Don't Diet

This week's post is from Kimberly Gladden (Pastor of Small Groups and Singles).

I think I have finally found a modified eating program that will work for me. (Notice I didn’t say the d- word:  _ i e t.)  It’s by a chef named Kathleen Daelemans and I recently rediscovered her older book in my cookbook collection. Her philosophy is that eating should be pleasurable, just without any added calories that don’t bring anything to the party. To quote from her jacket cover “Every dish has to satisfy. Pleasure must rule. No one should have to weigh or measure food.”

I was reading through her cookbook, and couldn’t believe how delicious and appealing the recipes sounded. I kept thinking there must be something wrong. The title of the book is “Cooking Thin”, but each recipe passed the Gladden test for “this is something I would actually be excited about eating.”

The cookbook lines up well with my motto “no unnecessary suffering.” Sure there are times when we will have to suffer as Christians, and when those times come (and believe me they come) we must embrace them with grace and perseverance; but just not unnecessarily so.

Which turned my thoughts to our SIMPLIFY study. All our talk of uncluttering our souls and gaining control of our schedules, finances, relationships and spiritual progress is not about what we are taking away (think diet terminology), but what we are gaining and what we want to become (think modified eating plan). I want to become someone who can wear the beautiful and classy cream lace dress hanging in my closet.

This talk of who you want to become is all semantics you might say but I beg to differ. One framework sometimes leads to disappointment and failure, the other sets you up for winning. When I think in terms of “who I want to become”, certain choices jump out at me as reasonable adjustments in light of where I want to go, and that extends beyond the scope of just the cream lace dress.

So be encouraged as we think about Simplifying to enjoy the journey as we head to our destination.

“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to
win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 3:13b-14