"As a young wife and mother, I yearned to have a blissful home life and perfect marriage. I tried - I really did. But time and again, the storms of my own selfishness threatened to blow my house down! Looking back on those stormy times, I'm glad that I was forced to face my own powerlessness over me. For it was this very revelation that let me know my need of God....Many of us spend valuable time and energy trying to deny that the problem is us. We delude ourselves into thinking that if we had a different job or mate or parents, things would be okay. That if we had a different figure or body type or metabolic rate, we would at last be happy. Real growth begins when we are willing to see that all these circumstances are only externals. Real healing begins when we can at least see ourselves as the problem and the love of God as the answer. Until we come to this crisis of faith, we are only dealing with symptoms."
"Compulsive overeating is often a form of rebellion. We like to think that the rules do not apply to us, that we can operate outside the facts and realities of calories, metabolism, and weight gain. When we rebel against controlled eating in any form, we are actually rebelling against rules and authorities, against other people, against ourselves, and against God."
"So many times, I realize that my struggle with overeating is really a control issue. Where eating is concerned, I want to say, "Nobody's gonna tell me what to do!" But healing can only start when I let go of the reins and stop battling for ultimate authority in my life. Nobody really loves feeling out of control, but I have learned that agreeing with my powerlessness brings freedom from compulsive behavior. Why? Because it lines me up with the truth of who I am - a created being designed to walk in perfect harmony with my Creator. Perfect harmony means he calls the shots and I get a good night's sleep. He leads the way, and I learn how to follow. That's the truth, and it really does bring freedom."
"And here is the beauty of the Lord's interior makeover. When we surrender to him, when we open our doors for him to come in and remodel who we are, we become totally new creations - "the old is passed away". The emotional distortions in our lives which caused us to overeat in the first place begin to be healed. The old compulsions begin to be tamed. And the tranquil inner beauty he gives us within begins to affect and transform our outer selves as well."
God, thank you for allowing this devotional book to cross my path. I hope that these small excerpts will be an encouragement to those who read our blog and provide insight into your character and how you can change our lives from the inside out.
