Eating Better and Why

Hey my friends,
Over the past few months I have been on a quest. It has been exciting and quite the wild ride. What is this quest that has been taking my adventurous mind on a wild ride? It is the quest for a healthier lifestyle, which includes eating better.
So, over the next few months, I will try to share some of the things that I have been learning. I can't wait to share some of the yummy recipes that I have tried. I really can't believe how yummy and good for my health these adventurous ingredients can be. Who would have thought that I would know how to use almond flour? Or how about ginger root? What about the wonderful pomegranate? I mean who even knows what those things are? Right?
Anyway, before I share all the exciting ingredients and why they are good for us. I want to share why I have jumped onto this adventure. I mean, I always thought that I was living a relatively healthy lifestyle. I love hiking in the outdoors. I love my fruits and veggies. I know that I love my chocolate, but I have always limited my sweet tooth...well, some of the time :) But in the big scheme of things, I know that I have always eaten well, at least compared to the rest of America.And there in lies the problem for me, I have always looked at myself compared to others.
I have begun to understand that just like with everything else in our lives, God cares about my health. Now don't get all weird on me! I know that my health may not be up there as most important on God's list (if God even has a list), but I am beginning to see the value in being healthy for Him.
First off, we were made in the image of God. Our body is truly a gift that He gave us. "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness'...So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." (Genesis 1:26-27)
Second, He made you and I perfect. We were His perfect design. "For you formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them." (Psalm 139:13-17) I always like to think that God wanted a friend with curly ashburn hair, blue eyes, dimples, a second toe that is longer than the big toe, knees that just look weird, and elbows so bony that they just stick out all the time. Yep, that's me...God's friend! He created me just the way I am, just because He needed a friend like me.
So, if God made me in His image and He made me just the way I am because He thinks that is perfect...why wouldn't I care about my health? To take it just a step further, the Holy Spirit lives inside me (a concept that I am still learning much about). Why wouldn't I want to be as healthy as possible to serve and glorify the Lord? I guess scripture describes it best in 1st Corinthians: "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." (6:19-20)
So, to sum all these crazy thoughts together: I love the Lord. He made me perfect and loves me. He wants health and wellness for me, simply because He loves me. And because I love Him and want to glorify Him, I want to be healthy in order to do just that.
I was pondering writing this blog and had almost decided not too, when I heard a speaker say this:
"I met a non-Christian who was telling me why she didn't want to attend a local church. She said that she would not attend that church because the pastor was over-weight. When asked why that made a difference to her, she said that it was because he obviously didn't have his life in order, so why should she listen to anything he had to say"
This statement hit me between the eyes. In a world where knowledge is easily available, medicine is accessible, and organic foods are around every corner, why is it that I have never thought that my outside could effect the way a non-believer would look at my God. Think about it! The above statement really makes sense.
Please hear my heart, I'm not saying that we should think about what others think about our appearance...but I am saying that we are the glory of the Lord. What does that look like in your life? I pray that it is looking a little better day by day in my life.
I love you guys and can't wait to share more of my adventurous quest in the posts to follow. Until then...be blessed!