“Charm is deceptive”

Charm is deceptive & beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Psalm 31:30

Verse Reflections:  Yes, I’ve met so many charming people through the years that everyone falls in love with immediately.  They can capture a room and wrap people around their finger. And I watch the beautiful people that hold their head high and expect results.  I know my beauty is fleeting, and it is indeed fleeing.  I look down and see the sagging skin, the pooching stomach, the dark spots and it is humbling.  So I need to turn to fearing the Lord.  I tend to admire God, love God, praise God but I don’t tend to fear Him.  I’ve been taught grace all my life, the gift of forgiveness and I have received it. Perhaps that makes me take God for granted a little rather than fearing Him.  How should I fear Him?  How should I react to that thought?  May I think of my own Father.  We seldom disobeyed him because we knew the consequences.  We knew his wrath would show little mercy on the actions that went against his teachings.  And yet he loved me sacrificially.  Perhaps the fear of God can make me pause in my compulsive eating.  If I think of His anger when His temple was being abused I can use this to my advantage.  My body is His temple and I have abused it.  I can know that my purpose is not to have beauty but to honor God, to fear Him and to take that fear and use it to make myself eat healthy.

Prayer:  Father, guide me to honor you.  Allow me to not focus on myself.  Allow me to not focus on the past “beauty” that I have been honored with.  Allow me to turn my focus onto You.  I know that if I focus on You and not myself I will be more successful in eating healthy.  I think sometimes the way the new testament focuses on Your grace allows me to take You for granted.  I tend to sin, shake my head and ask forgiveness and then overeat again.  Forgive me Lord.  I need to comprehend that abusing Your temple, my body is not an option.  Lord give me the power.  Let me know that it is not an option to overeat, to cram food in.  I should be wise enough to realize You are not happy with me, You are not happy with my choices.  I am not stupid, I realize there are health consequences to my actions and yet I do it anyway.  God, You have got to allow me to glimpse Your anger (okay not really- just help me know it is there) so that I will not allow myself options.  Help me to think of my Father here on earth that loved me enough to give me consequences.  Perhaps that will allow me to follow Your command.  Today, help me to focus on You, fear You and to not fear losing my beauty and charm.