“The words behind you”

Your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way; walk in it, when you turn to the right hand and when you turn to the left. Isaiah 30:21 AMPC

Verse Reflections:  I have a 35% hearing loss and I think this hearing loss extends to listening to God.  Of course, I am speaking facetiously but I seriously live in a world of full steam ahead and often do not pause to listen for God’s voice.  It is interesting to note that we must turn right or left before we hear the voice behind us.  And yet, when we stay in the word we often knows what He is going to say about our journey before we make choices.  I certainly know what He is going to say about eating healthy.  We were not created to eat too much sugar or carbohydrates that turn to sugar.  It affects our joints, our kidneys, our vision, our fat content and feeds cancer cells.  So, why do we keep eating it at the ridiculous levels we indulge in?  I hear the voice behind me when I choose the foods, when I take a bite of the foods and when I swallow and still I indulge more times than not.  I must admit that I feel a freedom in a saying that I heard recently, “we must strive for excellence not perfection.”  I have a tendency to want to be perfect which is probably why I developed an eating disorder to overcompensate for my lack of “discipline”.  It helps me to realize that I do not need to chastise myself for a lapse or two.  When God speaks behind me I can simply listen and moderate my intake instead of gorging because I have already started a serving.  I am firmly convinced that we are our worst enemies on this journey because we confuse God’s voice with our own voice of condemnation.  Years of hyper-consciousness, dieting and feeling like we have to be underweight to look good has convinced us that we cannot have anything fun.   That is a myth and a lie we have been telling ourself.  Do not confuse the voice of God with the daily condemnation we weave into our lives in the United States.   Eat healthy and enjoy your one small indulgence per day with enthusiasm.  Know you are beautiful and that voice behind You will confirm your beauty even when He reminds you to eat healthy.  Eat God foods.  Turn right and left

Prayer:  Thank You Father for the voice behind me that encourages me and reminds me.  I appreciate the reminders to make healthy choices even as I am hearing Your voice clearly tell me that I am beautiful right now, today.  I am so used to condemning myself every day that I have gotten into some bad habits.  Thank You for loving me now.  Thank You for reminding when I look into the mirror that I am Your child and You adore me.  Thank You for speaking loudly and drowning out my critical voices within.  It is fascinating to me that the less critical I become of myself, the easier it is for me to eat healthy.  Thank You Lord for revealing this to me.  I believe Your voice behind me is beginning to drown out my years of criticizing my looks, my weight and my eating choices.  I not going to chastise myself today.  I am going to love myself the way You love me… with grace and unconditional love.  Ah, the freedom, the weight that lifts in just saying that aloud.  I am beautiful before I make healthy choices and I am excellent the way I am today.  Forgive me for judging others with the same eye I turn on myself.  Today, Your voice is going to win.  Today, I am going to turn right or left and hear YOUR voice, not mine.  I love You so much and I am a better person because of You.  We are going to strive for excellence, not perfection today.  Thank You for sharing Your voice above the din of this world.  We are going to turn left in the grocery store and buy produce and turn right and buy meats.  We are going to use this scripture to remind us not to go down the center isles where the processed foods are.  Thank You Lord.