When you think about Thanksgiving what is the first thing that comes to mind? I think most people probably think food but likely say, family. There is nothing wrong with either answer or the reality that Thanksgiving is about food.
This year Thanksgiving is a little different for our family.
Six weeks ago I was put on 2 majorly difficult diets for health reasons. One of the diets cut out sugar, fruits, yeast, high carb foods and the second cut out... basically everything else, garlic, onion, AVOCADO (is there even life without avocado? I am here to tell you there is NOT!) a lot of veggies, etc. The first 3 weeks were so hard. I spent my days angry, frustrated, sad. I would buy things I thought I was allowed to have only to get home and find out I couldn't. I knew that cutting out foods, especially sugar would be hard physically and emotionally.
I LOVE SUGAR!
I went into it expecting it to be hard but hoping to break some bad habits in the end. One night, on week 3 I was forced to make my own spaghetti sauce, I was feeling defeated and frustrated but I made it and by the time I got to eat it, I was feeling so accomplished. I realized that I could do this, I could make my food from scratch and I could enjoy it. It was like a weight was lifted off of me. I was feeling better, the fog that had been over me for months was beginning to be lifted, my memory was coming back and my lethargy was going away.
As Thanksgiving got closer I started thinking about how much it would stink to watch everyone enjoy the food while I drooled over it all. About 2 weeks before Thanksgiving I was reminded that I had a doctor appointment the week before Thanksgiving. I was not expecting anything to change, diet wise. I went and she told me I could stop the more intense diet (which would have cut out pretty much everything). It was a huge relief and a blessing!
For Thanksgiving this year Jorge's family decided to celebrate on Sunday, I enjoyed ham and turkey and green beans (and a little bit of mashed potatoes but don't tell my dr.). I have made myself cookies with ingredients I am allowed to have, but I realize I still have a long way to go in controlling my sweet tooth.
Something I have been praying for before I even knew I needed to pray for it, was for self-control. If you know anything about the Enneagram, you will know that each number has a "sin", I am a 7 and my "sin" is gluttony. It is true... I do all things to the extreme. For as long as I can remember my default when I get depressed or upset has been to eat or drink or shop to the umpteenth degree. It extends to more than just that but it is something I have been working on for a long time.
In the book of Titus, self-control is mentioned several times. Men be self-controlled, women be self-controlled, older men and women teach younger men and women to be self-controlled.
Self-control is also a fruit of the spirit
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control.
Galatians 5:22-23
I am learning that none of those characteristics are attainable without Jesus, without the Holy spirits guiding and without full surrender. Yet every one of them leads us to be more Christ-like and that is why it is important that we pursue them. How can I be a useful witness when I have no self-control? When I eat so much sugar that my body shuts down, or I go on a spending spree neglecting the budget and not being a good steward of what I have been given or when I go out with good intentions of having 1 or 2 glasses of wine but leave feeling like I had 1 too many?
I have not learned everything that there is to learn about self-control by any means, I have a long way to go. What I do know is that I want it; I want to be in control of my feelings, my actions, my reactions, my desires, and everything else that goes along with it. The truth is, I still don't trust myself to eat just 1 cookie or 1 candy bar or have just 1 glass of wine or only spend $20. But I do think I am getting closer and as I continue to surrender that part of my life over and over again, I know that God will be faithful to help me gain the self-control I need.
So this year for Thanksgiving I bought Papa Murphys pizza, and even though I won't be able to eat it, I will enjoy the time with my family and maybe they will begin to learn that Thanksgiving isn't all about the food, nor is life, but it is about being together enjoying one another.
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