Self-esteem, self-confidence, self-assured...These are all buzz words that we use to 'try' (key word) to encourage ourselves. But what happens when those are the same words that get in our way? What do we do when the image we have of our 'self' is not enough? There are times, in the middle of believing in our 'self'' that we begin to let 'reality' set in. (We call it reality - because we've been trained to, but its really vain imaginations). When that reality sets in and we remember that we are not qualified, that we are still fat, that we are still unemployed, that we still don't have enough money, that we are still sick, that we are (you fill in the blank)...what is your 'self-esteem' doing when you are dealing with all those thoughts?
Its sitting right there - taunting you. Calling you a fake, a phony, a charlatan. What do you do then? Well, what should be done, should have been done EARLIER. All that 'self' business should have been couched properly. (I said couched - but coached could work here too). See - we can't expect the faith in our 'self' to accomplish what faith in 'God' can accomplish unless it is 'couched/coached' properly! (I just realized I use a lot of exclamation points - I get excited so easily!!!! - in case you didn't realize it, that was a little ADHD for ya:) Anyway - we put our faith in the wrong basket. We have to put our FAITH in GOD.
Some of you may be asking - well, I'm supposed to have high self-esteem aren't I? YES but of course you except NOT BY YOUR 'SELF'. The scriptures say, 'I can do all things.....' RIGHT? WRONG!!! It says, 'I can do all things - THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME!' We take it out of context because we have been taught to 'believe in yourself' (how many songs written on this) and 'if you don't believe in yourself - who will' (how many books are written on this) and my favorite 'you can do anything you put your mind to' (ala 'Little engine that could'). All of this is only PARTIALLY true. The critical component is CHRIST/GOD.
When we 'try' to do it without Him we FAIL and we SIN! Dag...a two-fer for your face! How do we fail? Well, we usually quit - we say things like, 'I guess I really can't do a., b., c., I'd be happier if I just accepted that as a fact.' or we have pity parties, and invite the whole world so they can make us feel better, 'Oh...its ok - you tried. You gave it your best. (look at all those 'you's' and note them). We fail when we do it in our own might and our own strength.
So you say...ok, ok, I guess I get that...but how did I SIN? You SINned because YOU put YOU before and/or in the place of GOD! What? Huh? No I didn't! Yeah - you did. You said, 'I got this', I can do this' I, I, I, I, me, me, me and when things were rolling along well you were taking all the credit for it. That is SIN. We have to get in our positions, behind God. (Thou shall have no other gods before me. Italic emphasis mine).
Do it today. Dream your dream. Its a great day for it. Work your Faith. Faith with out works is dead. PLACE your faith. Faith in GOD not man (ourselves included). For with God NOTHING shall be impossible! (exclamation point MINE for emphasis!!! I told ya'll I was excited!!!) - Luke 1:37
I'm heading to the gym - what are YOU doing?
Monday, January 21, 2013
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
One Step at a Time is Enough for Me
One Step at a Time is Enough for Me
Step-by-step, i have the power to change all that is not working in my life. With each step I take, I am on the pathway to the best of who I am. Somettimes I go a bit off-course, but I always find my way back again. Peace comes from realizing that all that needs to be done will be done. I just start from the place where I am right now and take it one step at a time. In so doing, I pull myself out of the rut of inaction. I trust the wisdom within my being to show me what needs to be done. And I will do it...one step at a time. I take a deep breath and relax. Yes...
ONE STEP AT A TIME IS ENOUGH FOR ME.
ONE STEP AT A TIME IS ENOUGH FOR ME.
ONE STEP AT A TIME IS ENOUGH FOR ME.
ONE STEP AT A TIME IS ENOUGH FOR ME.
ONE STEP AT A TIME IS ENOUGH FOR ME.
ONE STEP AT A TIME IS ENOUGH FOR ME.
ONE STEP AT A TIME IS ENOUGH FOR ME.
(Copyright (c) 2006 Susan Jeffers, Ph.D.)
How many times have you resolved to start bettering yourself only to get discouraged by your PAST results? Why do we allow ourselves to do that? We have to LOOK AHEAD! Well, then when we look ahead, things look so far away, they don't look attainable. We are looking too far. Take ONE STEP toward your goal. Just one. And right after you take that first step...take ONE STEP more. All of the goals look unattainable when we try to take it all in at once.
If you showed up in kindergarten and the teacher put on the board the entire syllabus you would need to graduate from college we would have either stood there in total shock and awe (or our parents would have for us) and then quit believing that there would be no way we could complete all of that in our ability (or our own finite perception of our abilities). But they started you out playing, scribbling with a crayon, making shapes, chanting numbers that made no sense to you and spelling words you didn't know the meaning of and one day...it made sense!
New Year Challenge!!
1. Form a local team of like minded individuals with common goals (no more than 5 people but at least 3). 2. Choose a start date (I suggest within the next 48hrs) and weigh in
3. Choose a commitment (I suggest $5/week)
4. Choose a end date (I suggest no more than 2 weeks).
5. COLLECT THE MONEY AND GET STARTED!
Compete and encourage one another at the same time. To lose the most pounds or inches or both. At the end of the prescribed time period whomever has made the most progress takes the pot.
Rinse and repeat:)
You don't have to look like a size 5 when you are done. You don't have to fit into those skinny jeans. You just have to be one step closer to the healthier you that you deserve to be!
Send us your achievements and your success stories. We want to see how you conquered the world ONE STEP AT A TIME and WON!!
Romans 8:37-39
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
For information on Back to Eden - A Christian Approach to Weight Loss email me directly at thatchl@yahoo.com or call 704-493-2035. I look forward to supporting you. Remember, its really NOT about the weight.
Meanwhile...keep walking on water.
Step-by-step, i have the power to change all that is not working in my life. With each step I take, I am on the pathway to the best of who I am. Somettimes I go a bit off-course, but I always find my way back again. Peace comes from realizing that all that needs to be done will be done. I just start from the place where I am right now and take it one step at a time. In so doing, I pull myself out of the rut of inaction. I trust the wisdom within my being to show me what needs to be done. And I will do it...one step at a time. I take a deep breath and relax. Yes...
ONE STEP AT A TIME IS ENOUGH FOR ME.
ONE STEP AT A TIME IS ENOUGH FOR ME.
ONE STEP AT A TIME IS ENOUGH FOR ME.
ONE STEP AT A TIME IS ENOUGH FOR ME.
ONE STEP AT A TIME IS ENOUGH FOR ME.
ONE STEP AT A TIME IS ENOUGH FOR ME.
ONE STEP AT A TIME IS ENOUGH FOR ME.
(Copyright (c) 2006 Susan Jeffers, Ph.D.)
How many times have you resolved to start bettering yourself only to get discouraged by your PAST results? Why do we allow ourselves to do that? We have to LOOK AHEAD! Well, then when we look ahead, things look so far away, they don't look attainable. We are looking too far. Take ONE STEP toward your goal. Just one. And right after you take that first step...take ONE STEP more. All of the goals look unattainable when we try to take it all in at once.
If you showed up in kindergarten and the teacher put on the board the entire syllabus you would need to graduate from college we would have either stood there in total shock and awe (or our parents would have for us) and then quit believing that there would be no way we could complete all of that in our ability (or our own finite perception of our abilities). But they started you out playing, scribbling with a crayon, making shapes, chanting numbers that made no sense to you and spelling words you didn't know the meaning of and one day...it made sense!
New Year Challenge!!
1. Form a local team of like minded individuals with common goals (no more than 5 people but at least 3). 2. Choose a start date (I suggest within the next 48hrs) and weigh in
3. Choose a commitment (I suggest $5/week)
4. Choose a end date (I suggest no more than 2 weeks).
5. COLLECT THE MONEY AND GET STARTED!
Compete and encourage one another at the same time. To lose the most pounds or inches or both. At the end of the prescribed time period whomever has made the most progress takes the pot.
Rinse and repeat:)
You don't have to look like a size 5 when you are done. You don't have to fit into those skinny jeans. You just have to be one step closer to the healthier you that you deserve to be!
Send us your achievements and your success stories. We want to see how you conquered the world ONE STEP AT A TIME and WON!!
Romans 8:37-39
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
For information on Back to Eden - A Christian Approach to Weight Loss email me directly at thatchl@yahoo.com or call 704-493-2035. I look forward to supporting you. Remember, its really NOT about the weight.
Meanwhile...keep walking on water.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Exposed - Part II
Exposed Part II
Meanwhile...Keep walking on water!
Rev. Lisa Thatch - A Caring Professional
704-493-2035
Ladies, join us for prayer on the ladies prayer line - Mon-Fri at 6am and Saturday at 8am712-432-0232 passcode 813766#
Back to Eden - A Christian Approach to Weight Loss
Call for a consultation!! $50. Facebook friends: $35 Facebook: Lisa Indyatalks ThatchYoutube: http://youtube.com/indyatalksTwitter: http://twitter.com.indyatalksBlog: http://indyatalks.blogspot.com
This is a new stage. Things are going 'well' but you still can't be happy, you still refuse to 'relax'. Looking over your shoulder at yourself thinking, I could be happy here....but it won't last. Or hmmm, this is too good to be true, so it must not be. Or even, who am I kidding, I've never been able to (fill in your own blank here) for long, so I'm only setting myself up for a bigger let down if I get used to this.
Every change, every 'success' is also going to reveal a crack. A crack in the facade, the facade or image you are creating for yourself. Especially if we are only doing 'surface' work. Remember the roads they re-did in front of my house? I would have had them simply slap some 'new' asphalt on top of the old and make it pretty and smooth looking and be done with it. But now we realize, had they done that, it might have been completed more quickly, it may have looked good, it may have even lasted...for a little while, but eventually the breaches below, the weaknesses and imperfections that were left unattended to would cause the new, smooth, pretty upper layer to crack.
The new year has brought with it a tremendous amount of pressure to 'get fit', 'lose weight', 'get healthy'. The one that is the closest to where our focus ought to be is 'get healthy' but not just 'physically fit' that's only the surface. It takes a larger commitment to get fully fit. To delve into understanding (and repairing) all that lies under the surface. Then and only then can we be 'whole'.
James 1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.Rev. Lisa Thatch - A Caring Professional
704-493-2035
Ladies, join us for prayer on the ladies prayer line - Mon-Fri at 6am and Saturday at 8am712-432-0232 passcode 813766#
Back to Eden - A Christian Approach to Weight Loss
Call for a consultation!! $50. Facebook friends: $35 Facebook: Lisa Indyatalks ThatchYoutube: http://youtube.com/indyatalksTwitter: http://twitter.com.indyatalksBlog: http://indyatalks.blogspot.com
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Exposed - Part I
Exposed - Part I
The pressure reveals the cracks
God doesn't expect perfection from us He wants us to desire perfection (in Him) and then He GIVES it to us. (Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness shall be filled. Matthew 5:6)
Hiding comes in so many forms. Some hiding is so second nature that we are hard pressed to even recognize it for what it is. How can hiding be in plain sight? All the laughter and pleasantries worn like a mask. Fear looming deep inside that she may really be found out. Or even the hidden parts that we didn't even realize were there? The things we either thought were already overcome or never even realized the were an issue? Hiding.
Our roads were recently redone in front of our house. Before they put on the new layer of asphalt the crews went about tearing up spots up and down the road restoring and refilling them. We didnt understand why they were doing this patchwork repair. We actually thought that was all they were going to do, patchwork. That they were either too cheap or too lazy to just 'do the job right' which in our eyes was to either tear up the whole thing or just put a new layer of asphalt on top.
How similar is this to the way I think of myself. Either I'm totally not worth saving (working for, committing to, believing in) and I want to just give up. Or I want to put on a coverup and bury the imperfections deep beneath the surface. But here is where the aha moment comes...the reason they could not just put the new layer of asphalt on top of the old without first addressing the 'trouble spots' was because if they did that the pressure of the top layer would cause the under layer to crack.
It's ok to stay right there for a moment, I did. We'll talk again later. Love you guys.
Special honor and thanks to the angel of the Lord Rev. Love me like:) you know who you are. Thank you for just being you! You remind me to keep searching, to never give up, to believe in my success more than my failure, to not just throw out the baby (myself) with the bathwater. Double blessings on you, your ministry and your good success.
Meanwhile...Keep walking on water!
Rev. Lisa Thatch - A Caring Professional
704-493-2035
Ladies, join us for prayer on the ladies prayer line - Mon-Fri at 6am and Saturday at 8am712-432-0232 passcode 813766#
Back to Eden - A Christian Approach to Weight Loss
Call for a consultation!! $50. Facebook friends: $35 Facebook: Lisa Indyatalks ThatchYoutube: http://youtube.com/indyatalksTwitter: http://twitter.com.indyatalksBlog: http://indyatalks.blogspot.com
Please reply 'unsubscribe' to be removed from the distribution list or 'modify' to request to have the notes sent to a different mailbox. These communications are meant to encourage, uplift and empower, not to infringe upon anyone's personal beliefs. Thank you.
The pressure reveals the cracks
God doesn't expect perfection from us He wants us to desire perfection (in Him) and then He GIVES it to us. (Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness shall be filled. Matthew 5:6)
Hiding comes in so many forms. Some hiding is so second nature that we are hard pressed to even recognize it for what it is. How can hiding be in plain sight? All the laughter and pleasantries worn like a mask. Fear looming deep inside that she may really be found out. Or even the hidden parts that we didn't even realize were there? The things we either thought were already overcome or never even realized the were an issue? Hiding.
Our roads were recently redone in front of our house. Before they put on the new layer of asphalt the crews went about tearing up spots up and down the road restoring and refilling them. We didnt understand why they were doing this patchwork repair. We actually thought that was all they were going to do, patchwork. That they were either too cheap or too lazy to just 'do the job right' which in our eyes was to either tear up the whole thing or just put a new layer of asphalt on top.
How similar is this to the way I think of myself. Either I'm totally not worth saving (working for, committing to, believing in) and I want to just give up. Or I want to put on a coverup and bury the imperfections deep beneath the surface. But here is where the aha moment comes...the reason they could not just put the new layer of asphalt on top of the old without first addressing the 'trouble spots' was because if they did that the pressure of the top layer would cause the under layer to crack.
It's ok to stay right there for a moment, I did. We'll talk again later. Love you guys.
Special honor and thanks to the angel of the Lord Rev. Love me like:) you know who you are. Thank you for just being you! You remind me to keep searching, to never give up, to believe in my success more than my failure, to not just throw out the baby (myself) with the bathwater. Double blessings on you, your ministry and your good success.
Meanwhile...Keep walking on water!
Rev. Lisa Thatch - A Caring Professional
704-493-2035
Ladies, join us for prayer on the ladies prayer line - Mon-Fri at 6am and Saturday at 8am712-432-0232 passcode 813766#
Back to Eden - A Christian Approach to Weight Loss
Call for a consultation!! $50. Facebook friends: $35 Facebook: Lisa Indyatalks ThatchYoutube: http://youtube.com/indyatalksTwitter: http://twitter.com.indyatalksBlog: http://indyatalks.blogspot.com
Please reply 'unsubscribe' to be removed from the distribution list or 'modify' to request to have the notes sent to a different mailbox. These communications are meant to encourage, uplift and empower, not to infringe upon anyone's personal beliefs. Thank you.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
1995 and the best day of our life
It was a brisk day in February. We had only been in Charlotte for short time, yet our lives had already changed so much. I had left the drugs behind on the road from NYC. The bible belt had intervened in our lives so much so that my head was spinning. Married. Whew...sooner than I thought I'd be but that was of no concern to our land lord who insisted on the marriage license before turning over any keys to us. A different world we came to. People waved as we drove by. Spoke when we were in line. Just so different from the Bronx that I left. Different, but good. I had always felt out of place back home. I loved it, don't get me wrong. But I've been a friendly and familiar person all my life.
Never met a stranger. Today would be no different. Or so I thought. Driving around the corner, on one of our weekly weekend explorations, we saw a beautiful, smiling, chubby teenager, sitting on her porch, smiling and waving like we were just who she was waiting for. We pulled over and asked her for directions to the closest Payless:) my new husband and I smiled as we got our first taste of 'Charlotte directions' not a single street name or number in the whole dissertation. She amusingly described navigating the streets with a combination of house colors, mr. So and so will be on his porch, cross over the railroad tracks, go past the corner store, etc. believe it or not, WE FOUND IT- LOL.
Finding our way back home was made simpler by all the colorful directions she had given us. And it was made even more special as we pulled up,close to home and she was right there waiting to see our purchases. With her mothers permission, she came home with us, to examine all our wares and keep us entertained and amused with her playful way and joyful attitude. She was a breath of fresh air in our lives.
It became a daily occurrence that our lovely girl would make an appearance. Ours became a second home to her. I wonder if she knew how much we looked forward to her visits. She was my joy. I thank God for allowing us to have her in our lives. I smile when I think of her laughing and silliness. When she was learning to cook. Even when she fearfully announced that she was pregnant. I wonder if she thought we could love her less if she wasn't perfect. We loved her no less. Never will. Never could. She's filled our lives with ups and downs, sadness and joy, but the sadness is but a pale shadow in comparison to the joys she's given us. She became the perfect big sister to him, though we worried she might feel displaced. She loved him and doted on him like a proud little momma. She became a young woman, with children of her own, each one of them giving us the gift of see one or more of her qualities. They keep us in stitches, watching them grow, learn, succeed, fail, fall, get up, and overcome. She is my gift from God. My first daughter.
I didn't want to wait for a birthday or daughters day or any day because tomorrow is not promised. I just want to say today, that I love you. Period.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Victory!!
Defeated. Loser. Failure. Coward. Useless. Quitter. Ineffective. Hopeless. Worthless.
You probably started reading those words and wanted to look away. Or you may have started shaking your head in the affirmative, yeah, that's me. You may be staring now at them and feeling overwhelmed by the heaviness and weight of them saying, I don't need this negativity in my life right now. But then if you take a moment to be honest with yourself you may admit that this is the mantra that you are allowing to play in your mind. It is the sole tune on the playlist of your inner dialogue and you wonder why you are still exactly where you are or even worse further back than where you started.
"Sticks and stones", they said. "These are just words", you try to say to yourself using that weak watered down rhetoric to overcome the inner oppression that makes you feel like you are wearing a lead vest that you can't win for losing. That you never had a chance. That the odds where stacked against you. That you lost before you ever began. That you would have been better off if you had not even been born. That even if you did have a chance to be successful it's too late now. That you missed your chance.
I usually don't allow myself to spend this much time stating the negative, seeping and sinking into the pit of self pity and wallowing there even in my writings. But this time is different. God wanted me to make sure that some one on the brink of doom, in despair, on the verge of giving up, someone like me...as a matter of fact, God wanted to be sure that those of us who HAVE given up get this.
The race is not given to the strong or to the swift but to them that endure to the end.
Where we are right now, it's only the end if we allow it to be.
You probably started reading those words and wanted to look away. Or you may have started shaking your head in the affirmative, yeah, that's me. You may be staring now at them and feeling overwhelmed by the heaviness and weight of them saying, I don't need this negativity in my life right now. But then if you take a moment to be honest with yourself you may admit that this is the mantra that you are allowing to play in your mind. It is the sole tune on the playlist of your inner dialogue and you wonder why you are still exactly where you are or even worse further back than where you started.
"Sticks and stones", they said. "These are just words", you try to say to yourself using that weak watered down rhetoric to overcome the inner oppression that makes you feel like you are wearing a lead vest that you can't win for losing. That you never had a chance. That the odds where stacked against you. That you lost before you ever began. That you would have been better off if you had not even been born. That even if you did have a chance to be successful it's too late now. That you missed your chance.
I usually don't allow myself to spend this much time stating the negative, seeping and sinking into the pit of self pity and wallowing there even in my writings. But this time is different. God wanted me to make sure that some one on the brink of doom, in despair, on the verge of giving up, someone like me...as a matter of fact, God wanted to be sure that those of us who HAVE given up get this.
The race is not given to the strong or to the swift but to them that endure to the end.
Where we are right now, it's only the end if we allow it to be.
I refused
to write. I refused to write because I no longer had faith in myself to lead through my
writings. Interestingly, that is both where the devil wanted me to be and where
God NEEDED me to be. Although I 'know' (head knowledge) that I am
nothing apart from God, I also 'know' (experiential knowledge) that I
'feel' (uh oh watch out) more effective when I am SEEING the
manifestation. So when the plateaus came and
the situations came and the obstacles came and the pounds came then my
'feelings' failed. You see I was walking by sight and not by faith.
(Whew, this has become one of the chapters of the book that I have not written, in my disobedience, in my lack of faith - I'll need to spend some time addressing that later with myself & God).
(Whew, this has become one of the chapters of the book that I have not written, in my disobedience, in my lack of faith - I'll need to spend some time addressing that later with myself & God).
Nevertheless, the enemy would have won had I not
come across this little, tiny, powerful piece of scripture: "Yet where I
am weak there am I made strong." (you can shout right here, because I am.
Don't worry, I'll wait........)
Hallelujah! In this failure, God is unlocking His invaluable lessons. First, don't do it without me. Secondly, don't do it without me. And thirdly, since you can't do it without me....don't do it without me. Amen. The other lesson is one that I almost always miss. That is, stop listening to what others say about you (even yourself-LISA!) Replace that self chatter with what God says about you.
Hallelujah! In this failure, God is unlocking His invaluable lessons. First, don't do it without me. Secondly, don't do it without me. And thirdly, since you can't do it without me....don't do it without me. Amen. The other lesson is one that I almost always miss. That is, stop listening to what others say about you (even yourself-LISA!) Replace that self chatter with what God says about you.
It really is who you really are even if YOU don't believe it. The
enemy is trying to convince you otherwise and he's so desperate to do so
because HE knows that as soon as you get it...he is defeated!
The mighty man of valor, Gideon was cowering on the threshing floor when God called him 'Mighty man of Valor'! Mighty man of valor was who he was! Period point blank end of story. Mighty man of Valor. If he had never lived up to becoming a Mighty man of Valor that would still be who he is, a Mighty man of Valor, because God is not a man that he should lie. And when he got it (that he was indeed a Mighty man of Valor)....HE BECAME IT! (in case you don't know what 'it' is - A MIGHTY MAN OF VALOR!!)
Be who God says you are. Tell yourself a hundred times a day until you believe it. A THOUSAND TIMES A DAY. Faith comes by hearing and HEARING by the word of God. Just do it. Start over again TODAY. I was going to say. "I dare you" but I believe I'll say, "I IMPLORE YOU"!
Eden citizens, those that are already in this subscription, just send me an email with your body type and I will send you a copy of your plan and profile and we will start again today. With God all things are possible. Even if you never got a plan before - you can have it free today because that's what God is instructing me in my spirit. I need you as much as you think you need me. Together we win.
I know for a fact (now) that God did not bless this ministry of health and healing and weight loss because of 'me' fortunately He did it in spite of me. Pray for my strength in the Lord as I do likewise.
The mighty man of valor, Gideon was cowering on the threshing floor when God called him 'Mighty man of Valor'! Mighty man of valor was who he was! Period point blank end of story. Mighty man of Valor. If he had never lived up to becoming a Mighty man of Valor that would still be who he is, a Mighty man of Valor, because God is not a man that he should lie. And when he got it (that he was indeed a Mighty man of Valor)....HE BECAME IT! (in case you don't know what 'it' is - A MIGHTY MAN OF VALOR!!)
Be who God says you are. Tell yourself a hundred times a day until you believe it. A THOUSAND TIMES A DAY. Faith comes by hearing and HEARING by the word of God. Just do it. Start over again TODAY. I was going to say. "I dare you" but I believe I'll say, "I IMPLORE YOU"!
Eden citizens, those that are already in this subscription, just send me an email with your body type and I will send you a copy of your plan and profile and we will start again today. With God all things are possible. Even if you never got a plan before - you can have it free today because that's what God is instructing me in my spirit. I need you as much as you think you need me. Together we win.
I know for a fact (now) that God did not bless this ministry of health and healing and weight loss because of 'me' fortunately He did it in spite of me. Pray for my strength in the Lord as I do likewise.
Meanwhile...Keep walking on water!
Rev. Lisa Thatch - A Caring Professional
704-493-2035
thatchl@yahoo.com
Call or text
Ladies, join us for prayer on the ladies prayer line - Mon-Fri at 6am and Saturday at 8am
712-432-0232 passcode 813766#
Back to Eden - A Christian Approach to Weight Loss
Call for a consultation!! $50. Facebook friends: $35 - TODAY FREE (08/30/12)
Call for a consultation!! $50. Facebook friends: $35 - TODAY FREE (08/30/12)
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Green Eyes
Proverbs 27:4
New International Version (NIV)
4 Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming,
but who can stand before jealousy?
You are probably wondering what 'jealousy' has to do with weight. So am I, but I can't seem to get away from the thought. So, I'm exploring it right here with you and hopefully, by the time I finish writing, we'll all have some idea as to what it has to do with weight.
What is 'jealousy'? Webster defines it as " Jealous - Resentment against a rival, a person enjoying success or advantage, etc., or against another persons success or advantage itself."
Not one of those 'feelings' defines how I feel. or does it? I always prided myself on not being one of those 'silly women' who can't stand to see another woman succeed or achieve her hearts desire. I am encouraged by the success of my sisters. Whatever their 'accomplishment', in my heart I feel pride for them. I'm glad for them. In my mind, I know that what God has for me is for me. So the fact that they have it first or in abundance or even in addition to me only affirms my faith.
So what do I do with this 'emotion' God? How do I keep it from turning me into something or someone that I am not or at least someone that I don't want to be? Jealous. That's not who I am. But...it is how I feel. Wow...I said it. I FEEL JEALOUS. O M G!! I said it again!!! I FEEL JEALOUS!! umm...no lightening bolts? no...hell fire? Wait a minute? I said, I 'feel' jealous. and its true. It is how I feel. Its not who I am. I am not consumed by it (except when I am trying to ignore my feelings). Its just how I 'feel'. Actually, I just realized I said, 'I feel jealous' and not 'I AM jealous'. Because truthfully, logically, I am not a 'jealous' person. But where are the 'feelings' coming from?
Seems to me, now that I am allowing myself permission to 'feel jealous' I can actually address the 'why'. Hmmm...still thinking. (yeah, K, I know, I'm talking to myself - out loud - in writing - um...so? you got a problem with that?) Anyway, why do I feel jealous? Do I want what someone else has? Do I feel displaced by what someone else is doing? Am I tired of not having what I want? Probably a little of all of those things. But what keeps me from falling? or What will keep me from being consumed by jealousy? (BTW - I feel the tension leaving my shoulders even as I write, so I think I'm on to something). If I think back (fortunately - way back) I'd probably alienate the person I was jealous of, probably make them my enemy. Allow them to be the target of my anger, my venom. But that's not me anymore. So instead, I still have the anger, the venom but what do I do with it? I turn it inward. I allow myself to seethe because I cannot respond the way that I feel I want to. So in essence I punish myself. The tension creeps into my back, my stress levels accelerate. I become short and erratic all AT MYSELF.
then...I have to apologize.....to Me.
And how do I do that?.....................WITH FOOD! (wow..ok, ok, I'm listening)
So, what am I supposed to do with these feelings, these emotions? I don't want to give them to God. I am ashamed of them. I don't even want to talk any one about them, let alone God. I am ashamed. (loooooooonnnnnnnngggggg pause here). I AM ASHAMED. But I haven't even done anything. I'm just feeling jealous. I haven't done anything to anyone. I haven't said anything to anyone or treated anyone in the wrong way. I just felt. So why am I ashamed?
Because I hurt. I did HURT someone - me.
I'm trying so hard not to do or say or be a certain thing that I am allowing myself to do those exact things to 'me'. I didn't even acknowledge 'me' when I was let down, sad, overlooked, intentionally or unintentionally shorted. All I did was focus on making sure I didn't hurt anyone else. I treated 'Me' so badly that 'Me' began to rebel. 'Me' is tired of being overlooked in the care department. 'Me' is going to get some attention one way or the other. So I try to apologize to 'Me'. What can I do for 'Me'. 'I' placate 'Me' with food. But that's not what 'WE' need. We need acknowledgement. We need to respect ALL 'OUR' FEELINGS. I don't have to 'act' on them. But I do have to give myself permission to 'feel' them.
What does this have to do with weight loss? You decide. But I certainly feel much lighter now.
but who can stand before jealousy?
You are probably wondering what 'jealousy' has to do with weight. So am I, but I can't seem to get away from the thought. So, I'm exploring it right here with you and hopefully, by the time I finish writing, we'll all have some idea as to what it has to do with weight.What is 'jealousy'? Webster defines it as " Jealous - Resentment against a rival, a person enjoying success or advantage, etc., or against another persons success or advantage itself."
Not one of those 'feelings' defines how I feel. or does it? I always prided myself on not being one of those 'silly women' who can't stand to see another woman succeed or achieve her hearts desire. I am encouraged by the success of my sisters. Whatever their 'accomplishment', in my heart I feel pride for them. I'm glad for them. In my mind, I know that what God has for me is for me. So the fact that they have it first or in abundance or even in addition to me only affirms my faith.
Or does it? Don't put yourself in my shoes if this is not you...but somewhere...in the back of me or deep inside of me...I'm tired. I'm frustrated with being the 'cheering squad' or the 'bigger person'. I want to be the one. But I also know what God is creating with me and for me is a process (that doesn't make it easier - remember, I'm walking through this thought with you, right now, so I may change my own mind at any point. Please bear with me.)
So what do I do with this 'emotion' God? How do I keep it from turning me into something or someone that I am not or at least someone that I don't want to be? Jealous. That's not who I am. But...it is how I feel. Wow...I said it. I FEEL JEALOUS. O M G!! I said it again!!! I FEEL JEALOUS!! umm...no lightening bolts? no...hell fire? Wait a minute? I said, I 'feel' jealous. and its true. It is how I feel. Its not who I am. I am not consumed by it (except when I am trying to ignore my feelings). Its just how I 'feel'. Actually, I just realized I said, 'I feel jealous' and not 'I AM jealous'. Because truthfully, logically, I am not a 'jealous' person. But where are the 'feelings' coming from?
Seems to me, now that I am allowing myself permission to 'feel jealous' I can actually address the 'why'. Hmmm...still thinking. (yeah, K, I know, I'm talking to myself - out loud - in writing - um...so? you got a problem with that?) Anyway, why do I feel jealous? Do I want what someone else has? Do I feel displaced by what someone else is doing? Am I tired of not having what I want? Probably a little of all of those things. But what keeps me from falling? or What will keep me from being consumed by jealousy? (BTW - I feel the tension leaving my shoulders even as I write, so I think I'm on to something). If I think back (fortunately - way back) I'd probably alienate the person I was jealous of, probably make them my enemy. Allow them to be the target of my anger, my venom. But that's not me anymore. So instead, I still have the anger, the venom but what do I do with it? I turn it inward. I allow myself to seethe because I cannot respond the way that I feel I want to. So in essence I punish myself. The tension creeps into my back, my stress levels accelerate. I become short and erratic all AT MYSELF.
then...I have to apologize.....to Me.
And how do I do that?.....................WITH FOOD! (wow..ok, ok, I'm listening)
So, what am I supposed to do with these feelings, these emotions? I don't want to give them to God. I am ashamed of them. I don't even want to talk any one about them, let alone God. I am ashamed. (loooooooonnnnnnnngggggg pause here). I AM ASHAMED. But I haven't even done anything. I'm just feeling jealous. I haven't done anything to anyone. I haven't said anything to anyone or treated anyone in the wrong way. I just felt. So why am I ashamed?
Because I hurt. I did HURT someone - me.
I'm trying so hard not to do or say or be a certain thing that I am allowing myself to do those exact things to 'me'. I didn't even acknowledge 'me' when I was let down, sad, overlooked, intentionally or unintentionally shorted. All I did was focus on making sure I didn't hurt anyone else. I treated 'Me' so badly that 'Me' began to rebel. 'Me' is tired of being overlooked in the care department. 'Me' is going to get some attention one way or the other. So I try to apologize to 'Me'. What can I do for 'Me'. 'I' placate 'Me' with food. But that's not what 'WE' need. We need acknowledgement. We need to respect ALL 'OUR' FEELINGS. I don't have to 'act' on them. But I do have to give myself permission to 'feel' them.
What does this have to do with weight loss? You decide. But I certainly feel much lighter now.
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