Flying Free

I don’t even really know where to start putting my thoughts into words... I think this is going to be a long post as I sort out my ramblings!

My first thought that I really want to share is how thankful I am for all the wonderful friends I’ve met online. I know I’ve said thank you before, but you are really truly such an inspiration and blessing and encouragement to me. You are a gift from God!

My second thought is that I feel like I’m entering a new stage/phase! I think I could liken what I’m feeling to a baby being connected to it’s mother with the umbilical cord in the womb and once it is ready to come out into the world the cord is severed and the baby moves on, growing up, dependant yet also independent of mom.

I feel like the past six months have been a time of growing and learning as I’ve followed TW principles. I’ve been extremely focussed, calling out to God for help through this entire time and seeking to surrender all to Him, daily reading my TW book (on my fourth time through it!), faithfully tracking my eating and hunger #’s, working through the Thin Again book and questions and also posting on this blog. It’s been intense and yet SOOOOO worth it! A wonderful foundation has been laid. God has really been at work in my heart and changing me into a new creation. Praise Him!

I have been feeling a little challenged over the past while to re-consider what I post to my food log. Finally, yesterday, when Paula posted that she was simply going to log her hunger #’s it was like the nudge I needed. It is time to cut loose this practice I’ve been faithfully doing. Last night at supper felt so strange as I knew I wasn’t going to “tell” anyone what I ate for supper! Not sure how describe it! It was almost like I had this weird mix of “oooh, I can eat whatever I want!” mixed with the good choice of sticking with what I’ve been doing for the past number of months following 0-5 conscious eating and healthy choices. I just was really struck by how I could be so impacted by such a simple change. I can see how it became legalistic (and almost like a diet law) for me…yet at the same time I know that is what I needed for a time and wouldn't change it!

As I near the end of the TW book once again I think it will be time to move onto new reading material as well. I was thinking of doing the TW workbook next for my devotional material, but am re-thinking this as I want to be sensitive to God’s leading of which material He desires me to study and grow with. Maybe the TW material won’t need to be so much the focus, now that the foundation has been laid and I certainly feel like it is becoming more natural to live within 0-5. I want my relationship with God to grow and blossom more and more, which is really what TW is about at the very core of it! I really loved “Living beyond yourself: exploring the fruits of the spirit” by Beth Moore, as I studied this in the fall/early spring. I am doing another Beth Moore study on David, but still preferred the fruits of the spirit study. My point is that I am looking forward to finding something to really chew on and help me grow! Ideas anyone?

Summer is fast approaching which will come with many challenges. One of the challenges will be that I will not have the same kind of online support available as we travel for much of the summer. The other big challenge that I have experienced in the past is change in routines—lots of s’mores and bannock around the campfire, snacking in the vehicle for long drives, and then all the “tourist” eating that comes with travels. I will need to come up with a plan of action for how to deal with these temptations (will post on that at another time). I know this summer will be a time of testing this foundation, if there are any holes in it, observing and correcting and growing, and leaning FIRST AND FOREMOST on God for my support and help. It will be an interesting challenge I’m sure!

I feel like this year God has been guiding me to focus on my relationship with Him and on my heart. In the process many of the ministries that I have been actively part of in the past have been put on hold. Well, I guess it has been a mixture of both kids being in school for the first time as well, which really was an adjustment in itself. Anyways, this year has been a time of great reflection and growth for me...maybe a bit of a sabbatical! I sense that God is preparing me for something new and awesome:-) Don't know what yet! But am looking forward to it! This summer our family is heading down to Mexico to visit/serve at an orphanage for two weeks... I really feel that God is going to use that time to further reveal His vision and purpose for my life. I really desire to be His instrument.

So, am I ready to fly free? I don’t know, but I feel I’m being nudged out of that nest, being encouraged by God to move forward into this next stage with confidence and trust in Him.

"But those who hope in the LORD

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint."

Isaiah 40:31