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Signs
of the Times
By Carolyn Allen
Author’s note: Today's article
is directed to those of us with weight management issues that are
resolved with the principle of "eat less, move more."
If you have medical and health issues
that prohibit weight loss, I encourage you to read my previous
article, "But if not".
Our attendance at the leadership training
seminar broadcast was doubly-blessed by a follow-up broadcast from
Salt Lake City for stake conference last Sunday, February 17, 2008.
We learned that our stake (Annandale, Virginia) was one of 42 stakes
in the Chesapeake region receiving messages directly from church
leaders in Salt Lake City via satellite. What a thrill to hear President
Monson and President Uchtdorf speak to us for the first time in
their official capacities.
Several times in the talks we heard
an important message: Yes! These are troubled times, but that is
nothing new since “troubled times” began when Adam and
Eve were cast out of the garden.
Yes! These are the last days where
calamities will abound, yet an often forgotten sign of the time
is a vast missionary force to gather the elect. (See D&C 29).
As we learned that our stake conference
was being broadcast simultaneously to 42 other stakes, all within
a few short hours’ drive from our home in Virginia, there
was no denying this sign. Weekly reports from my own two missionaries
confirm that the field is white, all ready to harvest!
How easy it is to forget, with our
disturbing news reports and headlines, that these are marvelous
days and times in which to live! How easy it is to forget to be
of good cheer and to rise to our potential as witnesses and key
participants of the last days.
Today’s Scripture:
“For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in
your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. (I Corinthians
6:20)
With wars and rumors of wars, strange
weather and the world in constant turmoil, how easy it is to feel
powerless and small. After reading the newspaper or listening to
the news of the day, our personal efforts for self-improvement may
seem inconsequential. Why should losing weight (or maintaining what
we’ve lost) even matter during these, the last days?
Shouldn’t we just go ahead and
enjoy the donuts? Take the easy way? Enjoy the abundance of delicious
foods and leisure pursuits that require nothing more than a comfortable
seat? Surely these are signs of the times too, as the adversary
who knows with uncanny accuracy how to hinder our potential, encourages
us to become smaller in our thinking than in our clothing sizes.
Limiting beliefs about our desire and
ability to change (or the strength of our personal power and worthiness
to do so) are the donuts and chips for hearts and spirits. Like
junk food, they are always tasty, available, inexpensive, easy to
grab and dispose of, and usually irresistibly enjoyable while going
down. That potato chip ad with its slogan “Bet you can’t
eat just one” is right on the money for not only potato chips,
but negative self-thoughts and conversation.
To counteract these worldly influences,
we have been blessed with the scriptures, and even more personally,
our Patriarchal blessings. These words by author Marianne Williamson
echoes that which we have each been told in quiet ways when the
Spirit is near: She writes:
We ask ourselves, “Who am I
to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?” Actually,
who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small
does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightening about
shrinking (other than clothing sizes) so that others
won’t feel insecure around you. We are born to make manifest
the glory of God that is within us.
Back to today’s scripture: “Therefore
glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
Did you read that? “… which
are God’s.” Our bodies and spirit belong to God! We
are born, live and eternally exist with power beyond measure to
live, to love, to lift and to bless ourselves and every other life
that comes our way today.
As the missionaries reach out to the
world with the restored Gospel, they take a disarmingly powerful
tool for self-mastery and achievement: The Book of Mormon.
As a young single, I was blessed to
associate with a marvelous young man that the missionaries had baptized
while he was attending college and taking some rigorous engineering
and competitive math classes. I will never forget his conversion
story and his discovery that, “Every day I read the Book of
Mormon, I was empowered. Though I was not spending any more time
on my schoolwork, my test scores improved. I even tested it out.
Without fail on days that I didn’t read, I did not do as well
in my classes. This was one of the turning points of my testimony!”
Recently I was reminded of that power
with a letter from Cathi Hoffman of the Buckley 2nd Ward in the
Maple Valley Washington Stake. After President Hinckley’s
passing, she joined the online challenge to read the Book of Mormon
in 97 days. Here is what she says:
The more I read, the less temptation
I will have to snack! Snacking is my downfall and the Book of
Mormon helps me in remarkable ways!
It is amazing to think that we, with
our many mortal shortcomings, could even consider that our lives
and how we care for our bodies might glorify God. Yet bringing to
pass our immortality is his work and his glory,
so our efforts, even those that seem “small” (i.e. limiting
snacking) to improve our mortal bodies and master our earthly appetites,
truly count.
Yes! These are the last days and signs
of the times, as well as donuts/junk food, abound. Perhaps the overabundance
of donuts and junk food are even among the signs of the
times! Yet we need not indulge ourselves with thoughts that another
time will be better or easier to establish healthy living!. We can
move forward and include every effort to eat right/exercise today
as “doing our part” to help build the kingdom.
And in so doing, we glorify Him. I
am awed and amazed, and quite sure that all of this is of far more
value and interest than the donuts, don’t you agree?
Today’s Empowerment:
Nutritious thoughts fed my spirit. Nutritious food feeds my body.
Since both my body and spirit belong to Him, I am worthy of physical
health and an appropriate weight. I have the power and desire to
create great beauty, health and strength today.
Today’s Journal Prompts/Discussion
Starters:
- What negative self-talk phrases
hold you back from eating healthfully?
- Describe how you felt when you received
your Patriarchal Blessing.
- Make a point to include a request
for strength and guidance as you read the scriptures, especially
the Book of Mormon.
Today’s Recipe:
Mexican Fiesta Skillet Supper
Serves 8 at 252 calories
1 pound ground turkey breast or extra
lean ground beef
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
2 cups salsa
4 cups tomato sauce or juice
1 15-oz. can black beans, drained
2 cups instant rice
1. Spray a large Dutch oven with
Pam.
2. Cook the turkey and taco seasoning
mix together in the prepared pan over medium heat until fully
cooked.
3. Add the salsa, tomato sauce and
black beans. Bring to a boil.
4. Add the rice, making sure the
rice is covered with liquid. Add a bit of water if necessary.
5. Turn off the heat and stir.
6. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes.
Enjoy with a salad and a bit of sliced
fruit.
(4 g Dietary Fiber; 252 Calories; 1
g Fat; 55 g Carb)
As a follow-up to your responses from the “Return and
Report” article several weeks ago as well as the requests
of individuals at the classes I teach, you may be interested in
the personal weight loss coaching services I am now offering. Click
HERE
for more information.
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