I originally wrote this post on Sunday, November 7th. I had written for about two hours and when I went to publish it either my internet froze (happens a lot here in the campground) or my computer froze and I lost everything after the first PURPLE line below. I was so bummed I just closed up my laptop. And it has taken me to today, to come back online to write…don’t know if it will be just like the post I lost but know it is written from my heart!!!

Day 21: There When You Need It Most

VERSE:“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16 ESV

READ: Hebrews 4:14-16

EXCERPT: Like a child who hurts herself by doing the very thing she knew she shouldn’t have, she runs into her father’s arms for comfort and to mend her wounds. In the same way, we can approach God. Not because of what we have done but because of Christ who “passed through the heavens,” came out victorious, and made us children of God.

GRACE IN ACTION: Whether you were blessed with loving parents or not, consider what unconditional love looks like. What does it mean to have no strings attached to adoration? What would it feel like to know you always had a safe place to land?How could this affect your relationship with food? Determine one way you can begin to walk in this assurance today.

Wow!!! This daily devotion really hit home for me. First, the child who does something that she knows is not okay or safe and still does it and then expects her mama or dad to love her, fix it and make everything all better (from Grace in Action above). And the line from the thought for the day: I’m so grateful for the unconditional love and acceptance You offer me, even on my worst day.

11/10 ~ beginning again…starting with the second line that really spoke to me…unconditional love and acceptance…the first man I can remember just loving me for me, accepting me for me and just loving me because would be my Grandpa George. My mom’s dad.

I have so many happy memories of my Grandpa!!! I think I was 13 in the picture above. I know we were living in Rancho Cordova and Grandpa was living with us. One of my craziest memories of him was one day he told me to sweep “around” the kitchen. So that’s what I did. I swept around the kitchen. Needless to say, he wasn’t very happy with me and I remember him telling me “girl, sweep the whole kitchen!!! someday you are going to have a husband and do you think he would be happy with you if you really only swept around the kitchen?” In the 45+ years I have been married to my sweetie I can’t tell you how many times I have thought about that day!!! And when I had teenagers I totally understood what he meant!!!

Probably one of the most precious memories of my Grandpa was when Brandon was born. I wanted to nickname him Brandy and Anne, Ron’s mom, told me he wasn’t a jug of booze BUT you know what, my Grandpa always referred to him as Brandy!!! When Brandon was six months old, my Aunt Joan and Grandpa came up to Washington state to spend a few days with us. That was the last time I saw my Grandpa alive…he died two years later on Halloween. But we talked often on the phone and I am so thankful for those calls. He always reminded me that my job was to be the best wife and mom I could be. I wish I could say I have always been the best wife/mom but that would be a lie. I have struggled in those roles but through it all, I knew my Grandpa loved me, loved me for me, loved my boys even though he only saw them a few times and he loved Ron, even though he was in the Air Force and rode a motorcycle…but he loved me…unconditionally and always. Even when I didn’t sweep the floor right. LOL!!!

The second man to love me unconditionally is my sweet hubby, Ron.

He has been the real human example of how God loves unconditionally. He has loved me through the good times and hard times, through laughter and tears. And every day he tells me he loves me. I used to tease him and tell him he only loved me because God told him he had too…he would get so mad at me for saying that BUT that was how I felt…I didn’t think I was worthy or deserved his love…like how I felt about God too! I can remember asking Ron many times…why do you love me?? And how often he had to reassure me of his love. I am so thankful that Ron never gave up on me and continues to love me just the way I am!

The second line (well the first one) is about the child who does what she/he knows is wrong but does it anyway hoping and believing that her mama or daddy would just love her anyway…Oh how I wished for that mama or daddy…the same little girl standing with her Grandpa, just wanted her mama and daddy to just love her, not condemn her, not judge her, not call her names just love her. And that brings me back to God loving me unconditionally. And how I am making peace with food ~ not judging whether food is good or bad…it’s just food. And with God loving me unconditionally learning to love myself the same way. And extending grace to myself just as God extends grace to me and I am so willing to extend to others.

Reflecting on

I am reminded that God, as Jesus while walking here on earth was tempted in the same ways that I am tempted. I have been trying to be more in relationship with the Lord when it comes to my eating, how much I eat, when I eat and what I eat. Just this evening when we were at The Gathering at church ~ we were fellowshipping and sharing a meal together. I tried to be selective on what I was taking but the pumpkin pie was so tempting and there was whip cream to go with it…one of my favorites that I usually only eat around Thanksgiving. I asked Ron if he would get me a small slice with some whip cream.

In my mind I pictured this:

But this is what he brought:

I was disappointed…BUT by the time I finished the ham, half the baked potato, some salad, a slice of bread…I realized I really didn’t want the piece of pie lathered in cool whip…so I took three bites of the filling and the little bit of cool whip and it was okay!!! In fact, it was more than okay, it was enough ~ and that is what I call a win in this journey of making healthy choices!!

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How do you acknowledge a Win in your lives?
For me…a win is feeling GOOD with my choice!!!