Rest and restore

‘Don’t get wise, bubble eyes!  I’m the boss, chili sauce!’   Is what my mom would tell me in response to my childhood defiance.   I couldn’t help but think of that as I read the verse above, another Godly reminder that He (and moms) truly knows what’s best.  So why don’t we listen the first time?!  Because sometimes I feel like that’s exactly what we are, His beloved children running amuck, given to disobey, just trying to figure our way out in this crazy world.  But there is hope! There is always hope! 

This month marks my sobriety birthday.  On July 12, I will be four years sober.  Although I am not currently attending celebrate recovery meetings, I try to ‘work the steps’ as best I can—daily making a conscious decision to turn my life to the will of God, taking daily personal inventory, daily prayer and meditation to improve contact with my father, God, seeking his will in ALL areas of my life, this blog, work, family, church.   And I do confess, I may fall short in some of these areas, but I constantly turn back to the one who is ultimately in control, the one and only boss. 

I was getting a lot of messages about rest lately and what that means in my life and how it’s so important in our lives, not only physically, but spiritually.   Rest is so important to truly bring health to our body and nourishment to our bones.  It is the reason why I have tapered down in my running due to my injury. 

 And that is exactly what I’ve been doing.  Sort of. 

I’ll have you know, I went through a whole 2 weeks without running of any kind!  The longer summer days have enabled me to get a few laps of swimming in before I go to work.   I signed up for the Duke’s ocean mile swim in Waikiki in August.   

However, I confess,  I couldn’t cut running out of my life completely.  I’m an addict!  But I have  cut down on my miles significantly.   And I practiced more restraint, when signing up for the Koolina races this year.  Instead, of running in the 10 K like I usually do, I’ll be racing in my first aquathlon (harder to say than spell). How is that cutting back you wonder?  Well an aquathlon which consists of a 500 meter swim, followed by a 5 k run.  So I’m not running as much, just replacing it with swimming. Doesn’t  that sound fun?   So I rest,  then I’ll train.  

And then there’s the spiritual, emotional rest.  I constantly long to come rest at the feet of Jesus.  But sometimes, that is a struggle in today’s world. 

Rest, rest, rest sounds so nice.   I sit here trying to rest in God’s presence but surrounded by the noise of the world, the push and pull of the obligations in my mind.  I start out well, but soon start to think of the grocery list, schedule and when will I finally get to cleaning that clutter spot in the corner of my room. 

How do I get to the feet of Jesus when I feel constantly pulled in one direction?  I think this takes practice and a lot of conscious decisions.   There was a point this past month I was feeling  discouraged because I couldn’t make it out to this prayer service one night that I’ve been wanting to go to for a long time with my life group sisters.   As a consequence of a car accident my husband was in, (thankfully, he wasn’t hurt) leaving us with one car, so I was not able to go.   But isn’t this where you want me to go, Lord? This  churchy, peaceful function.  Come to your feet? But sorry, I’m just having a little trouble getting there.   But then He reminded me something while I was reading from 1Chronicles, a book which by the way has lots of great gory battles,  wars and fights that would make John Wick look like a Disney movie.  That John Wick, all he wanted was a peaceful life, with his dog.   And that’s also what  a group of warriors who came to David wanted as I read in 1 Chronicles.  They just wanted some peace, that is.   They came to submit to His leadership, proclaiming peace to Him.  In the midst of of all that blood, gore, battles and conflict, how can there be peace?  The Hebrew word for peace, shalom conveys the idea of completeness including physical safety and spiritual well being. Yet it is also a peace based on God’s presence, NOT on the surrounding circumstances.   We can find peace  in the midst of the battle.   We can find peace even when plans don’t go our way, even if its to make it to a churchy function.  We can find comfort in this, even during our own battles.  No matter what personal conflicts we face, God is in complete control of our life!   Thank you Father for this revelation!  

June 12, 2019

So I guess its about time.  I  finally made my appointment with the doctor about my running injury that’s been slowly building up for the past seven years.      I’m vaguely calling it  a hamstring/adductor strain until it gets officially diagnosed. 

So off to my sports medicine appointment I go. 

After sharing my story, being poked at,  legs turned this way and that, I hear  the doctor’s working assessment: adductor tendonitis. Yep, figured as much. 

Plan: x ray , then MRI, to definitively diagnose.  Didn’t expect that part. 

Conservative treatment: continue what I’m doing with the stretching, work on my core.  Abs of steel!  

Ok, I can do that.  

Possible steroid injection,  ouch! Especially for the area where the adductor tendon meets the pubic bone.  

Prognosis?   Would I be able to run my long distances again?  She says, ‘I always like to remain hopeful’. Hey, me too! Ok, I kinda like this doctor.  

Oh and by the way , when she was reviewing my x ray, I have early arthritis in my right hip.  WHAT THE?!  I’m an old arthritic lady!?  Please don’t tell my mom,  who is under the impression that running causes arthritis, which it doesn’t.    She will never let me live it down.  I’ll shoot my eye out!    

June 28

I usually don’t check my weight on a scale.   Actually, I’ve made it a point to avoid the scale for as long as I can because I know what damage it can do to this woman’s psyche.  But then,  I started to notice my pants feel a little tighter around the waist, so I just had to check.   To my dismay, I gained a whopping #@!  pounds!  That might not seem like a lot , but that’s #@!  higher  than I normally am.  Let’s face it, every woman thinks about their weight no matter what size.  It’s only this woman was blessed to not have to think about it too much.  Well, with the exception of my pregnancies.  I ran long distance all the time so I was able to eat as much as I want.  Well, not exactly.  And now that I have cut back on my running, but still ate the same.   Well, I don’t think I have to do the math.   And its not so much about vanity.  Ok, maybe a little, but when you come to the point when your clothes are cutting off your circulation, after lunch when you sit at your desk at work, something must be done.   And I’m not about to go off to the store to buy pants in a bigger size.    I’ve also noticed my energy hasn’t been the same.   I sleep fine, but by 3 pm in the afternoon I’m just mentally exhausted.  So this brings me to this journey.   The journey to become a little healthier and really get ready for my racing events I mentioned above.   

So I started doing some research, and planning,   a lot of planning.   I’m really. Not one for fad diets.  I hate the word diet, but rather like to look at it as a way of better eating, better eating.   

And this will further help my patients and you, the greater good.  You see, they don’t really teach us docs a lot about nutrition in medical school, I’m sad to say. 

I’ve recently become attracted to the Paleo diet, because it just makes sense to me.  The Paleo diet is also called stone age or cave man diet.  It is designed along the idea that the healthiest way to live is to eat only those foods we assume were eaten during the Paleolithic or ‘caveman’ era: fish, meat, eggs, nuts, leafy greens, etc.  Any foods associated with farming or processing are excluded from the diet, such as sugars, breads, alcohol, and dairy products. So, I can still have my meat!  And I have seen first hand improvement in my patient’s inflammatory conditions of those who have chosen this lifestyle. 

So I find myself  watching  food documentaries on the Keto and Paleo Diets.   ‘You’re not becoming one of those tree huggers, are you?’, my husband asked.  No, but it sounds so nice and idealistic, living off the land, eating whole foods, just as God intended.  But a little more difficult  when putting it into practice in today’s world.   

So I planned, meal prepped and implemented. 

I’m now on my second week of this.  I have to say , I do feel a little more energetic.  Weight’s slowly, slowly, coming down.   And even more importantly, there are improvements in my digestive system.  Ever since, I had eighteen centimeters of my small intestine cut out, after my bout with small bowel obstruction a few years back, my digestion hasn’t been the same.  But since, I’ve been eating this way,  I’ve had less stomach upset.  I plan to stick with this, at least until my Aquathlon event in a couple of months. So stay tuned for updates. 

In all of this, in my quiet times ,the rare but precious moments I do come to the feet of Jesus in prayer or reading time, God is so good to speak to me…

He warns me not to find fulfillment in this alone, diets, staying healthy, but what God can only provide.   

But wait,  is it not good to take care of one’s body?   It is after all, the temple of the Holy Spirit (1Corinthians 3:16).   Not to mention, its what I base my living on.  Yes, we should take care of our bodies so that they can serve God’s purposes effectively (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)  We must remember what Paul argues in Romans 14, our faith is not based on what we eat.    In Matthew 6, Jesus teaches us not to worry about what we eat.  It can be easy to obsess over material things, fad diets, a number on a scale, but these things can distract us from the heart of God.  And it can make it difficult to get us to the feet of Jesus to find our true spiritual rest.  Our main focus needs to be on eternal, or spiritual things.   We should let the Holy Spirit direct our decisions (Ephesians 5:18).   If God is directing me to follow a Paleo diet, then I can do it with a clear conscience never assuming that I am somehow closer to God because of it.  Jesus says, ‘Its not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart (Mark 7:15.    And always keeping in mind he is ultimately the boss that keeps my body and bones healthy. 

-thank you for letting me share, 

-Hopeful girl, Janette

Sober for 4 years and a couple of Paleo shakes.