Quietening the Lion’s Roar

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:7-8 (NIV)

It seems cravings come out of no where. You’re going about your daily life, following the plan. You’ve exercised. You’ve been eating nutritiously. You’re proud of yourself. You reward yourself by sitting down to watch a little television, and there it is, a commercial for pizza or chocolate or maybe Doritos. You’re not hungry, but now you have a craving.

It starts as just a little flutter. You’ve emptied your cupboards and refrigerator of all trigger foods. You had a nutritious dinner, but it really wasn’t what you wanted. Growl. Now you’re ravenous. Food is calling to you. The pizza place is only a mile and a half away and even better they deliver. They also serve dessert pizza. Roar. Your fingers hover over the phone ready to place the order…

Cravings will eventually subside, but not until after they’ve growled and then roared. They follow you. It seems you cannot get away. Sometimes I wound up on the floor in my closet, praying with tears running down my face. And I gave myself permission to cray…(Made to Crave Pg. 30)

It’s tough to change your habits. It’s tough to give up the comfort of food. There are other ways to nurture ourselves. Through His word, we find solace, comfort, and encouragement.

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. John 15:1-4 (NIV)

For me this is a time of pruning. It hurts. And like Lysa, I will get through this.

I wish I could say this was easy. It’s not. Yesterday, I was snowed in. Like most Southerners, I’m not accustomed to the snow and I didn’t plan on venturing out. I wanted chocolate. I read my Bible. I read Made to Crave. The only chocolate in my house was chocolate chips. My mind immediately thought of what I could do with those chips. I ignored it. I surfed the net and found myself on Pinterest. More ideas for chocolate chips. I shut my laptop. I drank water. I read a little more. I watched the clock waiting for 6pm, dinnertime and a planned nutritious dinner. I read my novel. The lion still roared, but after a while he grew tired and napped under a tree.

Yesterday was a victory. I followed my plan. It was tough, but I was determined to stay on track.