I Would Enjoy Galatians Better With Twix

The week after my mom talked to me about how the ideas of the book are actually affecting her life, I opened up the first few pages of the workbook and felt drawn and comforted by the questions. They weren't hard, and in fact, they were enjoyable to think on and write about. I was immediately struck by the hope that this book offered and I dived in emphatically.
I don't give "nutrition"/"self-help" books much credit because they lack the one thing that makes them readable: they don't speak my language. It's the unique language of Gluttony. It's a tricky language, either you get it or you don't. I'm pretty sure skinny people and all nutritionists don't. But within just a few pages of Made to Crave, Lysa TurKeurst proved to me that she could speak my language.
My goal in publishing this blog is to show other women that I, too, speak the language of Gluttony and to offer the same transparency and connection that Lysa offered to me. Lysa, however, is a pro at this writing thing, and I just enjoy the clicks of the keyboard so I hope to just direct your attention to the ideas she has so clearly laid out and to document the way her ideas touched this one woman.


To effectively record my journey, I am posting my answers to just a few of the questions and reflections that are offered each week. I urge you to answer these questions for yourself.
Here goes...

How would you describe the kinds of foods you typically eat to satisfy a craving?
Soft, fluffy, chewy, greasy, sweet/ cakes, cookies, pizza, candy bars 

What is it about this food that you enjoy so much?
I love looking online at the pizza specials and picking which pizza to eat. I love fantasizing about how it will smell, and feel in my mouth. I love deciding "I want some cookies" and getting up to make a homemade batch. I love impulsively grabbing a candy bar and opening the wrapper. What a fun little surprise I've just given myself! The anticipation in between the decision to eat something and getting that something into my mouth brings my so much excitement.

How do you feel before eating that food?
Giddy, hopeful, excited!

(The next few questions made me sit on my couch and really think. As I answered them I felt like a new, novel, absurd realization began to appear):

How do you feel about that food while you are eating it?
Happy at first: The chocolate is melting in my mouth, the garlic is making my mouth water for more. I love licking off the butter that is running down my finger. I can't help but moan a little when my tongue swishes through the cool whip. But... actually... after the hunger is satiated... I feel a little disappointed that it isn't as good as I had been fantasizing. I spent so much time imagining how wonderful it was going to be but as I chew I start thinking about what I could add to it or change to make it better.  

Or on the other hand, I don't even realize I'm eating it after the first three or four bites and I'm on autopilot finishing my plate. 

How do you feel about that food after you have eaten it?
I usually feel physically sick from having eaten too much.  I feel shameful for the amount I ate or the money I spent on it. I'm suddenly VERY aware of my fat. If I haven't stuffed myself I am thinking about what I want to eat next because you can't eat sweet and not end on salty.

I was also asked to think about my cravings- more specifically, to think behind those craving- and figure out what it is that I am really wanting.  I was stumped on this one and spent a lot of time on the couch fidgeting with my pen. Finally it was  clear to me that what I am looking for is entertainment and, most of all, fulfillment. I become certain that my life will be better and more complete once I am savoring a cookie.
I was surprised when I realized that I am looking for completeness. My cravings always felt as simple as- well, a craving. But as I spent time thinking about how God designed me to crave him I began wondering about how simple that craving was.
On page 30 of Made to Crave Lysa talks about trying to make the switch from answering cravings with food to answering cravings with God. She writes, "Each time I craved something I knew wasn't a part of my plan, I used that craving as a prompt to pray. I craved a lot. So, I found myself praying a lot."  In all honesty, this paragraph made me a little sad. I still didn't want God to replace my pudding cup. From the beginning, it was clear that "God" was what makes the difference, but I think I was still hoping that I didn't actually have to incorporate him into my eating life. She invites us to write a prayer to him and this is what mine looked like:

Lord, you know I love you. I know that your way is the best way, and I am so thankful to be yours. You bring peace, and security, and wisdom, and joy. But I really don't believe that you bring fun.  I'm pretty sure that you aren't as fun as shopping for a pizza online. I often eat when I am bored and baking cookies and eating the batter is so entertaining! It seems like going to read the Bible would actually just make me more bored... I know that you bring joy, but I doubt that you bring FUN.            

Even though I may have doubts about how God can actually fill my cravings, I am reminded of the Matthew 17:20:

  "You don't have enough faith," Jesus told them. "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible."

         
Mustard seeds must be bigger in America, because even though God is my Lord, I don't think I have enough faith... yet.




Please email me as you take your journey and I pray that God will revolutionize our hearts together.
erinconfesses@yahoo.com