I am on a journey. Not one that has a specific ending point. This journey is actually a new way of thinking. A new focus. It began when I started reading a book called Made to Crave, by Lisa TerKeurst. On page 44, she says, "this journey is so much more than that (losing weight). It really is about learning to tell myself no and learning to make wiser choices daily. And somehow becoming a woman of self-discipline honors God and helps me live the godly characteristic of self-control."
For me, this journey is about "denying myself and taking up my cross daily and following Him." (Luke 9:23). For some people, their battle/pursuit for fulfillment is shopping, alcohol, work, their kids, etc...As I have been reading the book and studying Scripture, it has occurred to me that every story in the Bible seems to be centered around people trying to fill their lives with anything and everything possible, except God. Psalm 107:9 reminds us "He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things." I am overwhelmed and saddened when I think that we are all on an unending quest to fill our lives with things that can not satisfy. No matter how full we feel for the moment, we always find ourselves empty again. And so the cycle goes.
I began this journey about a month ago. I have seen results, and not just the physical ones (which are encouraging), but also the spiritual ones. TerKeurst talks about our spiritual malnutrition. She says, "Growing closer to God has a whole lot less to do with any action we might take and a whole lot more to do with a positioning our hearts toward His....a position in which we can put ourselves with empty hands and eager hearts....willing to deny ourselves."
The journey continues, moment by moment. But with God's help, as I pursue self-control, I move closer to Him and can rely on and receive that power He offers to us.
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