We live in a society where to-do lists reign, relaxation (to the point of laziness) is often promoted and mindlessness is encouraged. Think about it....
We turn on the television to entertain us so we don't have to think.
We ask our children for just a few moments of quiet so we don't have to use our brains.
Our prayers become repeated mantras with no actual conversation with God.
We go to church and check that off the list for the week.
We study God's Word by just reading it and knowing that we don't have to do anymore.
We eat without even thinking about our food.
I have been through these cycles in my life where I was literally just coasting without thinking AT ALL! I have eaten a whole meal without contemplating what I was eating or how much. I have certainly given in to spur of the moment temptations and not even thought about what I was eating.
How about you? Do you eat without thinking about it....do you eat without making sure it's what God wants for you? Does what you eat line up with Scripture?
To combat mindless thinking, our family set guidelines to help us. First, we make a menu every week with whatever is going to be harvested from our garden plus healthy choices from the grocery store. We also put our schedule of important activities on the menu so we can account for those meals that need to be quick! Next we shop at the grocery store every Friday morning or early afternoon. We stick to the outside aisles where the good food is located.
In addition, we prep many of our meats (marinate them) and veggies for the week on the weekend. I promise you our "littles" can go through a 5 lb bag of carrots in less than a week, so we make sure to cut them all up early! With some of the prep work already done, it is easier to cook during the week and helps us to avoid the temptation of eating out.
Speaking of eating out, we do occasionally get an opportunity to do just that. On Sundays and Wednesdays, we eat out before church. We plan for where we are going to eat ahead of time. We look up the nutritional guide online and decide what our healthy choices are. We have to think through EVERY meal in order to make decisions that honor the Lord.
How do you eat purposefully?
3 comments:
Prepare, plan and pay attention. That's my guidline.
We are currently trying the 'e meals' plan...so far, so good. But combining that and Fitness Pal isn't always easy! You are a great encouragement to me through your blog. I find myself wishing we could have tea together and catch up!
I am so guilty of this. The Lord has been speaking too me about it too. I almost feel frozen with fear that I will fail once again. It seems so overwhelming to take one step in the right direction! Mica
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