Tag Archive | Oprah

‘Made to Crave’: The power of choosing healthier options

Jun13

 “You can accept or reject the way you are treated by other people, but until you heal the wounds of your past, you will continue to bleed. You can bandage the bleeding with Food, with Alcohol, with Drugs, with Work, with Cigarettes, with Sex, BUT  eventually, it will ooze through and stain your life. You must find the strength to open the wounds, stick your hands inside, pull out the core of the pain that is holding you in your past, the memories, and make peace with them.” ~Iyanla Vanzant, Yesterday I cried~ food 2

Sometimes, you stumble upon such insightful and inspiring posting on a social media platform and you know you simply have to share it with the world! A member of the WWN Community posted this a few months back on WWN’s facebook page and it struck a deep chord with a lot of people, especially women.

It speaks to this fallacy of being ‘broken’ and ‘incomplete’ and the tendency to fill up the emptiness or pain within us with unhealthy choices such as the wrong food, people, addiction, things, ideas etc…

Enjoy the post below and a huge thanks to Kihu O. for sharing this!

Source: (Culled from a Biblical-based app. This is an excerpt from a 21-day reading plan with daily readings and motivational talks, titled: “Made to Crave.”)

“But I Never Feel Full For years, I walked around with a little heart-shaped cup in my soul, holding it out to people or things trying to find fulfillment. Some of us hold out our heart-shaped cup and expect a husband to love us in ways that rights our wrongs and fills up our insecurities.

Sometimes, we expect our kids to be successful so that we look good and feel validated by their accomplishments. Or, we hope that a successful career will confirm that we are a valuable human being. At times, I have asked the impossible of all of these. But my consistent “friend” of choice over the years has been food. Imagine my little heart-shaped cup as a candy dish, using sweets and snacks to soothe my emotions. food

However, if we are going to replace destructive cycles with lasting changes in our lives, then we have to empty ourselves of the lie that other people or things can ever fill our hearts. Instead, we have to deliberately fill up on God’s truths and stand secure in His love.

Here are some examples of how we can do that: Old lie: “I am such a failure when it comes to my diet.” New truth: “I am not a failure. I am a lavishly loved child of God. Part of my right as a child of God is to operate in a power beyond myself. The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to me. So it is possible for me to use the self-control I’ve been given.”

Old lie: “I need these Oreos!” New truth: “The thought that these Oreos will fill me is a lie. They will taste good for just the few minutes it will take to eat them. Then that hollow feeling of guilt will rush in as soon as the chocolate high dissipates. If I truly need a snack right now, I am capable of choosing a healthier option.” Old lie: “God seems far away and French fries are right around the corner at the drive-thru.” New truth: “French fries don’t love me. And the only lasting thing I get from them is the cholesterol and cellulite they inevitably leave behind, which will just compound my frustration.

God’s love is here in this moment and in many more to come. His love is true and carries with it only positive residual effects.” Examine how you can replace the lies and rationalizations in your mind with the truth of God’s love. Experience the power of renewing your mind and learning that food was never meant to fulfill the deepest places of your heart.

And, as Ephesians 3:19 reminds, may you understand that the only way to true satisfaction is to be “filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

Enjoy this wonderful video, a poem written and recited by the wise, beautiful and inspiring Maya Angelou: Phenomenal Woman

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