow the springs of life."

 Proverbs 4:23

And the puppy, of course!

Strawberry Banana Oatmeal Muffins

Combine:

• 1 1/2 cup quick oats
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp salt

Combine:

• 1/3 cup organic or all-natural cane sugar
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 tbs butter
• 1/4 cup and 2 tbs plain yogurt
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/3 cup mashed banana (mash before adding)
• 2 cups organic strawberries, cut into small chunks

1. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Fold only to moisten, don't over mix.
2. Pour into greased or lined muffin pan, bake at 340 degrees for 22-26 minutes. Makes about 20 muffins.
3. Note: Mine come out perfectly at 22 minutes. Try not to go by the "toothpick test", because if you stab a chunk of banana, you'll get a toothpick full of ooey-gooey banana goodness. I look for firmness when I lightly press down on the muffins.

Thoughts inspired from a sermon by Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church, Seattle.