Sunday, March 27, 2016 Easter
Sunday
This morning, I started the day remembering the Savior’s
resurrection and helping my family get out the door for church. I knew already
that there is a significant celebration planned at my mom’s house after church,
so I am not planning to start the most restrictive plan today. My goal in
researching the “Daniel Diet” initially was wondering how it might impact my
long-term health conditions, namely: Migraine associated vertigo (debilitating
vertigo and headaches that I’ve experienced since January of 2015), arthritis
(I’m trying to put off bi-lateral hip replacements for at least one more year)
and obesity (the enforced lethargy from vertigo, combined with my doctor’s
decision to limit my water intake, have wreaked havoc on my weight!). As I went
back to the original purposes of Daniel’s decision to limit his food, I was
reminded of the spiritual benefits, too. While God designed our bodies to work
perfectly, given the right fuel, and I do trust Him for the physical results I
need,
God is far more concerned with the condition of my heart than that of my body.
This week, God has brought to our attention a need in the
life of one of our children. Out of loyalty to that child, I won’t go into
detail, but suffice it to say, I am asking God, during this time of renewed
focus on Him and His Word, to do a couple things in the life of our child, and
in our relationship with him. First, I am asking, as I do anytime we have a
significant discipline issue, for definite confirmation of the child’s
salvation. What does it benefit our children, if we raise them to look and act
righteously, but their hearts are far from Him? Second, I am asking God to break his heart over the issues
that have been revealed (and to bring to light any hidden sins that have not
yet been discovered and dealt with). Finally, I am asking Him to restore
our relationship in a supernatural way, as He has done for us so many times
before, with other children in the family. We don’t take lightly the sweet,
open relationships we have with any of our kids, and we know they are a gift
from the hand of God. I am also asking God to prompt our girls about baptism in a way that they can no
longer put off. I have seen Him convicting their hearts, and I fear for their
willingness to delay this step of obedience. (I originally wrote this journal for my own use, and was prompted to remove some details before sharing it publicly.)
Here are the gritty details for today: I studied Isaiah 58,
and was reminded of several promises from God, which I intend to claim during
this time (I’ll paraphrase). God promises these results from a fast that causes
us to humble ourselves before Him:
- Your recovery will speedily spring forth (I’m claiming that for my issues with vertigo!)
- The glory of the Lord will be your rearguard (My desire is to show His glory in my life, regardless of whether He chooses to heal me or work supernaturally on my behalf.)
- You will call, and the Lord will answer (I’m claiming this for my erring child!)
Knowing I won’t be responsible for my noon meal because of
Easter dinner, I made these commitments ahead of time: no desserts (that is a
BIGGIE for me!), no meats, no soda, and no sweet tea (that is my dad's specialty). Replace with herb tea
(with honey) and fruit (I’ll pack my own to take with me.) Also, my husband has
already suggested getting pizza for supper, and I intend to NOT eat it (another
big sacrifice for me), but to eat something else…perhaps the leftover Spanish
rice from last week, even though it has some white rice mixed in. One of the
biggest sacrifices I’m making is that I’m providing veggies and hummus to the
meal, instead of the classic Robart dessert. I am known for my baking, and
generally would have taken a collage of multiple cookies, bars, and brownies
that I’ve had on hand. But I’m giving that to God, and choosing veggies
instead. J ***The honey in the tea, and the leftover white rice are both major modifications
to the Daniel diet that you won’t find in “official” lists of allowable foods,
if you try this on your own.
As I said, today I am not sticking ‘religiously’ to the
parameters of the Daniel Diet. I can’t go to the grocery myself, so while I
have several of the things on hand that I need, I am waiting until tomorrow
(payday) for my husband to get to Sprouts and Aldi for a few more items. In the
meantime, I do need to finish, or throw away, some items I already had opened
up, that my husband has bought for my previous health journey. This includes
the granola I had for breakfast (it has honey in it, so I won’t be using it on
the true Daniel Diet). But, the caveat I made today is to have just a few
sprinkles of granola with blueberries and banana, in Coconut milk instead of
cow’s milk (I am a serious Cow’s milk addict, and that is one of the addictions
I’d like to break during this time). The other reason I’m not going all-out today is
that I have been prompted to make this a private decision, and that means I
don’t want to draw attention to what I’m eating or not eating while my husband
and son are home today. If I choose to eat a leftover, such as the Spanish rice
from last week, it is a sacrifice to God in my heart (because it isn’t pizza),
but it won’t draw their attention, as would my making something new or special
“just for me.”
The best hint I’ve found for helping me to stick with my
choices is something most of you won’t find earth-shattering. J As a stay-at-home mom,
and one who is bed-bound many days, it is easy to put off personal hygiene
(getting dressed, brushing my teeth, etc.) until late morning, or even later
(embarrassing, I know)… I have found, as I’ve been trying to work on my bad
habit of snacking my way through the day, that if I brush my teeth as soon as
I’ve finished breakfast, I don’t have that munchy mindset as badly. Also, my
brain doesn’t want to spoil the fresh flavor in my mouth, so it is easier to
reach for a sip of water or a book to read, instead of a handful of nuts or a
cup of coffee. We’ll see how things go. J
I haven’t yet committed to God a specific amount of time for
this plan. I want to look at it as more of a life-style change (hence the
modifications), but with a few more severe choices to make it a sacrifice and
draw my heart closer to Him, reaping the benefits of a true fast. In real life,
I probably would have a piece of pizza now and then, if the family were getting
pizza. And I probably would have a soda now and then. And meat would definitely
be a part of my normal diet, unless I find that it negatively impacts my
vertigo. But for now, I am choosing to limit those things, both as a sacrifice
for my Savior, and as a means of determining what choices will best impact my
health overall.
Have you ever done a Daniel Diet? What suggestions or encouragement do you have for me? Are you interested in joining me on this journey? Comment and let me know what you think!
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