The question was, "What moments make you feel closest to God?" The answers varied from most of the women attending the bible study that night, but the theme was common; "In times of need." One woman said she wished she could always keep that feeling. She was speaking of that feeling of closeness to God when you are in such desperate need of his help. That feeling you have when you are praying so intensely you can feel him holding you. She wasn’t wishing for the circumstances, but only that wonderful feeling.
There is an e-mail circulating entitled An Interview with God. Maybe some of you received it as well. One of the quotes ‘from God’ about what amazed him about human kind was that they "spend their lives making money at the expense of their health, and then spend their money to save their health." This also goes to spending so much time outside the home that we as Americans are eating out on average 4 times a week for the sake of saving time. That means we are not in the kitchen which means no healthy homemade meals. Children like what is familiar. Make what is familiar the healthiest choice. The last thing we want to do is find ourselves feeling so close to God because we are praying for our health or our children’s health at much too early of an age.
We want to feel close to God because we are so filled with gratitude and appreciation for everything good in our lives including our health. We have all heard the old cliché from our elders, "At least I’ve got my health."
History shows us something. My grandmother exercised before it was cool, running and walking 3 miles most days. She would smash an avocado onto her skin and rub it in because it was good for her skin, she rinsed her mouth out after eating if she couldn’t brush her teeth, and I remember she froze the opened chip bag. I never understood the frozen chips until now. She didn’t eat chips and she was resourceful. It was for gatherings, not for daily food intake. She is healthy and she cooked. My other grandmother cooked and froze food like no tomorrow. She had a freezer and rotated the food FIFO. Amazing. My mom always had healthy snacks for us. Artichokes, avocados, cottage cheese and pears, fruit available always and veggies at every dinner and she served our dinner on small plates. These women could write every health book that is out on the market today. Of course they all fell into the trap of new creations like margarine made of trans fats before we knew it was harmful and they also cooked with lard and lived in the meat and potato era. The good the bad and the ugly.
The healthy snacks I just mentioned take no time at all. They take less time than a drive through or dining out. Of course you still need time to shop, offer or prepare foods, and then clean up. Boiling water for edamame and whole grain spaghetti does not take long. Serve crunchy fresh veggies on the side. Sweet potatoes make a great after school snack and so does an artichoke. These can be baked or steamed ahead of time and served the next day. Snacks can be bean and corn salsa. Roll it in a corn tortilla for a fast meal. Reaching for peanut butter and an apple is fast. Make eggs for dinner with toast and fruit. Toss seeds or nuts in a salad. Make extra turkey meatballs and freeze them, or extra turkey meatloaf to freeze. Leftover chicken can make a mean quesadilla, or toss it with pasta or add it to a salad. Planning is instrumental. When you plan meals you eliminate stress and create what you plan. It makes meal preparation achievable.
When you say your prayers today, pray for healthy children. Pray for the strength to make healthier choices for your family and pray that your children grow to love and crave healthy foods. Pray so intensely that you feel so close to God because you are grateful for the strength he has given you to make this a priority. The bible says our body is a temple. Thank God everyday for your body, a temple, and its good health.
