I’ve spent the better part of my life mucking up my body. The first several decades were spent living hard, eating and drinking whatever brought the most pleasure, and slovenly behaviors. Now that I’ve reaped the benefits of that lifestyle…well…let’s just say I’ve got a lot of remodeling to do on this temple that I’ve invited God to live in during the second half of my life!
The good news is: Even though I made a mess of things in my past, I understand the concept of redemption because of everything the Lord has done inside of me…He has made ALL things new! He took the emotional, addicted, insecure, self-centered mess that I once was and He helped me begin to understand that I had value and worth and that I was loved and precious in His sight. Regardless of what I did before and who remembers me from that time, I am a completely and totally new creature inside and, what the Lord calls clean, let no man call unclean. I am redeemed.
For the One who has done this—and so much more— for me, there is nothing that I wouldn’t do for Him. THAT is what this new organic, healthy lifestyle has to be…for Him. It’s not about pounds or clothing size or making friends and winning influence. No. For me, it’s about developing an outward witness of the inward change He made in me.
When I first heard about organic living, I really had no clue what it meant. But upon researching, this is what I found: “Organic – 1. denoting a relation between elements of something such that they fit together harmoniously as necessary parts of a whole. 2. …produced or involving production without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or other artificial agents.”
Wow. This IS my life in Christ! I’ve been organic for several years now and I just didn’t know it! 🙂
God knit together my innermost being before He ever placed me in my mother’s womb. He harmoniously fit together the necessary parts of what He knew would one day be my whole. From the dust of the earth I came forth and, through time, I decided to try to “help” myself grow in a way that was unnatural. I added chemicals (drugs and alcohol) and artificial agents (other people and things that I thought would fulfill the emptiness inside me), but it was all just poison that was slowly killing me. But I was organically made to live naturally in Christ and somewhere deep down, I knew it. So, once I made the decision to let Christ reign, Holy Spirit drew me close and removed all those toxic things in my life. Now, I’m just a vine who is drawing from The Branch to bear good fruit as I allow God to prune me when I need it and fill me with living water so that I may never thirst again!
As a side note, I hesitated to even write this post for fear that people would now know what I’m doing and, therefore, hold me accountable. But I’m doing it anyway, hoping it does just that. I know there are some who will sneer at me when I ask what kind of oil is being used to prepare my food, and I’ll get an eye-roll when I opt for herbs instead of headache medicine. But it’s okay. I’m doing what I know is the right thing for me. It may not be something God is calling you to do right now, but for me and my house, this is where God is leading us. We aren’t food-snobs or trying to be hipster. We’re trying to honor the Lord with our bodies the way we have been shown to do so.
That same fear of rejection is the one that wants to show up in our walks with Christ. Some people are afraid to even pursue Christ, let alone stand-up and admit that they’re in love with Him or fight for what He says is the right way to live. Maybe they’re afraid of ridicule or stereotypes or perhaps even persecution, but if we don’t stand up to these pressures and make a strong stand for Him, He won’t be able to stand for us when we approach the Father’s throne. How will we ever live the empowered life that God designed for us if we’re afraid to admit it and allow others to hold us accountable? We must determine who God made us to be and then walk boldly and confidently in the protection of His covering…not in a cocky, prideful way, but in a way that glorifies the Father and brings His lost sheep back into the fold.
Look, I know I will have good, successful, awesome days where I’m drinking my protein shakes, working out, and doing everything by the book. I’ll also have great days in my walk with Christ where I’m spending time with God, praying, and reading everything in HIS Book. But I am also realistic enough to know there will be some days that I’m less than vigilant and I give in to the temptation for the warm, fluffy, white biscuits of refined death! But thank God that He looks upon our hearts and He knows our intentions—even when we fail. For in our human weaknesses, He is our strength. He will help us get right back up, dust ourselves off, and get back in the game. All we need to do is keep our eyes and hearts focused on Him, receptive to His leading and obedient to His call.
Any time you make a major lifestyle change—whether it’s coming to Christ for the first time or learning how to eat all over again—it can be challenging. But I just encourage you to just keep pushing forward. It really will be worth it all in the long run. And if you see me eating a biscuit, please slap it, ever so gently, out of my hand. 🙂
220 Gal 