Challenge #5 ~ Relax

Eat when my body and mind are RELAXED.

Take a quiet moment to invite the Lord of the wind and waves into your meal. The
one who said, "Peace, be still" is eager for you to enjoy freedom from anxiety at your mealtimes. God wants to free you from worry and to infuse your life with peace. "Do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you sahll drink....Is not life more than food, and the body more important than clothing?...Seek first His kingdom, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you." (Matthew 6:25, 33, NASB) TW pg9

This can be hard to do when facing the many demands of young kids at mealtimes! Cut up their food into bite size pieces, make sure they are sitting properly, make sure they are eating a variety of foods on their plate (and dealing with the many complaints that often come out of kids' mouths in regards to the food in front of them), oops the milk spilled etc. etc. I remember the earlier years were particularily demanding in this regard! I still struggle with relaxing when my 7 year old complains about her food...which happens on a fairly regular basis. I have had to very consciously tell myself to relax and pray at those meals in particular!

I also get distracted from allowing my body and mind to relax when I am in social situations. It takes real effort to make sure I am "present time eating" and allow myself to actually acknowledge what my body is feeling and what my mind is thinking. I certainly experience more victory when I become more aware of my body and mind as it usually leads me to be more intentional and prayerful.

And lastly, another thing that distracts me from this conscious eating key, is when I'm on the run. It's hard to actually relax the mind and body when needing to eat something quickly! For me one way that I've personally experienced victory in situations like this is eating something small, which doesn't take long to eat. Like a piece of fruit or a yogurt. It doesn't take long to eat these food items so I try to relax enough to enjoy them.

The times that I notice myself most consistently following through with this key is for my breakfast and lunch meals. I usually get to eat them on my own, as the kids are off at school, and I savour these times. They often become times where my heart cries out in prayer to the Lord. I LOVE the way Melanie described our mealtimes as an "Appointment with God." Definitely a worthwhile read!

So, here is a quick recap of the Thin Within keys to conscious eating that I've been zoning in on so far....

#1. Eat at "0"
#2. Stopping at "5" (bumped this key#8 up to #2 for now)
#3. Reduce distractions
#4. Sit!
#5. Relax

Anyone else been giving these a try? I'd love to hear your thoughts!