Lately, it seems every other blog post I write is about something I've cut out of my life. That's not entirely on purpose, but with every change, God shows me things I want to share with you.
A month ago I decided to cut dairy entirely out of my diet for at least a couple months. Yes, the girl who has a Pintrest board titled "For the Love of Cheese," has nixed all options for dairy. Why? Well... it's a long story that involves more questions than answers and a whole lot of doctors who say things like, "Well, maybe that's just how your body works? I don't know why... But you seem fine!" But over the holidays, something had to give -- I was so sick of my symptoms, I thought maybe dairy was the culprit. It's been four weeks and really, it's been a lot easier than I thought because 2/3 of my meals are the same every day: Eggs and bacon for breakfast, soup for lunch. But I have SO struggled to give up creamer and enjoy my coffee. I know it seems like a little thing, but somehow, that tiny thing has been the hardest.
You see, I've beenaddicted strongly in favor of coffee with creamer for more than a decade. I LOVE coffee. But cutting out dairy made me realize, actually, I love the sugar and dairy taste more than the substance of black coffee itself. Without dairy, I was suddenly drinking less coffee, too. And you know what -- I DIDN'T DIE! :) I am very much alive and loving life.
A sermon I was listening to referenced Hebrews 12:1-2 and suddenly I had a wider lens for what the author may have been getting at. It reads:
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God."
My inner theologian wants to geek out over every word in this passage, but I'll keep it simple:
Take-away #1: God has used the lives of many, many faithful saints to help us live well to the glory of God so that we, then, can become worthy examples for future generations.
You have a race to run that only you can do. Your life is not an accident and your path may be bumpy, twisted, and sometimes dark, but you are surrounded by God's protection. If you call yourself a follower of Jesus, you have brothers and sisters in Christ who want to help. We need each other -- that's why the Church exists: it's a hospital for sinners, not a museum for perfect saints. The purpose of our lives is to run our race well and point others to Jesus.
Take-away #2: It's a lot easier to run when you're lighter. I am not an expert in running or physics, but I am a self-proclaimed queen at loading up my arms with groceries in an effort to get them ALL in the house at once in these brutal Minnesota winters. It is far easier to make a beeline in -30* weather when you've only got 3 bags instead of 5 or 6, right? I have begun running a little more for my workouts and I can tell that even just by dropping 10 lbs, it's easier to run.
In the same way, it's much easier to accomplish what God has given you to do in life when you're not distracted or bogged down by other things. It's a simple concept, but hard to employ. Why?
Take-away #3: Not everything that weighs us down is inherently bad. Look again at the passage: "Let us throw off everything that hinders us AND the sin that entangles us." The and makes it two separate types of weights -- sin, which does not honor God and is likely causing harm, and basically everything else. Author and speaker Christine Caine says this Scripture is one that helps us discern between what is a "good thing or a God thing." Sin is pretty clearly defined, but sometimes the things that are hardest to put down are the not-actually-bad things, like coffee creamer. It's not inherently bad, but it also isn't helping me move forward toward the goal of being clean of dairy for the health of my body. It's good, but it's not pushing me toward greater godliness, and therefore, to some extent, it is a weight that can pull me down or set me back.
Here's where it gets tricky to discern what should stay and what should go. Life is not always straight-forward and sometimes it is really hard to see something as being morally acceptable but not good for me. Let me give you an example...
I've been around the block with the idea of online dating. I have people in my life who land at nearly all points on the spectrum of opinions about whether or not a person should pursue a relationship from an online platform. And honestly, even in the last 10 years, the conversation has shifted drastically. It has become much more socially acceptable, normal, or now even expected in some circles. But for me, it just doesn't sit well. In my own conscience, I feel weird/icky/unsettled/nope-nope-nope about using those platforms and despite several tries, I just can't shake the feeling. Do I believe they're evil or sinful? No -- not for a moment, but like anything they can be a tool for wickedness. Would I tell other people or fellow Christians to avoid them? Not largely so, but perhaps in the context of a specific conversation, I may encourage someone to think hard about their convictions before just jumping into it. (Mainly, why do you want to date? And, how do you define success in this for yourself?) This is a gray area, meaning for some it will be a helpful resource but for others it will not.
But for me personally, the last time I tried (more than 3 yrs ago), I watched myself go from being emotionally and spiritually open, ready, and flexible to what God might do with no expectation of this avenue being "the answer" to very quickly falling into basically designing a strategy for how to catch myself a husband, or at least a couple dates. And let me tell you, this girl's "Strategic" strength was in over-drive. I had plans A, B, C, and possibly D lined up and ready to hit "connect" to see if this one might be "the one." I did not like what it did to my heart in a matter of a week -- and I didn't even go on a date! If I had continued to pursue it, online dating very easily would've become a weight that kept me from the openness and trust God was already fostering in my heart.
So, for me personally, it came down to: do I want to lean into trusting God has being the provider and protector of my life OR do I want to pursue my own freedom and plans and just hope God blesses it? The choice was easy -- I don't know much, but I know enough to know that God is God and I am not and His ways are higher than my ways and if He brings someone to me, I can trust Him. But if He has kept me single, it's not a mistake and to pursue anything outside of what He has graciously given is to insult His Fatherly love. But, I recognize that God has and will continue to use this platform in the lives of other people for relationships that honor Him. It's not an either/or situation -- it's both. But for me, it's not God's best and I've tested that boundary three times. Girl's gotta know when to quit and just trust the Lord, right? For me, online dating was a weight to be cast off, but for others, it may be just the thing they need. It's not for me to judge, but it is for me to discern if this is wise for my walk with Jesus.
My relationship with dairy is becoming similar... There's nothing morally corrupt about a good cup of yogurt, but without it, my body is showing me in drastic numbers and various external improvements that my consumption was not helping my health journey. It became an unnecessary weight both metaphorically and physically.
Ultimately, this impacts my walk with Jesus, too. If there are small things I'm unwilling to give up out of convenience even though I know I'd be better off without them, I'm holding onto unnecessary weight and I'm less able to accomplish what He put me here to do. It's not always popular to deviate from what "everyone else" is doing, but Jesus' life was precisely about this. He didn't sit with the Pharisees to boost His own status, He made friends with sinners who needed saving because that was His purpose. He endured difficulty we will never be able to fathom because there was JOY in the completion of it and in honoring God. I hold fast to the hope that when I live my life with genuine conviction in the things God puts in my heart, that He will get the glory, He will be honored above it all, and my light will shine brighter than it ever could've with whatever I want to hold onto for security. Jesus is better and His joy is incomparable. When we fix our eyes on His goodness, everything else pales in comparison to the joy of knowing Him in all things.
What in your life is nice but not necessary? A good thing, but not a God thing? Nice to have, but really not necessary? If you cut that thing out of your life, how much more room/time/money/joy would you have and what would you do with it? The writer of Hebrews knew we are meant to live and run freely after Christ and I want to encourage you in that pursuit, too. It's not easy to say no, but it's far easier than running around with excess unhelpfulness in your life. Sometimes, less really is more.
Unless it's coffee. Always more coffee. But next time hold the cream -- I'll be okay. ;)
A month ago I decided to cut dairy entirely out of my diet for at least a couple months. Yes, the girl who has a Pintrest board titled "For the Love of Cheese," has nixed all options for dairy. Why? Well... it's a long story that involves more questions than answers and a whole lot of doctors who say things like, "Well, maybe that's just how your body works? I don't know why... But you seem fine!" But over the holidays, something had to give -- I was so sick of my symptoms, I thought maybe dairy was the culprit. It's been four weeks and really, it's been a lot easier than I thought because 2/3 of my meals are the same every day: Eggs and bacon for breakfast, soup for lunch. But I have SO struggled to give up creamer and enjoy my coffee. I know it seems like a little thing, but somehow, that tiny thing has been the hardest.
You see, I've been
A sermon I was listening to referenced Hebrews 12:1-2 and suddenly I had a wider lens for what the author may have been getting at. It reads:
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God."
My inner theologian wants to geek out over every word in this passage, but I'll keep it simple:
Take-away #1: God has used the lives of many, many faithful saints to help us live well to the glory of God so that we, then, can become worthy examples for future generations.
You have a race to run that only you can do. Your life is not an accident and your path may be bumpy, twisted, and sometimes dark, but you are surrounded by God's protection. If you call yourself a follower of Jesus, you have brothers and sisters in Christ who want to help. We need each other -- that's why the Church exists: it's a hospital for sinners, not a museum for perfect saints. The purpose of our lives is to run our race well and point others to Jesus.
Take-away #2: It's a lot easier to run when you're lighter. I am not an expert in running or physics, but I am a self-proclaimed queen at loading up my arms with groceries in an effort to get them ALL in the house at once in these brutal Minnesota winters. It is far easier to make a beeline in -30* weather when you've only got 3 bags instead of 5 or 6, right? I have begun running a little more for my workouts and I can tell that even just by dropping 10 lbs, it's easier to run.
In the same way, it's much easier to accomplish what God has given you to do in life when you're not distracted or bogged down by other things. It's a simple concept, but hard to employ. Why?
Take-away #3: Not everything that weighs us down is inherently bad. Look again at the passage: "Let us throw off everything that hinders us AND the sin that entangles us." The and makes it two separate types of weights -- sin, which does not honor God and is likely causing harm, and basically everything else. Author and speaker Christine Caine says this Scripture is one that helps us discern between what is a "good thing or a God thing." Sin is pretty clearly defined, but sometimes the things that are hardest to put down are the not-actually-bad things, like coffee creamer. It's not inherently bad, but it also isn't helping me move forward toward the goal of being clean of dairy for the health of my body. It's good, but it's not pushing me toward greater godliness, and therefore, to some extent, it is a weight that can pull me down or set me back.
Here's where it gets tricky to discern what should stay and what should go. Life is not always straight-forward and sometimes it is really hard to see something as being morally acceptable but not good for me. Let me give you an example...
I've been around the block with the idea of online dating. I have people in my life who land at nearly all points on the spectrum of opinions about whether or not a person should pursue a relationship from an online platform. And honestly, even in the last 10 years, the conversation has shifted drastically. It has become much more socially acceptable, normal, or now even expected in some circles. But for me, it just doesn't sit well. In my own conscience, I feel weird/icky/unsettled/nope-nope-nope about using those platforms and despite several tries, I just can't shake the feeling. Do I believe they're evil or sinful? No -- not for a moment, but like anything they can be a tool for wickedness. Would I tell other people or fellow Christians to avoid them? Not largely so, but perhaps in the context of a specific conversation, I may encourage someone to think hard about their convictions before just jumping into it. (Mainly, why do you want to date? And, how do you define success in this for yourself?) This is a gray area, meaning for some it will be a helpful resource but for others it will not.
But for me personally, the last time I tried (more than 3 yrs ago), I watched myself go from being emotionally and spiritually open, ready, and flexible to what God might do with no expectation of this avenue being "the answer" to very quickly falling into basically designing a strategy for how to catch myself a husband, or at least a couple dates. And let me tell you, this girl's "Strategic" strength was in over-drive. I had plans A, B, C, and possibly D lined up and ready to hit "connect" to see if this one might be "the one." I did not like what it did to my heart in a matter of a week -- and I didn't even go on a date! If I had continued to pursue it, online dating very easily would've become a weight that kept me from the openness and trust God was already fostering in my heart.
So, for me personally, it came down to: do I want to lean into trusting God has being the provider and protector of my life OR do I want to pursue my own freedom and plans and just hope God blesses it? The choice was easy -- I don't know much, but I know enough to know that God is God and I am not and His ways are higher than my ways and if He brings someone to me, I can trust Him. But if He has kept me single, it's not a mistake and to pursue anything outside of what He has graciously given is to insult His Fatherly love. But, I recognize that God has and will continue to use this platform in the lives of other people for relationships that honor Him. It's not an either/or situation -- it's both. But for me, it's not God's best and I've tested that boundary three times. Girl's gotta know when to quit and just trust the Lord, right? For me, online dating was a weight to be cast off, but for others, it may be just the thing they need. It's not for me to judge, but it is for me to discern if this is wise for my walk with Jesus.
My relationship with dairy is becoming similar... There's nothing morally corrupt about a good cup of yogurt, but without it, my body is showing me in drastic numbers and various external improvements that my consumption was not helping my health journey. It became an unnecessary weight both metaphorically and physically.
Ultimately, this impacts my walk with Jesus, too. If there are small things I'm unwilling to give up out of convenience even though I know I'd be better off without them, I'm holding onto unnecessary weight and I'm less able to accomplish what He put me here to do. It's not always popular to deviate from what "everyone else" is doing, but Jesus' life was precisely about this. He didn't sit with the Pharisees to boost His own status, He made friends with sinners who needed saving because that was His purpose. He endured difficulty we will never be able to fathom because there was JOY in the completion of it and in honoring God. I hold fast to the hope that when I live my life with genuine conviction in the things God puts in my heart, that He will get the glory, He will be honored above it all, and my light will shine brighter than it ever could've with whatever I want to hold onto for security. Jesus is better and His joy is incomparable. When we fix our eyes on His goodness, everything else pales in comparison to the joy of knowing Him in all things.
What in your life is nice but not necessary? A good thing, but not a God thing? Nice to have, but really not necessary? If you cut that thing out of your life, how much more room/time/money/joy would you have and what would you do with it? The writer of Hebrews knew we are meant to live and run freely after Christ and I want to encourage you in that pursuit, too. It's not easy to say no, but it's far easier than running around with excess unhelpfulness in your life. Sometimes, less really is more.
Unless it's coffee. Always more coffee. But next time hold the cream -- I'll be okay. ;)
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