Babysteps

I believe that the best way to embark on any journey, especially the one of changing your eating habits is through babysteps. 

Paul, in his first letter to the church at Corinth said, “I have fed you with milk and not with meat because you were not able to bear it (I Cor. 3:2).”  God knows that as baby Christians we need milk (the first and plainest truths of the gospel) and when we are mature we can progress to meat (deeper spiritual insights) just the same as newborn babies drink milk first and then progress to solids.  The term “leap of faith” is a misnomer.  I believe that God does not lead people to “leap”, but to take “steps” of faith. 

I think this can apply to anything in life.  When you are wanting to make a change in your life it is best to do it in babysteps.  When you make major changes it is too easy to slip back into your old way of life.  When you take babysteps, habits begin to form and it’s not as easy to slip back to the old way of doing things.  Of course, if you have an addiction it needs to be cut off cold turkey, but I’m talking about changing habits.  Also, if you have major health issues, some major changes may be in order. 

Health is a buzz word today.  Everyone is aware of healthy eating and most everyone, if asked, would say they make healthy food choices.  But I say we all have room for improvement, myself included.  No matter what place you are at with your eating habits, if you are taking steps, I say, “Good for you!”  If you have just taken the first step and cut one unhealthy thing out of your diet, you are to be commended.  The danger comes when you feel you don’t need change.  I think that we can all be moving forward and learn new things no matter what place in life we are at.  I recently learned that distilled water is very acidic and it upsets your body’s acid/alkaline balance (more on that later) so I have quit drinking distilled water.  I strive to live a lifestyle of learning and there is something to be learned in every experience, mistake or observance in life.

Another important thing to remember is not to look around you and gauge your success on others.  Never look around and condemn yourself because you aren’t meeting the standard of someone else and don’t judge others for not attaining the level that you have achieved.  We must not compare ourselves or assume that we are the standard to judge others by.  II Cor. 10:12 says, “…comparing themselves among themselves are not wise.”  Barnes commentary says that the people of the church at Corinth were making themselves the standard to judge others by and that this is stupid and foolish, this is an indication of pride.  Peter and James both tell us that God resists the proud (I Peter 5:5 & James 4:6) and Solomon tells us in Proverbs 16:18 that “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”  We must do all things in love, as Paul says in I Cor 13:2 “and though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”  We must always walk in love.  Please know that as I post new topics here, I bring them up out of love.  I do not presume to be better than anyone, nor do I ever feel that I have “arrived”. 

I like what Marla Cilley (the Flylady) says about removing clutter from your home.  It’s like peeling layers of an onion.  Every time you go through that closet you find new things to get rid of.  I think it’s the same with changing eating habits.  Every so often we cut out another unhealthy thing, peeling back the layers.  So no matter what place you are at in life you can change habits by babysteps.  Change one thing, make it a habit and then move on to another thing.  Someday you will look back and say, “I can’t believe I used to eat (fill in the blank)”.  Don’t go through your cupboards and start throwing all your food out and exclusively shopping at Wild Oats.  You will quickly fall off the wagon, but find one thing and take a step. 

I encourage you to take a step and I encourage you to never stop looking inward to see what may need changing.

Intro

As the Bible says in Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”  This tells me that your friends should be sharpening you.  I want to be a friend that sharpens others.

I would like to use this blog to pass along information that I have learned, perhaps that information will sharpen you.  Do with it what you will, I am hoping it spurs you to do further research.  I’m not saying I’m right on these topics, I’ll just present them and let you draw your own conclusions.  Sometimes I will present stories of my own experience or passages from great books I’ve read.

I am kind of a health nut, so this blog’s theme will be health.  Not just healthy eating.  I believe that God made us spirits and gave us souls and gave us bodies to live in.  And I believe we should be concerned about the health of our whole being, not just the spirit and neglecting the body or vice versa.

The term health nut is stereotypical.  I also have a taste for the gourmet, so while pursuing healthy food I also want that food to taste good.  You won’t find me eating lowfat vegetarian lasagna or bran muffins.  I will include some recipes on this blog, so stay tuned. 

I have a motto – “If God created it, it is healthy; if man has adulterated it, it is not healthy”.  I will expound on this more later.

I welcome your comments and questions on these posts.