As the title of my last post goes, "Are you hungry?" and now I will add! "Well, pay attention to what you eat, because it DOES matter!!" Literally!!

Most of us have struggled with one aspect of our diet or another over the years...whether it was to give up meat, stop using dairy, or cut back on the chocolate and heavy suppers before bedtime. While meat or chocolate has not been a super big temptation to me, I have to admit that most other sweet stuff has been. I love coming up with new dessert concoctions and cookies, and I can make the bestest real cheesecakes in the whole world...I got the recipe from my mom! When I was a kid, I even use to sneak sugar by the cupfuls from the sugar jar and go eat it in the cornfield where no one would find me! ;-) (Maybe that's why I turned out sooo sweet! Ha ha! ;-) No seriously, that's probably why I've had such a struggle breaking the SUGAR addiction! It's actually amazing I don't have more cavities for all the sugar my poor body has been subjected to over my times of intemperance.)

Praise the Lord, God is gracious, and when we cry out to Him for help, He does give us help. And if we allow Him, He will be master of the things that try to master us!

Diet and nutrition has become a really important issue to me over the last 10 years, and while I still have my struggles from time to time, I really have been seeking with God's power to live as healthfully as possible. As a result, especially when I'm at work, I'm constantly being questioned about my food choices...my lifestyle...and eventually my faith! (Funny how those things fall into line!)

A little while back I was eating something healthy, but strange looking. My co-worker, a fellow nurse, began to question me. "What are you eating? Why would you eat that? So you don't eat meat? Why? What do you believe?"....and so the conversation went as I munched my veggie casserole and he munched his meatloaf. As it turned out, he was of another faith (works oriented) and desired a personal relationship with God, but didn't know how to have that. He opened up a lot to me about his life and struggles with God. We ended up having a Bible study conversation at the nurses station, in between taking care of our patients, all the rest of the afternoon! WOW!!! Later I gave him a Great Controversary and DVD called Final Events. He was excited and said he would check them out! (I continue to pray for him because I know if he's really interested in getting to know God better, this stuff will change his life!) And to think, all of this would not have happened if I hadn't been eating something strange and healthy...

Another time, also at work, I was eating something healthy...but a bit more attractive looking! ;-) "What is that? That looks good? How'd you make it? You mean, it's not with real cheese? No dairy? That's delicious! So have you always been a vegetarian? Have you always cooked without dairy? What kind of religious background are you? What do they believe?" and so the conversation went. It turned out that the inquisitive one had quite the distorted views about what it meant to live and eat healthy, as well as what being a Christian was all about...and we had an awesome conversation over lunch, about food, life and God. It had an impact too, because over the last couple months she has continued to talk to me, confide in me, and question me about lifestyle issues. And all because I was eating something that was healthy and attractive. (See, everything healthy doesn't HAVE to look weird!)

These are just a couple of experiences that have repeated themselves over and over again with my non-Christian friends and fellow co-workers over the last few years. Amazing how a conversation over food can take you soo quickly to deeper issues, isn't it? And no wonder it's sooo important that, like Jesus in the temptations in the wilderness, we also must first conquer in the area of "appetite" before we can truly live and be an effective witness for Him in other areas. Hmmm.....

And so the devil continues to attack us...especially in this area! "Eat this, eat that, don't worry about a little of this or more of that...it's not that big a difference...God doesn't really care...does He?"

I don't share these thoughts and experiences to boast...for I am still a struggler along the path, seeking for daily victory! But I have to smile today, as I see how God desires to work if I will cooperate and let Him.

I was in a rush for work this morning and didn't take time to pack a healthy interesting lunch. "I'll just get something from the cafe at the hospital. If nothing else, they've got the garden-burger I can eat!"

Well, work went well...not too stressful...and I was able to take my lunch break on time. Sure enough, the garden-burger was really the only edible thing on the menu...but then there was the desserts. Seldom do I buy their desserts, but every now and then I succumb to something rich. Today the temptation was cheesecake. (Yes, I confess, I still have a taste for real cheesecake!) I actually took the cheesecake out of the fridge and had it in my hands and headed toward the register, then I stopped. "Wait a second! What am I doing? This isn't healthy! I don't need this!!" I paused a second, then turned and put it back. (Praise God for strength, because the temptation was pretty strong.) Despite not having the cheesecake, the garden-burger, potato strips and my veggies turned out to be excellent.

Later in the afternoon someone came and brought cookies and sweets. As one co-worker offered me a treat and I politely refused, another co-worker spoke up..."Don't you know, Melody doesn't eat that kind of stuff? She eats really healthy! If I could just go live with her, I'd probably loose all my weight and be healthy too! Tell them what you ate for lunch Melody!" (She had no clue, she just knew I ate healthy!) And thus I suddenly had the entire nursing crew in audience as I turned red at my co-workers remarks. So I had to explain what I had eaten. (Praise the Lord, cheesecake wasn't on the menu!!!) And the question's continued about my faith and background. It turned out one lady was wanting to loose weight and go on the "Atkin's Diet" and we ended up having this really cool conversation about lifestyle and basic diet principals. Things she had never heard or thought about before. I could really tell that God was giving me the right words to stay...and the boldness to share things I might not have shared normally. I will continue to pray for my friends and fellow co-workers.

But again, all this would never have happened if I hadn't chosen to eat something healthy today!! So I encourage all my friends and family to pay attention to what you eat...because it really does matter. Both for your own health, and for the health of those watching!! ;-)