Category: Food and Nutrition

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Food and Nutrition, Gratitude, Life is Short, Miscellaneous, Parenting

Finding Grace #399

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

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Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This week was relatively low-key. It was busy with a few surprises but mostly routine.

On Monday, I moved the deck furniture inside in anticipation of wintery weather later in the week. I moved the benches, patio table, and chairs into the garage. I also took in my windchimes so they don’t crack in the icy cold.

While my dad helped me with a dozen house projects, I found one more that needed some work. My garage door needs a new piece of weatherstripping. I asked a neighbor for help, and he special ordered the item for me since it is longer than the standard. When it comes in a couple of weeks, he will help me install it. Thanks, Lord, for good neighbors!

Speaking of neighbors, Lydia and I met some new neighbors renting the house directly across from us. We took them some cookies and answered some questions about the garbage, recycling, and snow removal responsibilities. They are from Idaho, but I hope they feel welcome!

Early Friday morning, we received the first snowfall of the season! I’d say it was less than an inch and was mostly just slush. October snow is early but not necessarily unusual. Right now, it is quite pretty and may melt off before we get more!

Last night, Lydia and I made a recipe that she picked out. I want her to develop her cooking skills, and it was a little more complicated than she realized. We had fun working together, and the cheesy pasta dish (with veggies and panko topping) was delicious!

Today, I went to a church retreat! It was fun to hang out with people who love God. We talked about the Holy Spirit, and I ministered to a friend who sat at my table. The food was tasty, and then our team won the minute-to-win-it style games! It was a nice way to relax.

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Food and Nutrition, Gratitude, Miscellaneous, Parenting

Finding Grace #390

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Free Dahlia Flower photo and picture

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This week was a little hectic but good! Lydia and I had several events that took planning ahead and felt ‘big.’ I had to keep praying, working hard, and trusting God. I also took several deeeeep breaths. But, it all turned out really well.

 On Sunday, we volunteered at church in the morning (greeting at the kids ministry) and in the evening (an outdoor women’s event). We had good food and saw some friends. I thought I would be really tired after a full day of serving, but I was actually energized!

On Monday, Lydia babysat for a little baby all on her own. She is very responsible and good with little ones, but I was a little nervous anyway since we had not previously met him. Lydia had a blast and entertained him for two hours. She even earned a few bucks!

Lydia started middle school this week! She had fun and already has three favorite teachers, so I think that’s a good sign! We are excited for this next season.

Work was good but fairly busy and full of problem-solving. Nearly all of my patients came this week, but it made me happy to be using so many of my skills. I also had fun attending a yoga session with my coworkers on our lunch break! Then, I worked a couple extra hours on Friday and also went in today for two hours (my on-call weekend). Whew!

My mother-in-law came to visit this week, as she sometimes does when I am on-call. She took Lydia shopping, and then I joined them for a few other activities. We always have fun together and have some more things planned for tomorrow!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Being Gracious, Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Food and Nutrition, Gratitude, Journey of Grace, Kindness, Life is Short, Miscellaneous

Finding Grace #387

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This week went well!

My lawn mower wasn’t working on Sunday. Through a little reading and tinkering, I realized it likely was the carburetor. My neighbor offered to take it in for a tune-up, which was so kind. I called and set it up, and he transported it back and forth. In the meantime, he let me borrow his mower, which was a big help!

We celebrated someone’s birthday at work, which gave us a chance to laugh and connect. I also had a lot of interesting patients, including the one from last week. He seems stable but had some issues with his tube feeding regimen. I worked behind the scenes with the pharmacy since we don’t carry the formula he needed. Thankfully, it all worked out!

On Wednesday, I dropped Lydia off at our church youth group and then went to pick some veggies from a friend’s garden. She was out of town and didn’t want them to go to waste. I picked a zucchini, a few tomatoes, and some peppers. On the way back to get Lydia, I saw two fields of sunflowers, which called my name. I pulled off to get a few pictures, and as I was sitting there, a couple of men drove by. A minute later, one returned to check on me. I appreciated him and did not feel threatened since he never got out of his vehicle. Thanks, Lord!

For Wednesday’s post, I wrote about how friendships are sometimes complicated as we age. They just take more effort because there are more factors involved. Many of my good friends have moved away, so it can be hard to keep putting myself out there when people might leave. Thankfully, Jesus always draws me closer. Furthermore, I aim to be a light wherever God leads me, so I won’t hide away even though that would be easier! 🙂

Today, we stayed home and mostly relaxed. I woke up early, lifted weights, and walked through the neighborhood. It was overcast and I saw some pretty cattails (pic above). Later, I made some fried green tomatoes with my friends’ garden produce! I just added a tiny bit of oil and some Maldon sea salt flakes. So good!

Now, we are enjoying a good thunderstorm. My lawn really needs the water, so I am thrilled. The downpouring rain on my windows means it’s a perfect night for a movie and some popcorn with Lydia!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Being Gracious, Food and Nutrition, Journey of Grace, Kindness, Life is Short, Miscellaneous, Perseverance, Wisdom

The Battle Belongs to the Lord

The last two days, work has been a little hectic. Not bad, just busy.

I already had a full schedule without much time in between patients. And then, I had some unexpected phone calls to return. Phone calls are normal, but these were a little more involved and time-consuming.

I ‘inherited’ a complex patient with many medical problems. I was assigned to take over after they made unfounded complaints about a very qualified coworker. Simply put, the patient’s family did not get the answers they wanted, and sadly, his prognosis is difficult to accept.

This patient requires a feeding tube, but it’s unusual due to how the tube was placed and medical complications (not related to his VA care). To start, the patient has cancer and is undergoing multiple treatments. But the bad news just keeps piling up.

In many ways,  it reminds me of Dave’s own cancer battle… and my emotional reactions. Unfortunately, this patient has even more medical issues, if you can imagine that.

Free Doctor Doctor'S Office photo and picture

So, while I am empathetic towards the patient, he has a lot of needs. I have years of experience to draw upon, but each situation is different. I have fought to get them what they need, but more than once, the family has put me on the spot. While I encourage advocacy for loved ones, I consistently do my best to provide the highest level of care.

In the past, with other patients, I occasionally have been yelled at when trying to get to the bottom of certain challenges. For instance, I won’t order something if it puts the patient at more risk. I wait until I have adequate justification, but patients sometimes argue and make their own decisions anyway (which is their right). While it doesn’t happen often, this week, I felt circumstances were going in that direction.

Even though the patient’s family had been friendly on the phone, they went to other sources to try and get what I wasn’t quite ready to provide. I was still gathering information and needed them to work with me, not against me. Nonetheless, it made me feel like they thought I wasn’t doing my job.

And reflecting on my own journey, I remembered my fight is not against other people (Ephesians 6:12). Still, I dreaded calling the patient again. 

Then yesterday morning, I was in my car getting ready to walk inside to my office. I was stalling by listening to the radio in my car. One of my favorite songs, “Battle Belongs,” by Phil Wickham, came on. (Sample lyrics below)

When all I see is the battle, You see my victory
When all I see is the mountain, You see a mountain moved
And as I walk through the shadow, Your love surrounds me
There’s nothing to fear now for I am safe with You
So when I fight, I’ll fight on my knees
With my hands lifted high
Oh God, the battle belongs to You
And every fear I lay at Your feet
I’ll sing through the night
Oh God, the battle belongs to You
And if You are for me, who can be against me? Yeah
For Jesus, there’s nothing impossible for You
When all I see are the ashes, You see the beauty
Thank You God
When all I see is a cross, God, You see the empty tomb
So when I fight, I’ll fight on my knees
With my hands lifted high
Oh God, the battle belongs to You
And every fear I lay at Your feet
I’ll sing through the night
Oh God, the battle belongs to You
Almighty fortress, You go before us
Nothing can stand against the power of our God
You shine in the shadow, You win every battle
Nothing can stand against the power of our God
Nurse placed adapter in equipment probe of enteral nutrition, palliative care in hospital, conceptual image, composition hotizontal Nurse placed adapter in equipment probe of enteral nutrition, palliative care in hospital, conceptual image, composition hotizontal enteral nutrition stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images

Singing along, I was gently reminded that not only is God for me, He is also for my patient and his family. Not only is He for us as people, but He is also 100% against cancer. God will always aim for a win-win, and only He has the power to do it time and again!

Yes, I remembered this battle belongs to the Lord. So, I decided to let God fight for me, knowing He is also fighting for my patient. I had a good brainstorming session with two of my coworkers, including the specialist on the case before me. I was still nervous to call, but when I did, a creative temporary solution had already been provided. They were going to try that, and I’ll check back with them later this week. 

It’s still a very tough trial, and short of a miracle, this patient will continue to decline. But, while it’s my job to care for him nutritionally, I also feel responsible to pray for his comfort, healing, and well-being. Similarly, I can respond with grace and compassion, since I know what it feels like when the tables are turned.

Ultimately, Jesus is our living hope. There is no need to fear. We can trust Him in all things because He has already won the war, and our Victory is in Him!

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God, You are so good. Thanks for taking good care of all my patients and me. Thanks for fighting our battles, Lord. Help us rely on You and share Your love with others. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Questions: Have you ever been in a similar situation, where you are doing your best and people misjudge your effort (or you feel like they are)? How did you handle it?

Tasks: Remember that fear and dread are not from God. Put your trust in Jesus, and watch Him fight your battles.

 

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Food and Nutrition, Gratitude, Miscellaneous

Finding Grace #366

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Free Sunlight Tree photo and picture

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was a fun week all around!

Monday and Tuesday were slower at work, so I was able to stay on top of my charting. Then, on Wednesday, we celebrated RDN day with soup, salad, and breadsticks from Olive Garden. We also had fruit pizzas for dessert and played a fun game. We tried to guess which facts matched each coworker. We were laughing so much and learned quite a bit about each other. It was so refreshing and made me love my job even more.

On Thursday, we had a TPN training, which reminded me of when Dave needed this source of feeding through the veins. I wasn’t sad, just reflective. We also had a teambuilding game with Oreos and sampled various flavors. Just for fun. Afterall, you don’t want to end up with a bag you don’t like! I think I will stick with either plain or just Mint Oreos, on occasion. 😉

That evening, one of my neighbors came over to help with a GFCI outlet in the kitchen. It was affecting four other outlets. We first noticed two Sundays ago, but it had taken me awhile to decide what to do. I can fix small things around the house, but this one made me nervous. Turns out there were five wires to connect! I hadn’t met this neighbor, but I do see his wife and kids at the bus stop several days a week. It’s funny because he is very friendly and I had no clue he was an electrician until lately! And, he is going to come back again soon and help me update/replace two bathroom lights that are getting rusty. God provided someone right when I needed it!

On Friday, I had a busy morning at work and needed to stay a couple of extra hours to get things done. But, that meant I got to stay for a birthday celebration (cake and ice cream). This was definitely an unusual week – we don’t have treats that often, let alone three days in a row! We were joking that it was a really good week to be at work!

Yesterday after work, I ran some errands knowing today was going to be another blizzardy day. I picked up a lot of fresh veggies (gotta balance out the treats!). Lydia asked if she could help me cut them up. We had fun chopping, cooking, and listening to Oldies music. By my estimate, she saved me a couple hours in the kitchen which was much appreciated! I’m grateful for my helpful girl!

Today, we stayed home and mostly relaxed since Lydia saved me so much time last night. I did a little housework but mostly we just enjoyed the snowy day!

Don’t forget to turn back your clocks for Daylight Savings Time tonight!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Food and Nutrition, Life is Short, Miscellaneous, Perseverance

Foodie Facts

March is National Nutrition Month, and TODAY is Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist Day!! I have a fairly full day at work, but I look forward to having lunch catered in. 🙂 My manager asked us each to send a random fact about ourselves in preparation for a special event. Here is what I sent her:

“When I was really little (like ages 4-5), I would eat slowly and try to figure out what my food was made of. I would look at each bite and question what molecules they contained (before I even knew what that meant).”

She affirmed that, yes, I put the RD in NERD!  🤓

May be an image of food and indoor

I don’t know how or why I thought about all of that when I was so young. Even so, I recognized corn, green beans, carrots, strawberries, grapes, bread, nuts, meat, and cheese are all very different!! I knew God made everything, and I guess I wondered just how He made such variety!

These days, I do catch myself studying my food on occasion, though maybe it’s to see how all the textures and flavors fit on my fork. I never thought about it before now, but I suppose it’s a way to be mindful. Then, there are days, I have to rush and don’t pay as much attention. Perhaps I should take this throwback to my childhood as a cue!

Nonetheless, I believe God planted that little seed in my life to watch it grow and see what I would do with it. It seems He made me, in part, to serve Him and others as a dietitian.

A couple of years ago, someone asked, “Why did you become an RD?” Here was my response:

“I was born a foodie, fascinated by food and how it all “worked” with the human body from a young age. I thought I wanted to be a physician, but in high school, a dear friend died in an accident. I went to see him on life support. Bedside, I decided that I didn’t want the burden and responsibility of potentially telling someone their loved one was going to die. In my teenage grief, I threw myself into “busyness,” which led me to food and agricultural classes (yay, FFA!). Along the way, I realized food is both Ag and medicine. I also love science, education, cooking, and counseling, so dietetics is a natural blend of so many of my passions.”

May be an image of coffee cup and text that says 'BE KIND WORK HARD EAT OGIUR'

After my husband, Dave, died, I struggled with motivation in several areas. That grief made me question everything. What’s the point of eating well, exercising, and staying healthy when we all end up dying?

Of course, as grief subsided over time, I came back full circle. We can’t prevent everything, but we can try our best to stay healthy and enjoy our lives to the fullest. Taking care of ourselves is so important. No one does it perfectly, but it’s the things we do every day that make the biggest difference. Balance, variety, consistency, and moderation are key.

I am still in awe of how much variety God made when it comes to food. There are hundreds of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and white fruits and vegetables. Each of them contains different types of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and antioxidants. And that’s just fruits and veggies!

Well, I am confident that God still has good things in store for me. And I know He has a good plan for you, too. We can bring glory to God by living for Him in all we do. It might look different from one season to the next, but we can look for patterns over time and ask God for His input. Don’t give up!

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Heavenly Father, thanks for making me… me! Thanks for filling me with passion and purpose. Help me bring You glory every day! In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Questions: What is a fun fact about you? Can you see God at work throughout your life? How might you live out your purpose today?

Tasks: Check out this fun website about eating fruits and veggies! Be kind. Work hard. Eat your veggies!

Posted on in Books and Movies I Like, Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Food and Nutrition, Gratitude, Kindness, Miscellaneous, Parenting

Finding Grace #362

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Free Hoarfrost Moss photo and picture

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This week was fairly calm, and I am grateful for that!

The weather showed more signs of spring, with warmer temperatures and wet roads from melting snow. We still have mostly freezing temperatures, but they feel relatively warm to us! Fifteen degrees is “starting to heat up,” and anything above twenty-five is “quite balmy!”

This was a good week to catch up with friends. We served in the children’s ministry at church on Wednesday and had fun playing with the preschool crowd and talking with other volunteers. Then, my African neighbors called to check-in. I also caught up with a former coworker who moved to Colorado last year. Finally, my sister and I started a new book for our little book club. It was fun to talk with so many people, many of who challenge me to be my best!

All week, Lydia’s school bus route was not running due to a lack of drivers. Each week, a different route is “skipped,” and parents must take their kids to school. So, this week was our turn. It gave Lydia more time, and me slightly less time, to get ready. Still, there was some benefit in that I woke up earlier, left home earlier, and also arrived at work earlier. It made me think I should do this more often!

Because I felt less rushed, I was able to enjoy listening to an audiobook on my drive to work. I started Fiber Fueled by Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, MD, a gastroenterologist. “Fascinated” is too small of a word to relay the awe I had listening to all the benefits of fiber. As a Registered Dietitian, I am constantly promoting plant foods, which are the only sources of fiber. I am only a couple of chapters in, but I am challenged to learn new ways of explaining fiber to my patients while discussing gut health, weight, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, kidney disease, and other conditions, most of which are related to inflammation.

Otherwise, work was good and busy! I had the opportunity to work with our very sweet dietetic intern and help her learn the ropes of nutrition assessment and counseling. This includes interpreting labs; asking pertinent questions; accurately explaining nutrition science; and understanding the nuances of personal motivation. She did a great job connecting with our patients and eagerly accepted feedback, knowing it will help her improve. I also had various problems to solve, including tube feeding orders and certain nutrition supplements as a national backorder continues.

Today, I was on-call for a few hours but did not have to go in to work. Instead, I worked on this blog post, caught up on some bills, and read a book… all while keeping my phone at-hand, just in case. Once again, it was rewarding to get up early and have some “extra” time to get things done.

The rest of the day was spent doing Saturday things. Errands, cleaning, cooking, etc. I threw together some easy recipes, though nothing specific. Sometimes, it is just fun to see how things turn out!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Food and Nutrition, Gratitude, Miscellaneous, Parenting, Perseverance

Finding Grace #359

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Free Mountain Snow photo and picture

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was an awesome week. It felt like God came through for us in big and small ways!

On both Sunday and Monday, we met with friends and did some art projects. On Monday, my dear friend helped me take down the Christmas tree. For the last few years, I could not get it all apart. My friend and I were finally able to pull it into its three pieces for storage. I was so thankful!

We were off due to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, so we used the time to get Lydia’s glasses updated. She kept her frames but needed new lenses. I had shopped around, and found a good deal with same-day service. It felt good to save some money and cross it off my to-do list.

Because of the holiday, it was a short work week. It was made even shorter because Lydia had two appointments. On Tuesday, her orthodontics appointment went well, and we will wait on a second round of braces (to see if she needs them). On Thursday, we had some good news, too. With her permission to share, Lydia has been having frequent, yet unpredictable episodes of dizziness, lightheadedness, fatigue, and so on for many years. Apparently, she needs a lot more water and sodium than the average person. At least that’s what we are going to try for now, though it will likely be long-term. She is already feeling better with no symptoms for the last two days. I’m grateful for answers, and I’m praising God that this is a manageable medical condition!!

The weather gave us some sunny days and some overcast days, but minimal wind. Still below zero but enjoyable! 

Today, we did our usual Saturday tasks, and I listened to a webinar while cooking soup and baking sweet potatoes. I also cleared two shelves in the pantry and reorganized them before taking an official inventory. This helped me group like items together and even carried over to a couple of the kitchen cabinets, too. It feels really good to see everything I have all at once. Then, I don’t accidentally buy something when I already have it in storage!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Food and Nutrition, Gratitude, Miscellaneous

Finding Grace #358

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Free Mount Cook New Zealand photo and picture

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was a fairly quiet week. That’s perfectly fine by me! I have been having more quiet time anyway as I focus on my Daniel fast. This is so I can tune myself to what the Lord is doing or would have me do. Fasting helps us clear out the ‘noise’ of the world!

Work went well, and it was busier at the end of the week. My coworkers and I worked together to resolve various issues. Nothing new to report there… we do that every week! 😉

This week, I connected with several friends… on the phone, via social media, and in-person. It was great! Last night, I hung out with a dear friend for about two hours. We had fun catching up and discussing kids, church, work, and other pertinent topics. I always enjoy spending time with her!

The weather was warmer for the most part, still below zero but pretty awesome for January! It made running a few errands easier, so I am grateful. We had some fog at times, but also some bright, sunny blue skies. My favorite!

Today, we did our Saturday chores, and then Lydia and I each made a batch of blueberry muffins. She made hers using all the normal ingredients, and I made mine fast-friendly. Lydia tried both and thought they were good!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Books and Movies I Like, Food and Nutrition, Gratitude, Journey of Grace, Miscellaneous, Parenting, Prayer

On Fog and Fasting

The last few mornings or so have been foggy. Sometimes it clears off to reveal a beautiful sunny day, and at other times, it remains as-is. I don’t mind, especially since that means the temperature is rising!

We had a two-hour late start on Monday since our school district includes many rural families. We enjoyed a little more time together, unexpectedly! I even had time to bake some delicious sweet potatoes, which made me revamp my lunch that day. 🙂

After work yesterday, I could barely see a giant airplane flying in through the clouds. It looked like it came out of nowhere! When I finally saw it, it was about fifty feet in the air, preparing to land. Surreal!

Free Mountain Forest photo and picture

In other news, many of the people at our church are doing a new year’s fast. I decided to join everyone, though I am unsure what kind everyone else is doing. I am doing a twenty-one-day Daniel Fast, which is a partial fast. Think vegan combined with a few more restrictions, such as no sugar and caffeine. (Daniel 10 and Daniel 21)

I have followed the Daniel Fast various times over the years. When Dave was sick, I would fast during his chemo treatments (three days). It worked well to calm my nerves and coincided when he wasn’t eating much. My hunger reminded me to run to Jesus and invite him into our chaos. It was a great help back then when I was running in so many directions, but I didn’t have the bandwidth to do much else.

Over the last couple of years, I held off from fasts because I didn’t feel ready to put in the effort. Not that I discount the importance, my heart just wasn’t where it needed to be. 

This time, the Daniel Fast feels different, joyful even. Perhaps that’s because I signed up for daily encouragement from Susan Gregory, who has authored several books on the subject. I appreciate her level of detail and the way she honors God. It also helps to know other people are fasting with me!

Free Fog Sunset photo and picture

Here are a few key points: First, Jesus talked about fasting as a normal part of a godly life. He did not say “if” but “when you fast.” (If you read the verse, know I am sharing this as an exhortation, not to get attention!) Second, fasting is not to gain God’s approval. He already loves you and wants what’s best for you! Sometimes, though, we get in our own way.

Third, fasting is not about the body or our food… what you eat or don’t eat, or how you look. We already pay enough attention to that! As Lisa Bevere says, “A diet changes the way you look. A fast changes the way you see.” You temporarily lay aside your desires and routine for a higher purpose. Thus, fasting is about saying ‘no’ to the ‘flesh’ and saying ‘yes’ to God. That looks different for each of us, of course. For me, it’s about tuning my spiritual ears to the voice of the Holy Spirit.

As Lydia grows, I want to make sure I am raising her how God wants. If I need to change something, I want to hear and follow through! I don’t want to drag my feet or miss something altogether. That’s just one example, but I am praying about God’s wisdom in several areas. I am excited to see what He does!

It’s ironic that our foggy weather coincides with our church’s fasting period. Fog is difficult to see through, but fasting opens our spiritual eyes. In both cases, we must slow down, pay attention, and rely on God to guide us. Thank You, Lord, for being our Light!

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God, thanks for the opportunity to draw near to You. Open my eyes and ears; help me perceive what You are doing and join you there. Bless me, in Jesus’ Name, Amen

Questions: Have you ever done a fast? (Again, this differs from fasting or dieting for weight loss or making yourself look or feel better.) What did you learn about God and yourself?

Task: If you are in need of answers or a breakthrough, consider a spiritual fast. There are many types. Remember, God doesn’t require perfection. He offers us His abundant grace!