These links—supporting what I wrote in Will for Food, Know your Deficiencies and Back Attack—will help you in your resolve to follow God’s will for your life, discover your nutrient deficiencies and get relief for back (and other) pain:
In Hot Pursuit
Self Nutrition Data
Pain, Pain Go Away
Read and be blessed!
What Do You Think? Wednesday
Monday I began a raw food program that I have been excited about for six months, but as the day unfolded my excitement folded and all I wanted to do was scream. First, my payment registered late so I got my instructions late, got my groceries late, ate my meals late, missed appointed times of exercise, and started the boys’ school day late. I didn’t want to talk, not even to my best friends; I was frustrated, miserable and pitiful.
Finally, with nothing else left to do, I decided to cry out to the Lord. He sent His word, healed me and delivered me out of my destruction (Psalm 107:19-20): He said, “Did you do the best you could do today? Well, that’s all I ask.” With that I was settled, seasoned and done. God added what I needed to my mixed up day and left me the missing ingredient that would have overpowered the others tossed into the mix. I had done my best. I could not control the payment or instructions arrival, the time I was able to get groceries or when I ate the meals or exercised. I emailed. I called. I searched my refrigerator for food on hand. None of these landed me where I wanted to be, but I did do what I could do. And that’s what God asks us all. He has given us a certain amount of talent and ability and He expects us to use to the fullest what He gives us (Matthew 25:13-29). We can do no more and should do no less than that. We have a special obligation to do our very best. Anything less than that or even lamenting about not being able to do better than our best is sin.
Don’t let the sin of perfectionism that so often plagues recovering strong black women—strong women period—keep you from settling into your very best. Remember, we can only bring under control that which is ours to control. God gives us what we can handle and He is the barometer for doing our very best.
What have you done to be your very best? Were your methods within your control? What were your results? Please, tell me what you think.
The clock rang and I barely heard it, calling me to get ready for the Early Risers, the 6:30 Sunday morning prayer service at church. I rolled over, tried to sleep another 40 minutes, but the call and commitment to go pulled harder than my comfortable bed. I debated, contemplated texting that I didn’t feel well enough to come, though I was expected there. I got up, even though prayer just didn’t seem that important. Through the mumbling of thanks in the shower, the slipping on of clothes, the wrapping in my bear coat, covering with my hat, gloves and boots, I bare the day, drive, get there and determine to stay in the moments.
The brothers greet me at the door, commenting on outer warmth, not knowing the cold that still chills my soul. I sit and quietly bow, pray forgiveness for wanting what could never soothe my soul like the soul-cleansing work of talking to Jesus. And we all know this, us gathered here to press into God’s presence, to seek His face to heal or give guidance to what we face. We know we must seek Jesus in the way we know how. So the brother with the jive, who jiggles, reaches, almost dives, gets all the way live for Jesus, is there. The wailer, who drowns, covers all our prayers, is there. The shouter, belly gutting hallelujahs enough for all of us, is there. The singer, melodiously speaking her thoughts to God, is there. The repeater, rhythmically rumbling the same phrases, is there. The pastor, homemaker, government worker, full-time encourager, the hugger and crier have come. We’ve all come, weathering our storms, holding on to cling to the One who wakes us and stays with us all day. For this bunch, I am thankful.
My One Thousand Gifts List
#411-420
Hosting unexpected guests
Forgetting that I was supposed to have “me time” away from the house today
Flynn grocery shopping and buying dinner so I didn’t have to cook
Getting to bed before 11 p.m.
The children going to sleep without a fight
Awaking with little anxiety about the long day
Recording six vlog takes before I had to go see about Justus
Not fretting when I couldn’t find my old computer CD files and remembering that they might be on my desktop (and they were)
Not fretting about the possibility of losing my work when the Internet was tripping
Seeing that my video upload was complete after the Internet was tripping
I know when I haven’t had enough leafy greens in my diet. My pounding headache tells me so. As soon as I eat some cabbage or collards or juice a fresh green drink, my headache ceases. Though I haven’t narrowed down the exact issue I have at the time, I know that whatever these foods have in common keeps me from having a headache. In fact, many foods we eat protect us from common ailments, but if we don’t know what vitamins and minerals we lack, we may be suffering with the solution just a food away. Here are a few common issues that I have dealt with and what nutrients I found I lacked that improved my problems:
Anxiety—magnesium, manganese
Arthritis/Back pain—manganese
Colds—Protein
Exhaustion—Vitamin B12, manganese
Grey hair—copper
Hair loss—zinc
• Know what the recommended daily allowance (RDA) is for all nutrients. Ask your doctor or check a website like this one.
• Check to see if you have a deficiency. Once you know the RDAs, compare them with your intake. You may have to read food labels and keep a food diary to ascertain this.
• Strive to get the nutrients you need. Simply make an effort to eat so that you obtain the RDAs. Choose foods that have the higher amounts of nutrients you need so you aren’t overeating.
• Stand back and see the difference. Once you start giving your body what it needs, you’ll probably look and feel better and this should be enough to help you continue to make the healthy choices that you need.
This game they play never changes, but my son Nathaniel gets scared every time. He’s three and stocky and throws his weight around on Joshua, my 9 year old, and on Justus, my 2 year old, not knowing his own power. I call him my “chunky monkey” and this is when the throwing stops and the leaning into me begins. Hearing “chunky monkey” makes him want to cuddle and kiss, to rest from the rest of the world; the sound of love comforts him. He knows that Mama loves him, all of him, and he rests in that. But when he and Joshua, at Nathaniel’s prompting, play the game of ghost, there seems to be nothing I can say to get Nathaniel to not be afraid.
Sometimes Joshua covers himself with a blanket. Other times he simply presents himself to Nathaniel with increasingly loud and longer ghost sounds: “Oooo…Oooooo…Oooooooo.” And every time Nathaniel comes to me with some expression of fright. Always running to me crying or on the verge of tears he says, “I’m scared,” “It’s a ghost,” or “Joshua scared me.” I tell him, “It’s Josh. See. It’s just Joshua. You know who he is. Why are you afraid?” 
Then I know the answer because we grown (recovering) strong black women do what Nate does too.
We recognize the devil or someone’s flesh in operation and we get afraid. We don’t cower like Nate, but instead of resting in Jesus—allowing Him to fight our battles, we gear up and do our own bidding. We, out of fear of being conquered, seek to fight our own way. We, so deft at making a way and saving the day, move out of fear. We forget who the enemy is; we forget who God is; and we forget who we really are.
• Satan is defeated (Hebrews 2:14).
• God is defeater (Revelation 1:18).
• We belong to God so the victory is already ours (1 Corinthians 15:57).
I said the victory is already ours. Sometimes we have to wait on a word from God to make a move or know when to be still or keep our mouths shut or when to follow our gut. We have to let God tell us what to do in that new moment because the old instructions just might not do (Remember Moses striking instead of speaking to the rock—Compare Exodus 17:5-6 to Numbers 20:7-12). We can’t let our enemies’ sounds and appearances make us fear to strike instead of speak. Sounds and appearances are just costumes of the weak used to fool us into thinking we’re weak. We cannot be fooled, can’t afford to be fooled to fight with our flesh. Doing so negates our best—our God-given power to navigate and squash the mess that comes our way. We have an obligation to remember who the enemy is, remember who God is and to remember who we are. This is how we live a victorious life and free from the demands of fear.
What has fear caused you to do? What do you do to remember who you really are? Please, tell me what you think.