Made to Love
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Guess which one I went for!
My weight has always done this whole yo-yo thing; the numbers go back and forth, up and down. ย It’s a game that I play, stepping on the scale in the morning and trying to guess my weight. ย It’s a never ending challenge, and something that most of the women in my family have struggled with as well. ย
And it doesn’t help that I have a sweet tooth the size of Texas!
I hadn’t drank pop in ages, but it was flowing in abundance between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I indulged a little. ย The candies and nuts were coming in in droves at the office and were handed out freely at different events, so I indulged a little. ย And the leftover dips and chips and cookies (I swear to you) called me by name, so I indulged a little. ย
Over that time, I gained back ten of the 30 pounds I had lost! ย (Palm to forehead)
I wholeheartedly believe that you are what you eat. ย If I eat sweets, the sugar in my system tells me that I need more. ย If I eat something salty, the same thing happens. ย I desperately needed to reign in these cravings and find my passion for working towards my goals in my health and fitness, that seemed to have drifted away.
The book by Lysa Terkeurst is entitled,ย Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God not Food, and it isn’t your standard dieting and exercise manual. ย It’s a book that guides you through the process of replacing yourย cravings of physical things (food, clothes, a nicer car, a better job, etc.) with a craving for God.
Hook, line and sinker, I was caught by some incredible insights Lysa shared.
For example, in the introduction of the book, she shares this quote,
“…we can’t ignore the fact that the serpent used food as a tool in the process. ย If the very downfall of humanity was caused when Eve surrendered to a temptation to eat something she wasn’t supposed to eat, I do think our struggles with food are important to God.”
Pretty powerful! ย But so is the definition of the wordย crave:
“Definition.com defines craving as something you long for, want greatly, desire eagerly, and beg for. ย Now consider this expression of craving: “How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! ย My soul yearns, even faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God” (Psalm 84:1-2).”
my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
Psalm 84:2 ย – ย [ Tweet this ]
“Each time I craved something I knew wasn’t part of my plan, I used that craving as a prompt to pray. ย I craved a lot. ย So, I found myself praying a lot.”
Suddenly it was clear that I have been making the same mistake year after year. ย I thought I needed to take control over my cravings; I never thought to lift them to God!
I never thought to lift them to God! ย – ย [ Tweet this ]
“We were made to crave –long for, want greatly, desire eagerly, and beg for–God. ย Only God.”
We were made to crave, but not only that, we were made to seek after, and made to love.
As I drove home from work yesterday, I heard tobyMac’s Made to Loveย for probably the billionth time, but it immediately took on a whole new light. ย It reminds me that I am a child of God and by that alone I amย #empowered! ย
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The dream, the drive that I had for obtaining my goal weight has faded and now I’ve woken to the reality that my reflection is not what I was hoping for.
Whatever happened to the passion that I was living for, what became of the spark inside of me that made me feel alive, and when did I forget?? I was made to craveย God, but also to loveย God and be loved in return. ย That love and desire reciprocated is more than enough to fill me with hope, a renewed passion and dream, for with God all things are possible! |
The dream is fading, now I’m staring at the door
I know its over cause my feet have hit the cold floor Check my reflection, I ain’t feelin what I see It’s no mystery Whatever happened to a passion I could live for What became of the flame that made me feel more And when did I forget that… I was made to love you |
I love that song and I love Tobymac!
Me too! I’ve been a huge fan of his since he was in DC Talk! His lyrics always speak such truth! What is your favorite song of his? Right now, mine is probably “Steal My Show”.
First let me say I LOVE TOBY MAC! I am humming that song. I saw him in concert in Virginia. And second I will say CONGRATULATIONS! You have already found success with this weight loss journey. Let me say that I have heard from others on the OBS team that “a set back is an opportunity for a comeback” and you are on that comeback road. I agree, inviting God into our journey to a healthier life is the key we need to succeed. Keep going! You look great! I like the short haircut too!
Haha, love it! Toby closed the night at Winter Jam last year and it was incredible! Many thanks for the congratulations. I really LOVE the thought of “a set back is an opportunity for a comeback” (I may need to borrow this – or at least scrawl it across my mirror!) I’m digging the new look too, thanks! Though I still end up doing a double-take anytime I walk past a mirror, lol!
I LOVE your blog! You are so real with your words. I am looking forward to more of your post during this Bible study. So glad I joined in this time!
Such sweet words, Sadie, THANK YOU! You don’t know how much that means to me to hear what you’ve shared. I sometimes forget that I just need to be ME when writing, not worrying about presenting the perfect words, but just what is on my heart. I am happy that you’ve joined the study, it’s a great opportunity to grow in so many ways! I look forward to seeing you back here real soon! #BeBlessed
Hi Bree! I am your neighbor at Friday Five.
I am right with you on the yo-yo dieting thing. That book you read looks really interesting. I am a sugar-craver, that’s for sure. Looking at it as a craving for God instead is so inspiring, thank you for that idea!
So nice to meet you today! I love blog-hops. It gets me out there to meet new people like you ๐
Ceil
Nice to meet you, Ceil – I’ll have to stop by and check out your posting as well! I agree that blog hops are a fantastic way to network with others!
The OBS is just starting (started Jan. 19th) so you should sign up, it’s free! I think you’d really enjoy it and the community of over 42,000 women worldwide that are participating! Here’s a link to learn more about it: http://www.breething.com/1/post/2014/01/made-to-crave.html
Thank you Bree for sharing your story with us! It is encouraging and I am blessed to be on this journey with you ๐
Amanda, it warms my heart to be able to walk this journey with so many other inspiring women! Your story has touched me as well and I look forward to growing together in this study! Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting! Let’s get #empowered!
thanks for sharing that song, I like that song, had a lot of inspiring words. I was made to love you. We are God commands us to love out neighbors.
LeQuita, you are absolutely right. We are not only called (or made) to love God, as a way to reciprocate his love, but also called (or made) to love others…even if they’re hard to love. Sometimes it’s the ones that are the most difficult to love, are the ones that need it the most. Spread the love, my sister, and you will see it returned in manifold.