182 days without...

Hello Blogger,

It has been a while since I have blogged. To be exact, it has been almost a year. I have been reading "The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment" and I have decided to take a journey in self-denial. I am cautious to make this declaration, as my life is filled with broken promises and dreams deferred. I am one to say that I am going to do something and then give up at the first sign of trouble or temptation. So, I have decided that I am going to take this one day at a time and use this blog as an opportunity to chronicle this season in my life, one filled with the pursuit of discipline and contentment. I have been a vegetarian for some time now but wish to embark upon a vegan diet for spiritual purposes. My main objective is not weight loss. My objective is for my god to not be my belly and to learn not to always give in to the lusts of the flesh. At this point in my life I have become self-centered; I have allowed my wants and lusts to rule my life and take precedence over God, my finances, and my dear husband... not to mention myself. Here are the "rules" that will govern the next 182 days:

1. Consume a vegan diet that is devoid of dairy, processed foods (any food that is in a box or bag) or processed sugar. I will limit my consumption of grains and nuts to once daily.

2. I will not consume foods that I did not prepare in my own kitchen. There will be no eating out. This is non-negotiable.

3. I will consume, as far as liquids are concerned, water or herbal teas.

4. There will be no alcohol consumption.

5. There will be no eating between meals.

6. There will be no weighing or measuring of my body.

7. I will read at least one scripture a day and meditate on it.

8. I will finish all 182 days without...

If you happen to find this blog and want to follow... great. However, I am mostly using this place as a way for me to document this journey, so that I might one day look back on it. I am going to learn how to just feel what I feel and not drown my feeling in foods.

His

Day Eight...

Eight days...that is exactly the amount of time that I have been fasting and praying. It has been a tough eight day. Mostly, I have wanted to run for the fridge and give up. If it were up to me, I would have quit by now, but I am not alone. These last couple of days I have been constantly reminded that "I can do all things through Christ." It is not "I" who can complete this fast;I can only do it through him. Although this is a small truth for some, for me it is one that I often forget. So often I try to do thing by my own might. I think: "I can do this." But to the contrary! I can do nothing, absolutely nothing without him. I have a while to go, for my goal is to spend forty days fasting. This will be the longest juice fast I have ever done. I know God is able. I know that he will give me the strength as I sit at his feet. I want him to speak. I want to hear from him. Thank you Father for everything that you have brought to my attention. Less of me and more of you is what I need.

His.

The art of getting my priorities straight.

My grandmother always said:"The Lord works in mysterious ways." Well Mema, you are right. I was led to blogging as a means to vent about my weight loss struggles. It was fun getting to know others and having new companionship, but after a while I just started to feel that I was focusing way too much on myself. I am starting to think that maybe the reason I was led to blogging was to use it as a means to share my Christian journey. So here I am. I canceled my weight loss blog in pursuit of God. I want to be closer to him; I won't allow that to come second to my vanity. There is a time for everything. Right now, I think he should be my priority. He, and He alone. I want to pour out my life for him. Who knows what he will do through me.

His.