“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” Romans 5: 3-5 Today I am going to re-ignite my passion for learning about food. Since I love Dr. Caroline Leaf, I will be using her book, Think and Eat Yourself Smart, to gain knowledge. At the very basic level, I need to change my mindset about food, health, healing and nutrition. Dr. Leaf nails it when she says “this book is not a feel-good-quick-fix-magic-solution-pop-a-pill-latest-food-fad-I-have-the-only-solution diet.” Her goal is to create a lifestyle that blends food into an integrative spirit, soul and body framework. She states that this book will not give me the solution to weight loss, but will teach me how to be my own solution, with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit. I love her way of thinking because it matches my philosophy as a parent, counselor and life coach. There are so many theories and techniques offered in the realm of parenting and self-help. I’ve actually been in conversations where people who have no children want to teach parents how to parent! While theories are helpful and can be used to strategize positive outcomes, it’s not until you are in the midst of the situation that you truly know what will work and not work. I’m finding this quite often when working with parents of children diagnosed with ADHD. Many are looking for the “quick fix”. My child is failing, can you fix them? My child won’t listen to me, can you fix them? Like Dr. Leaf states, there is no “feel-good-quick-fix-magic-solution-pop-a-pill-only-solution” to parenting or self-help. Unfortunately, this is what the Modern American Mental Health System is based on…get ‘em in and get ‘em out! When a person is suicidal, they get 3 days of treatment, at best. Usually the treatment entails antipsychotic medication, regardless of what age you are, and a referral for counseling. Most insurance plans cover a minimum amount of sessions. It amazes me how we have minimized and de-humanized mental health in America. God has given us a choice: life or death, blessings or curses (Deut 30:19). Through the power of the Holy Spirit, He has given us LOVE, POWER and a SOUND MIND (2 Tim. 1:7). I believe that God wants the best for us. Because we live in a broken world, we will experience hardship, even when we have done nothing wrong. We will experience suffering, frustration, anger, betrayal, resentment. We will experience addiction, broken relationships, sickness and atypical personalities. I suppose when something is broken, our natural tendency is to fix it. When your car is not working properly, you take it to the mechanic and have them fix it. When the computer is not running properly, you take it to the computer tech to fix it. When we break a leg, we go to the orthopedic surgeon to fix it. Modern society would have us believe that when our brain is not operating correctly, we take it to the psychiatrist or neurologist to fix it. The unfortunate reality is that modern society does not teach us that we have a mind that can change our brain. When our brain changes, as a result of our mindset, we can actually heal our body. When we endure the hardship, by setting our minds on things above (Colossians 3:2), we persevere. As we hold onto hope, remain patient in the trial, and pray constantly, we build our character (Romans 12:12) and our hearts become more open to God’s Word and direction for our lives. In conclusion, I am settling into the fact that it will take time for me lose this weight. While I need to learn about food and change my dietary habits, I also need to stay in tune with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I need to remain patient and not let feelings of frustration and doubt overpower. I need to maintain the MPA (that I talked about in yesterday’s blog) and continue to focus my mind on changing my brain and body.
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