DIETING IN THE SPIRIT

I am trying to diet.  I have been fairly consistent in my efforts to loses some excess poundage.  It isn't easy and after a few days of staying true to the diet,  the craving set in.  I wish I had some chocolate and a lot of starches.  I am a person who likes good, flavorful food.  Maybe not a lot of it, but enough to satisfy the sweet tooth that I have and some "comfort food."  I am not obese...but I am not thin either.  And my main reason for wishing and working to lose weight is for a healthier me.  I already can detect the difference, but the scales need a new battery.


You might compare dieting with religion or growing in the spirit.  It takes some forethought, planning, discipline and a continuous follow-up.  It is analogous to "feeding the fire" on a cold winter's night.  You must be vigilant and not let the fire go out, but stoke the embers to keep it burning.  There is nothing worse than cold ashes on a winter morning.  It is pretty much the same with religion or a personal spirituality.  Often we let the fire go out.


I know lots of people who claim to be Christians and to be religious...I bet that you do, too.  Yet, they may not practice their religion, have little spirituality within, or even acknowledge that there is a God or a higher power than themselves.  They count on themselves rather than God.  Who do you count on?


I count on God, my Creator, pray daily and pray the Rosary each and every day.  That may sound like I am bragging, but I also wonder as I attend to my spiritual garden...if I am just giving "lip service" and pray that I am not.  I know that I am "nobody," but pray that I am God's somebody.  Like dieting...I will have to wait to see the results and every once in a while I will need to change the battery in the scales of time. 


I make reference to a "spiritual garden" because I...we... need to constantly weed, nurture, and remove the debris' from our daily lives.  A little spiritual "growth hormone" wouldn't hurt either. 


It took about an hour to remove the ice and snow from the van so that I will be able to get to Mass in the morning.  I really am not fond of this long, cold winter, but it is what we have been given so why complain.  At the same time I keep in mind that while Jesus walked on water...I can not walk on ice....and tread very carefully.

END

p.s.

I still want chocolate!