Finally Loving Yourself

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I told you about how Gomer refuses to be tidy. The place just can't bring herself to commensurate with my desires. I try to keep this 5,500 sq foot tidy with three girls. The hardest part is attempting to maintain a routine when we are on the road five to six months out of the year. I found Flylady many moons ago. She has a website that helps get your house in order. Let me tell you, I do not do her routines flawlessly, but her daily emails encourage me to try every day. There are several things I have learned from Flylady that translate into all areas of life.

FLY stands for Finally Loving Yourself. Now, I know all about all the things that we should know about being beautiful and made in the image of Creator God, but for some reason, one day as I read that phrase on the Flylady site, it hit me that I had never really done that. I kind of did the bare minimum of care for myself and I let ugly comments from others keep me from pursuing my dreams and the discouragement kept me from trying. You know, I have learned that critical words from others are truly much more about the pain they have going on inside of them. Coming to terms with all of these things, I decided to take care of me too. When we take care of us, we give a better version of ourselves to others. We give life instead of needing it.

I learned that we procrastinate because of a tendency toward perfection. If we can't do it at all, why bother doing it. What a thief that is. It's like that Mark Twain quote about throwing off the bow lines. Seize this day.




I had a smack in the face moment with a Flylady quote one day.
Don't let your perfectionism make you a bully.
Oh, boy. I have thought about that and thought about that. I mean, we all think we have cornered the market on religious thought, nutrition, parenting, and anything else we can be right about. Perfectionism puts up walls between us and those we love.

You know, I was a Vegetarian for five years and I always had a problem with my blood work. My dr suggested adding in a bit of different types of fat. It worked. It really is an individual thing. Be wary of all the latest studies and movies out. When you start digging around, you see who was behind them. Don't think food isn't big business. Even vegetables. Potatoes have lobbyist. They all want our money. The truth is, you have to really address your individual concerns. For example, people with autoimmune deficiencies should stay away from beans and diabetics should eat more fat. Mostly, be thankful. As I have been researching, I keep thinking about that little prayer that says, "Thank you for the food we eat." We are blessed with so many choices and options. We can buy organic. We can feast most any time we want. Be thankful and don't let your personal convictions make you a food bully. Savor this life.

Comments

Unknown said…
Excellent! Have you read any of Ann Voskamp? Loved One Thousand Gifts. The most challenging read. I just heard about her book, Perfectionism that sounds good too! Have a blessed day:)
8:03 AM
Steph Cherry said…
I did read it and loved it. I thought the "make love to God" part was odd, but the rest of the book was phenomenal. I like her blog. It's rich.
2:56 PM
Steph Cherry said…
I did read it and loved it. I thought the "make love to God" part was odd, but the rest of the book was phenomenal. I like her blog. It's rich.
2:56 PM
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