Week 52

Be glad and rejoice while finding your balance.

This is the last weekly challenge of the year, week 52.  How have you done this year?  May you be filled with joy as you ponder over this past year!

As your Christmas gift to yourself, your family, your friends, please be glad and rejoice at your success.  You may not be where you want to be yet, but remember that changing your diet back to a diet consisting of the foods created by God is countercultural and is something most of us need to relearn.  It is all about baby steps, which is why I have given you these weekly challenges.  So if this year, you have only awakened your awareness and learned the importance of changing your diet - be glad and rejoice!  You can recommit and begin again in the New Year.

While you are rejoicing this Christmas week, if you have been following along with the challenges, then think about one last aspect of what you are eating.  Each of us needs to eat God's foods, rather than man-made processed foods, in order to reap good health and vitality, but you also need to figure out what balance of God's foods to eat.  Fewer and fewer people start with enough reserves to even cheat a little with their diet - so most people need to go 100% for success.  But everyone also needs to eat a balanced diet of God's foods, not cutting out complete food groups.  For example, you cannot eat only brownies and apples and maintain good health and vitality.  This last challenge of the year is a key aspect for success - find the balance of foods your body needs.  However, if you have not yet cut the foods/ingredients (such as sugar) that you are addicted to out of your diet, you will probably not be able to listen to your body's clues to find your balance.  It is important that you master these earlier challenges to be able to do this last step for success.   

So how do you find your balanced diet?  Keep in mind that we are all different.  We each will develop slightly different health problems as our bodies become depleted of various nutrients and become overloaded with 'toxins' from processed foods.  While rejoicing, with a thankful heart, think about your favorite meals and how they make you feel.  Some people need more meat (my husband requires more meat than me to feel energized and well); some people need more carbohydrates to feel satisfied (not calorie loaded nutrient void carbohydrates so prevalent in our culture); some people thrive on lots of fresh raw foods such as produce, nuts, and raw dairy to feel their best; and some people need a higher quantity of excellent quality fats, such as raw butter or expeller-pressed coconut oil to feel well nourished.

We all need a balanced diet, but you must determine the quantities of each food group that you need.  Your needs will probably be different than your other family members or friends (you probably already know this).  If you are eating 100% excellent quality FoodsbyGod, but you think you cannot eat anything without gaining weight, then you are eating the wrong balance.  Listen, evaluate, continue to learn, and most importantly rejoice this week!

"I am glad and rejoice with all of you.  So you too should be glad and rejoice with me."  Philippians 2:17b - 18

"Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!" Philippians 4:4

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."  Isaiah 9:6

May our Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace bless you today, this week, and throughout this coming New Year.  Merry Christmas!