When Food Became Bae

I started this blog originally to give updates about the mission trip I went on this past year (sometimes I can’t believe I actually did that) and I realized that I really enjoy writing these posts! So these ones I write now might be about cool things that I have seen and experienced or things that have just been on my mind, sprinkled with some spiritual truth. Hopefully if you take the time to read this, you will be encouraged to hear that you are not the only person dealing with certain issues. We all got them!

So when I left for my trip, I thought I was going to come back a total babe. You can laugh but think about it: the Caribbean has generated some gorgeous and well-toned people. Plus, I knew I was not going to be eating fast food all the time so I thought that this trip would be doing my body a favor. Like the coconut water would be the source of the fountain of youth. I knew I would be spending lots of time outside but I knew I would not magically come back with beautiful caramel skin. I’m not that stupid!

I realized this was not going to be the case after one of the first nights we ate dinner at our house in Haiti. My 2 roommates, our translator, and I were fed more spaghetti than my family of 7 would probably eat in one sitting. And because of the culture, we knew it had to be gone. I remember the 3 of us just laying on our bed after dinner fully aware that if we sneezed or coughed, spaghetti was going to come out of every pore in our body. And that’s how we ate for the following months. Sometimes it was spaghetti, other times it was rice and beans, potatoes, or just plain boiled plantains. (Now when I try to eat this stuff, my body really struggles with it. Probably because I maxed out on the amount of starch I can consume in my lifetime.)

When I returned home, I could tell I was a little thicker but I was shocked when I stepped on a scale and saw how much more. It honestly freaked me out! And it didn’t make it any better that I began to deal with my emotions by eating all of this comfort food I somehow convinced myself I had been deprived of. It wasn’t until we were reading this book in Bible study called “gods at war” by Kyle Idleman (totally recommend it!) and he brought up how food can be a god that I realized the place I was in. It was kind of humiliating to admit that. I knew that I needed to run to God when things got hard and not Steak n Shake. Don’t be confused: having the complete opposite problem is just as dangerous too! God gave us food with all of these delicious flavors for us to enjoy and to enjoy with other people. So don’t go crazy with eating 12 Big Macs and don’t deny yourself the pleasure of a couple cookies sometimes. And have dinner with your family and friends every once in a while. You gotta eat anyway so you might as well be laughing while you do it!

After I realized what was going on, I decided to do a one day fast and pray that God would remind me to put the struggle of transitioning back into America and the worries of what lies ahead on Him. So naturally I dreamed about doughnuts the night before… But even just that one day was enough for me to realize that I needed God more than I needed those doughnuts. And no matter how much I weigh or how few of my clothes fit right, He still loves every part of me. I hope you understand how precious you are to Him. And how He sees more than the color of your skin or the shape of your face. He sees the beauty of your heart. He sees the talents and gift He gave to you. And He wants you to be confident in who you are in Him so you can share that wonderful smile of yours with the people in your life who need it.

PS. This weekend is the DNOW weekend for our church for the middle and high school students. So please pray that God would use this weekend to remind them of how much He loves them and that they will be pumped to finish up this school year with Him right next to them!

And never forget: God loves you. I love you. Go live a life without fear. 

Uh-Oh, it's Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day. February 14^th. Either the most romantic or the loneliest day of the year. Either you will be spending it going to a nice dinner and being all snuggly with your significant other. Or you will be eating your weight in ice cream watching every episode of Grey’s Anatomy on Netflix. Whichever way you spend Valentine’s Day, you have to admit it’s a weird holiday. It’s amazing how one random day in February can make us feel so strongly about life and love.

I will admit that Valentine’s Day and couples in general freak me out. Walking into Walmart and being blinded by all the hot pink hearts everywhere is an overwhelming experience. I’m totally in favor of a holiday that results in tons of half price candy the day after! That’s the single girls dream! I also don’t understand (and this may be the super single part of me) how being in a relationship can totally change people. I mean one minute you are a normal human being, going through this daily struggle of life, and the next thing you know, you start to smell colors and singing with butterflies because all the love you feel is just spilling out of you. Just between you and me: you seem like a crazy person! How can another person totally transform your outlook about life?! I don’t get it!

So although this blog will have truth for everyone, this one is really gunna speak to all my fellow single and ready to mingle friends: if you let your lack of a Valentine totally affect the way you see yourself, you are as cracked out as all of these weridos in love with each other! You are strong and precious and wonderfully designed and LOVED! And if you don’t believe me, you should look at that handy dandy Bible of yours because it says it all right there. God knit you in your mother’s womb and you are wonderfully made with a purpose. The Creator of the Universe (that’s right, the whole universe) loves you! He sent His Son to die for you which in my perspective is the most amazing Valentine’s Day gift the world has ever received. Just because you can’t snag a date, doesn’t mean something is wrong with you. It just means the right person hasn’t showed up yet.

So whether you have your very own cuddle buddy this Valentine’s Day or you are just rocking it by yourself, try loving like Jesus this Valentine’s Day. Look for someone that you work with that needs your love and surprise them with coffee or take them to lunch. If you have that one coworker that drives you crazy all the time, look for a way to compliment them. Write a letter to a relative that you know has been going through a hard time. Whatever you decide to do, instead of being sad that you are not the recipient of any special love this Valentine’s, look for ways to be love to someone else. (And then go and buy all that half price goodness on the 15^th) ;)