Have you ever tried to solve your dandelion problem by mowing your lawn?
We
all know what a ludicrous idea that is. Not only will they just come
right back, you’ll likely make the problem worse by spreading the seeds.
To solve a dandelion problem, you have to pull out the root!
Weight loss has to start from our soul and spirit, otherwise it will never last!
It’s no different with weight loss.
Weight
gain and obesity are most often directly related to the soul and
spirit. While we are all made to be different sizes, and some may never
be a size 2 or 4, it is not healthy for our spirit, soul or body to be
30, 40 or more pounds over our healthy weight.
This extra weight is not only hard on our joints and internal organs, it acts as an unhealthy insulation and barrier.
It insulates us from having to invest in healthy, satisfying relationships.
It is a barrier in our relationship with God because it is a clear indicator that there are unresolved issues in our hearts.
Trying
to resolve weight issues with weight loss programs, without having
first resolved the inner issues of the soul and spirit, is no different
than mowing over your field of dandelions.
When
I look back over the selfies I took during my weight loss journey, it
is clear that in 2015 something clicked in me; because suddenly my
excess weight began to drop off. The yo-yo stopped.
What clicked inside me in 2015?
I
began to ask myself very hard, probing questions about when my weight
gain began and why. It was then that I realized that every time my
weight spiked it correlated with a trauma or difficult circumstance in
my life.
The correlation was unmistakable.
Food was my comforter.
The problem was that after I moved on from the pain the desire for soothing food was still there.
Studies
show that refined sugar and certain foods high in carbohydrates are
highly addictive. I believe this, because while I have made great
strides in overcoming comfort eating, I still find my desire for
soothing food extremely hard to resist.
In fact, I have found it much harder to overcome this than my addiction to caffeine.
My defining moment was in the summer of 2015.
I was sitting in church and while I cannot tell you what the sermon was about, the speaker referred to this verse:
“It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”
Suddenly
the question hit me, “What do I live by? Do I live by my emotions or do
I truly live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God?”
I have a question for you.
What drives your physical appetites? Your soul or your spirit?
Weight loss has to start from our soul and spirit. We must identify why we are eating, otherwise it will never last!
You
see, the answer to this will give you the key to unlock the door to
freedom. I believe that for most of us, our soul drives our physical
appetites. Our mind, our imagination that is out of control and driven
by fear, pain, and negativity. Our will that has never been properly
exercised to resist those things that are not good for us, and to do
those things (exercise) that are good for us. Our emotions that
fluctuate with with the wind and have never been brought under control
so that we are more even keel.
So
when our spirit isn't under the purview of the Holy Spirit as long as
we can remember ends up wild on the grounds that our hungers are driven
by a spirit that is crazy. Since a spirit that isn't in accommodation to
the Holy Spirit will consistently leave control.
Just
admitting to myself that my physical cravings were constrained by my
spirit, and not my soul, started to open a few parts of my life that had
for some time been a puzzle to me.
Each
time I'd open the pantry or ice chest the inquiry would come to me,
"What is driving your hunger? Yearning or a craving to alleviate?"
Also, I've observed this to free, since it is superior to anything any eating routine I've at any point been on!
By
distinguishing the wellspring of my physical cravings I can eat when
I'm genuinely ravenous, without removing "awful nourishments". I can
oppose the impulse to relieve with sustenance.
In any case, there's one greater component here that we need to inspect.
What is the genuine base of solace eating?
In such a case that we never answer that question, we'll find better approaches to calm our spirits.
Using
sustenance to numb torment, comfort, or protect, or fulfill us is truly
very little unique that utilizing medications or liquor for a similar
reason.
The root is the equivalent: worshipful admiration.
Going
to any substance or action for solace, as opposed to going to Jesus
Christ for mending, is excessive admiration. Sustenance, in this case,
turns into our wellspring of solace and satisfaction. Yet, similarly as
with any symbol, it's not genuine. It's not enduring and it prompts
devastation.
To really start our weight
reduction venture, we should start with atonement. Atoning for our
excessive admiration. Atoning for going to anything other that Jesus
Christ for our solace, bliss and satisfaction. Atonement for enabling
our spirits to oversee our lives, and not the Holy Spirit in and through
us.
Furthermore, when we do this, the change will last. Since genuine change starts in within first!