Made To Crave, Week 3 - Peace

Bible Verse for the Week – Romans 14:19-20a – “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.  Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food.” 

Comment Winner - last week’s winner, drawn from a cup, by my kids, with all the names of people that made a comment last week.  The winner is:  Joanne! Congratulations!  You won a mug that has the scripture verse from Jeremiah 29:11.  I'll give you your prize when I see you on Saturday!  Don’t forget to comment each week (below or by email).  Each time you comment your name goes into the drawing for the weekly prize.

Our video session this week is 16 minutes long.  This is another great video with our author, Lysa TerKeurst.  Be sure to follow along with the participants guide to get great notes along the way.  Please click below to watch.

If it doesn’t work you can go directly to You Tube –

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAWHzoQCNvE

Again, if that still doesn’t work, let me know, I have the DVD I can let you borrow. 

I really enjoyed this video this week.  There was a lot of good stuff in here.  My goal from this is to put a sticky note on my scale that says “peace” so I know it’s not about the number on the scale but about having peace about what it says.  Can you do this with me? 

Assignment for Week 3 - Read Chapters 7-9.  You have all week to complete this assignment, do it at your own pace. 

Additional assignment - Go through all the Personal Reflections Questions at the end of each chapter.  Also, complete the Participant Guide for Session #3. 

Here is what I got from this week’s video & book.  Hope ya’ll enjoy it!

Video/Participant’s Guide

“Nothing tastes as good as peace feels” – can you grasp that?  Do you think it’s possible to reach a place where we can feel at peace no matter what the number on the scale is?

Diet programs can leave us feeling deprived when “dieting” and when we “go off” we feel guilty.  Ever felt like this?  I’ve tried every diet plan out there.  I’ve tried every fad diet and most worked for awhile but once I “went off” the weight and guilt came back.  Love what Lysa said, “We can step on the scale and accept the numbers for what they are – an indication of how much our body weighs – an not an indication of our worth.”  Wow!

Romans 14:23 – Have you ever felt convicted when you are eating something that you shouldn’t be?  This is the Holy Spirit nudging us and telling us what is the best for us.  Conviction = sin.  So does that mean when I’m sucking down those little chocolate balls and feel like I need to stop, that’s the Holy Spirit telling me I’m sinning.  Ouch!  OK, I’m getting it, are you?

Samaritan woman (John 4:7-38) – My FOOD is to do the will of him who sent me…open your eyes and look at the fields!  They are ripe for harvest.  OK, did you guys get this like Lysa said?  When we are so consumed and distracted by our weight and food, our eyes can’t be open to the harvest around us.  We are self-focused, not God-focused.  We need to be going out and spreading gospel to the world, not worrying about our body image!!!  Again, another ouch.  I’m feeling convicted, anyone else?

Can you do her “assignment” this week and love on other people instead of being distracted by food?  We’re going to exchange our constant feelings of guilt so we can be women of peace and use the energy to serve Jesus.

Book

Chapter 7– I’m Not Defined by the Numbers

We grow closer to God as we learn to look and act more and more like Him.

2 Corinthians 10:5. When we receive a comment that doesn’t belong to us, what do we do?  We need to say, “Are you true?  Are you beneficial?  Are you necessary?”  If the answer is no, then we don’t open the door of our heart.  Walk away.  I had someone comment to me the other day that they still had a “long way to go” on their weight loss mission and they were 140 pounds.  Like Lysa in this book I just had to laugh.  I could have started the negative thoughts like “does that mean I have a long way to go too?  Do I look like I’m not at my goal weight?” or I could do what I did and just shrug it off and realize that our bodies are not the same.  It felt wonderful not to be defined by someone else’s numbers. 

2 Peter 1:3 – “divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness” Do you feel you have everything you need from God in order to overcome your struggles with food?

Chapter 8 – Making Peace with the Realities of My Body

I LOVE Lysa’s honesty.  I feel so close to her!  I don’t know a woman alive who is completely happy with her body.  Lysa spoke about her “Tankles”.  I had a similar experience with my shoulders.  When I was in college and we got our sorority pictures taken I thought I looked pretty good.  One girl mentioned, “Wow Shila, your shoulders are huge, you could be a football player.”  Of course a few others jumped in and agreed and laughed and had a hooting hollering good laugh over my linebacker shoulders.  Hard for me to just push that aside.  Even today when I shop for clothes I try to make sure nothing accentuates my “linebacker shoulders.”  I, like Lysa, had a talk with God.  Why do I have such big shoulders?  It was revealed that he wanted me to be a strong woman.  I do have incredible upper body strength.  My husband, Kip, comments that he loves that I’m not his “wussy wife” and I can help him cut wood, rake, and do other yard work that some women just sit back and watch their man do.  I am starting to like my “linebacker shoulders” and the strength that comes with them and I know that they are something that my husband finds attractive about me. 

Anyone want to share your insecure area?  I bet if you ask God why he gave you those parts he’ll reveal to you why and hopefully you will come to love your body the way He created it, tankles, and big shoulders alike!

Define your week by obedience, not by a number on the scale.  I hope that if you’ve had a week where you did everything you were supposed to, ate healthy, exercised, said no to that brownie, that you too can define your week by obedience and not by the number on the scale.  That is the peace we are talking about!

We are never supposed to get the satisfaction our souls desire from our looks.  Our looks are temporary.  The only true satisfaction we can seek is the satisfaction of being obedient to the Lord. 

The body God has given me is good.  It’s not perfect nor will it ever be.  We need to thank God for making us just the way he made use.  We need to find our beautiful and like our beautiful. 

Chapter 9 – But Exercise Makes Me Want to Cry

That’s why we are headed to the gym this week ladies!  Please let me know ASAP if you can make it as I need a headcount.

I agree with Lysa, I’m not a fan of exercise.  Running is NOT my sport, the only thing I like about running is when I’m done, the feeling of accomplishment. 

As women I think we tend to put ourselves on the backburner as we nurture and care for others first.  Whether it be a husband, kids, our jobs, or an aging parent, we put their needs above us.  I know for me I used to think I was selfish if I took the time to exercise, that by putting myself first I should have been doing something for the family instead.  What I didn’t realize is that by 30 minutes of exercise it would give me more energy, make me less “cranky mama” and make me happier in the long run. Anyone else relate?  We can’t make something else a higher priority.  God cautions us to “give careful thought to our ways” and make time to “build the house” so that He may be honored.  Do we make time for things we want to make time for?  A chat with a friend on the phone, facebook, reading, a favorite TV show? (shout out to Duck Dynasty…love that show, but only after I exercise first).  A good friend told me that the only way to have good rest is if you work hard first. 

Psalm 73:26 – “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” – great scripture to memorize and repeat when you are exercising.  Do you absolutely require God’s faith to see you through each exercise session?  Do you realize the power of God taking over your complete weakness?

Our bodies were built for exercise, like the virtuous women in Proverbs 31:17, we need to work vigorously and have strong arms.  I believe it was easier in the past to exercise when people had fields to plow, gardens to tend, cows to milk.  Now we still need to work our fields.  We need to build our temple and find our exercise that works for us.  Lysa’s mom puts it well, “The best kind of exercise is the kind you’ll do”.  Find the kind you’ll do and make the time, have the self-control and make this temple that God gave you strong, for Him.  1 Corinthians 6:19 reminds us that we need to honor God with our body.   Give careful thought to our ways and determine that taking care of our temple is a top priority. 

Group Get Together – Friday, May 31^st at 7:00pm at Fitness At The Edge, 1625 Straits Turnpike, Middlebury, CT.  This is FREE!  I do need a headcount so let me know ASAP if you can make it.  Invite a friend if you want, the more the merrier.  If you feel you are behind on your Bible Study, no worries, this is a judge-free zone, just come and have fun.  If I don’t have enough people I will have to postpone or cancel.

Directions from the church – Take Waterbury Road to I-84W.  Take exit 17 toward Middlebury.  Turn right onto CT-63N, Straits Turnpike.  Follow almost a mile, “The Edge” building will be on your left.  The best way to park is to go straight to the building and take a right to the parking lot that is below on the right of the building.  Park, go to the side entrance (where you parked) and go up the stairs to the first level.  Fitness At The Edge is on your right.  Call me with any questions!

We have the whole “all ladies” gym to ourselves.  We will get a great exercise class (don’t worry, low & high impact, this is for EVERYONE!), then our instructor will teach us how to pray with Christian music as we learn some new breathing techniques (not to be confused with yoga, I promise).  Then we’ll have some time to talk about the book and what we’ve learned so far.  Come ready in work out clothes and sneakers, bring a water bottle and your Made To Crave book if you have it and be ready to have some fun!

Closing Prayer – Lord thank you for teaching us how we can make peace with the temples that you have given us.  Help us to treat ourselves right but also be thankful for what we may see as “imperfections” and realize that you made us in your sight and we are all wonderfully made.  Let us be obedient to you and use this journey to follow You, not food.  In Jesus Name.  Amen.

 

If you missed other posts find them here:

Week #2 - Determined

Week #1 - Empowered

Comment Help

Getting Ready

Introduction

Have Peace my Jesus Loving Girlfriends,

Shila