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Wednesday, June 27, 2012

{life} struggle, health, and hope

I have begun yet another journey. I've struggled my entire life with a lot of the same problems that seem to keep coming back again and again. The past few weeks these issues have snuck in and turned my world upside-down once again.

I find that every so often I go through a refining time in my life. I guess this is true for most everyone of Faith. Many times I know it's coming. I feel a gentle tug from God that says to me "hold on... it's about to get rough". And sure enough, a certain amount of time goes by and I am thrust into the depths.

My struggles with anxiety seem to have gotten worse with age. Every birthday brings another year of new things to worry about. Or so it seems. I know there are certain foundations on which I build my faith, and when my life is shaken I know there will be an end to the struggle, and I know I will be closer to my Lord when it's done. But when I'm in the throws of battle I feel that there will be no end, and I am forsaken.

But, I am not.

My most oppressive struggle is with my health. I am learning to connect the physical with the mental and spiritual. It is all tied together. God gives us the tools to heal. He gives us the way. We must follow. Our bodies are a temple. We must work to keep this vessel clean and whole.
I don't want to be misunderstood. I know that sometimes God sends us through times of illness and, while I don't understand His reasoning, I know that there is a plan. But I can't sit around and eat potato chips and ice cream, and expect God to honor it. I am finding that God has already given me a lot of the things I need to heal my body if I will use them. The health issues I struggle with are ones that can be changed with lifestyle change.

I am on a new journey researching the ways my eating habits can honor God. I'm not talking about going on a diet. I mean, eating in a way that is not putting lots of things in my body that my body can't digest, or process. I know everyone needs to come to their own conclusions about what they can or cannot eat. Everyone has their own journey. But I'm learning so much just in the few days I've been researching.  **side note- Did you know that when we eat grains our bodies don't digest them very well, and cannot absorb the nutrients? They all contain anti-nutrients. They also contain something called Phytic Acid which is not digestible in humans. We should be eating grains that have been sprouted, soaked, or fermented (like sourdough) to break this acid down and make the nutrients more readily absorbed in our bodies. I thought this was interesting... read up on it! **

My struggle is by no means over. I still don't have a handle on all this- I am still fighting this battle. But I feel that I am on the downward slope now- It's not as dark as it has been. I don't know when I will feel peace again, but I have hope that it will come.


***If you are interested in researching different healthier eating habits, check out these sites. I've been finding that most people are able to heal most of their ailments with a diet change. Our food is medicine.
I have found so much information that is very interesting.

NourishedKitchen.com - this link will take you to a great "get started" page
The Weston A. Price Foundation - I'm still reading over this, but it seems really great so far.


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