7 Days Later... Is it Working?!

So. It has been one week since I began my FODMap adventure. It has gone SO much better than I originally thought it would!!!! Granted, there have been hard days. But no tears yet so that is good! It amazes me how addicted our bodies get to certain foods. (I am a bread addict and I will admit that with no shame) But, I simply cannot have them anymore. This version of "healthy" eating has been so much easier than anything I have ever tried before! Other times when watching calories I would tell myself things such as "No, you cannot have that brownie because it is not a good choice." Now all I tell myself is "You can have the brownie if you really want it, but it is going to make you feel terrible for the rest of the day and has gluten and way too much sugar in it. Your choice- to be sick, or not to be sick. That is the question." And I can convince myself not to have it! 

I have found some yummy things I can eat- I eat TONS of meat. Tons. I don't know how I would survive on this food plan as a vegetarian. I really like gluten free bread, and crackers and what not and have found some lactose and sugar free things that I enjoy. There are definitely still foods I miss, but I can honestly say that I struggle hardcore to meet my minimum amount of calories for the day so that is kind of a blessing. And I feel SO much better!!!! I can make it through the day without naps or falling asleep and I wake up in the morning feeling awake and alive. I am SO thankful. I'm still get stomach aches occasionally and feel sick, but I think that is only because my body hasn't totally gotten rid of all the toxic bacteria yet :P

Tonight I had my first real "struggle" My mom brought home Little Caesers Pizza Bread for Miranda and Micah. That part? I could care less. She also brought home breadsticks. Those, are hands down one of my favorite things on planet earth! I literally about cried. How do these not make your mouth melt?! 


But, I didn't give in. I sat down and ate my Greek salad, but I cannot lie there was some moping involved. 

There are a lot of complicated things I cannot eat. I cannot have certain type of sugars, as well as other things like garlic, onions, honey and other random things that companies put into foods that you don't think to look for until you can't have them. It is frustrating at times. And sometimes I do just want to eat "normally" again for the first time in close to two years. But at the same time- I get to eat! I am not being hospitalized, I am not dying, I get to enjoy yummy foods still! So while it is my human nature to complain, I am truly thankful for the wonders of the FODMap Eating Plan!

This plan has helped with my faith a lot too. I just finished reading Made to Crave by Lysa Terkurst and it gave me a whole new perspective of food and faith. I have found myself praying about my day more and asking God to show me what I should and should not eat. It has been fantastic. It also has given me a new perspective on how to be thankful for simple things such as food. God is pretty creative in the ways He will answer your prayers.

So. I am sure at this point you are thinking "Wow. How can someone ramble on about food for so long?!" (I hope thats not really what you are thinking. If you are, well, sorry!) But here is my random thought of the day for you.Be thankful for the foods that you have even if you don't like them very much. Next time you want to complain about something set before you, remember that God gave you this gift of nourishment to provide energy and fuel for your body. And, my other random, selfish thought of the day? Will someone please go enjoy a HUGE piece of chocolate cake for me?! Thanks ;)

He will use every piece of my story!

I was thinking through a piece of Louie Giglio's last talk at Passion as I watched it this afternoon. Louie was talking about how we get SO wrapped up in our scars- emotional and physical. We are so embarrassed and ashamed of our past pain that we do whatever we can to pretend it never existed and it never happend. But guess what? It is part of our story, and God is the master writer. He doesn't make mistakes.

Louie later talked about how our scars from our past are our biggest witness and testimony to other people. Our story, our emotions and how our wounds became scars is what shows them Jesus. Not our fancy words or elaborate church services. It is when we are real that people get to see who Christ truly is.

Jesus had wounds on his hands and his feet from dying on the cross. But he never tried to hide them from people. He would openly show people and was like "Yah. I was dead. But now I am alive!" It's the same for us. We are dead in sin, in pain, in suffering. We have no hope until Jesus rescues us. Only Abba's love can heal our wounds and turn them into beautiful scars. It is part of our story, and will help bring others to his healing love.

So here is my random thought of the day for you: Praise God we don't have to hide scars. I know the pain of wounds from the past, feeling like they will never heal. But I also know this- once they do become scars, it is a beautiful thing to be able to help someone else because of your scar. Don't be afraid to let God to use every part of your story; the good, bad, ugly and the hidden. He wants to heal you so that you can help others. Let Him begin to heal your heart tonight. You won't regret it.

I Need Heart Surgery

Last night, my family was sitting watching one of our favorite TV shows The Biggest Loser. Part of the show involves the contestants meeting with a doctor to see how bad their health is. One of the contestants was talking to the doctor about why he won't take time to exercise. The doctor said something along these lines to him: "Lets pretend you have cancer. Would you take the 2 hours a day or whatever amount it is to go get chemo? You would do whatever it takes to save your life, correct?" Of course the contestant says he would do anything to save his life. The doctor then says to him "Your weight is killing you. You are fighting a disease that is just as serious and just as deadly as cancer, and yet you are doing nothing about it. Why?" I just sat there and was like "Woah. I have never thought about it like that before."

I connected this idea to not only my physical life, but also my spiritual life. I am fighting a daily "disease" of sin, fear, temptation and tons more. And yet I am not "exercising" regularly  I find excuses to not read my Bible, or to pray or to go to church. And yet, these things are vital to my spiritual health. Meanwhile, my heart is filled with puss and crud and fat and needs to be cleaned out. I need heart surgery. I need to let Jesus in to clear me out and begin again. If I don't, I don't know how much longer my heart can keep up before it gives out.

So here is my random thought of the day for you- Are you getting your spiritual exercise? Or are you still sitting on the sidelines watching life pass you by as your heart becomes more and more clogged with the things of this world? Let Jesus perform heart surgery on you. Let him clean you out so you can begin again. It will be a painful journey- heart surgery requires healing time. But it will be SO worth it and give you a life you never knew you could experience.

The Beginnings of the FOD Map "Adventure"

So, as many of you know I have been sick for about a year/year and a half. Everytime I ate I would be miserable. Curled up in a ball, sometimes in tears because my food just made me so sick. Well, we finally got some answers a few weeks ago. My doctor finally concluded that I had a type of infection that they could clear up with antibiotics  Then, I would "simply" start this new food plan to keep the infection from recurring. Sounds simple. I wish it was.

I spent around 2 hours at two different stores today simply trying to find a few things that I am allowed to eat. It was unbelievably hard. Finally by the end I just got frustrated and left. I was thinking on the way home "God, this just isn't fair. How come I cannot just eat food like everyone else?!" And then I realized, I have been praying for a solution for over a year. That the doctors would figure out what to do to ease my pain and discomfort. And yet here I am complaining about the answers and solutions God has given me. It got my priorities straight. God provided an answer for me and for that I am thankful.

By the way, in case you were wondering, lactose free milk still tastes pretty good. I am pretty excited by the fact that I can still drink milk!

So, I get back to being positive about my new eating plan, and our church comes over for a prayer meeting. There is delicious food EVERYWHERE! Cinnamon rolls, chocolate chip cookies, popcorn, brownies, all delicious stuff I cannot eat. And I got real whiny real fast. I wanted that food really bad. The pic on the left is what was actually in my kitchen  On the right is what my mind saw in it's place. Luckily I didn't fall for either of them. 

So here is my random thought of the day for you. God will answer everyone of your prayers. It may not be in the ways you want it too, but he will love you and help you in whatever ways you need him too. Keep trusting Him!!

I will keep you updated as we navigate this new adventure! :) 

2013- God can do immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine!

2013. Today is the first time I have fully realized that it is a new year. Usually I take time on my blog and kind of reminisce on all the things God has done in my life over the past year. But this year, 2012 ended differently. I was on the road on New Years Eve and did not have a chance to sit down and write about how I felt the year ended. But because of that, I started the first day of the 2013 in Atlanta, GA. And I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else. God got a hold of my life in ways that I did not ever expect Him to. It was incredible. Beyond incredible. Only words that can be used to describe it is the fact that it was God oriented and inspired. But I am not going to give you a rundown of Passion on the blog today. I need some more time to process everything I experienced and learned before that happens. Today, I am going to look ahead at 2013 and share 13 of my goals with all of you in hopes that you will help to keep me accountable to these things. 

1. I pray that Christ would come first in every area of my life, whether it be school, home, church or simply in the world. 

2. I am going to devote prayer and devotion time into my daily life no matter how much struggle I face. 

3. I am going to take my school work seriously and devote myself to the job God has given me. 

4. I am going to do my best to reflect God's love to everyone around me, so that when they look at me they see Him.

5. I am going to learn to love the people around me even if it is a challenge, and see them as people and not only view their faults and struggles. 

6. I am going to try to no longer gossip or talk about people behind their backs. 

7. I am going to take much needed time for myself everyday

8. I am going to joyfully enjoy the days God has given me and find a blessing in every day. 

9. I am going to find more ways to give back to my community 

10. I will write more often, and pray more often for my Compassion kids 

11. I will become more involved with a church community this year; whether it be my home church or somewhere new. 

12. I will strive to fulfill God's purpose for my life and lay down my wants and desires to let Him have complete control of my life. 

13. I will commit to moving forward- allowing myself to heal from past regrets and mistakes, and letting God in to the areas of my life I have not let him into before. 

This is my random thought of the day for you- Some of these things may seem impossible. But if there is one thing that I learned at Passion it is this- We believe in the God who does immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine. I am asking God to change my life this year and to give me a passion for Him in ways that I cannot even imagine or being to know how to ask for, and I believe that He will give me this desire of my heart. This is my prayer for you as well. That God will change your life in more ways than you can even ask or imagine.