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Some of my conversions make it into my essays…. today’s was a prime example… I really have been blessed to have opportunities to share my faith EVERYDAY… This essay started as a text message to someone about eating oatmeal, and general health… and because of my mindset of praising lately and giving both the praising and the eating up to God combined with my pastor’s Sunday message today, this essay flooded into my brain and out my fingers.. A connection between healthy eating and healthy praising – do them because you’re supposed to… And you will be blessed by both!

Pastor’s sermon was a great message today about God providing, and about us giving our testimony of how God had provided for us… I listened to it twice…. the first time in a traditional nice quiet moving service and the second time in contemporary nice loud moving service… (I like them both… And, speaking of God providing, I was pleased to have the freedom and the time to sit and smile in the traditional service, and I also was pleased to have the freedom and the time AND THE GUTS to sing crazy loud with the praise band music like no one was listening, and beebop praise dance like no one was watching, LOL). Not everyone will understand one’s ability to praise in their own crazy and sometime seemingly over the top way… some may even think it’s boasting… But God knows what’s in your heart and will likely correct you anyway… Therefore, praise as thoughtfully as you can… (Eat as thoughtfully as you can too…)

Anyway, I had to write this essay in one of those “Oh! Write that down!” moments… My whole deal with my testimony for my weight loss is that it never crossed my mind that when I made my healthy diet changes that the weight would come off… I’m more shocked than anyone, and sure the weight appears to have melted off, if you haven’t seen me in a while, but actually it’s been a very safe gradual process… No crash diets, listen to your body… Healthy eating, healthy praising…

Here’s the piece:

Healthy Eating, Healthy Praising, 04 Oct

Eating healthy is just like praising God…. Both are done for the sake of doing the right thing…. You are supposed to do it…. You are to eat healthier because it’s the right thing to do. You are to praise God because it’s the right thing to do. Guess what?

Eat healthy, we all know that, yet we fail to at times. Praise God, we all know that, yet we fail to at times. We are to praise God for everything, everything good and bad. We are not supposed to understand everything but understand that God has it all in His plan.

We are not supposed to eat healthy just for the sole purpose of losing weight, NOPE, we are supposed to eat healthier because it’s what are bodies were made for, it’s because God said our bodies are temples FOR GOD, treat them right (no crash diets – do what is sustainable!). Our minds, bodies, souls and words are NOT for us to revel and luxuriate in, but for GOD TO USE as mouthpieces to let us tell of HIS faithfulness, and how HIS fruitful blessings have taken ahold in our lives. We are not supposed to approach God with the sole/soul purpose of begging for favors, we are supposed to praise God because it’s the right thing to do. This may sound so simplified, but for me it’s the TRUTH… How I have seen the blessings when I praise!!!

When you eat healthier, oh my gosh, you all the sudden realize the great benefits to your body… perhaps you’ll even lose weight. No crisis needed, when you praise God, and simply TALK TO HIM about everything, oh my gosh, you all the sudden realize the great benefits to your LIFE… perhaps you will gain endless blessings. This may sound so simplified, but for me it’s the TRUTH…

By hearing testimony from those who just survived a horrific plane crash or building fire, the first thing they say is “Thank God! God was looking over me” they don’t say “God how could you do such a thing, letting my house burn”, NO!!! the first thing out of their mouthpieces are “Thank God I’m alive”. They praise, God kept them alive. We should do that too.

So let’s all pause to praise today…. God is the”All in All”… When 7 rare wild turkeys walked by me today in the middle of a conversation with a friend about healthy eating, I took it as a reminder that you never know what is coming in life, so just praise it either way. Maybe you can put it together and you figure out that God has a plan for everything… Maybe you can’t figure it out, but know God has a plan anyway.

Whether you look at the turkeys in life (often a paraphrase for not so good things) as a RARE blessing or a disastrous dud, praise the turkeys either way…. God put the good, bad and the ugly in your life for a reason, walks them right in front of you to teach you something…. I know this to be the truth…. So ask God: “Why?”… “What lesson am I suppose to learn here?” “Why are there thorns on the roses?” Well, take time to praise the thorns as well as the roses.

THANKS GOD, and I will continue to pause, praise and ponder…. I say thank you with healthy praising because it’s the right thing to do!