The Big Picture

Since our return from our Oregon coast vacation I have had a theme rolling around in my head. One morning while we were walking along the beach I was walking with my eyes toward the ground. I was enjoying the sights of the sand, the weird looking seaweed that had washed up, the awesome smooth black rocks that were lining the shore. I was looking for treasures that I don't ordinarily see in my home life. I stopped and took the time to look out on the horizon and something that I had read many years ago when I started homeschooling our children popped into my mind. The author of the article stated that children were losing their ability to focus at a distance since our lives don't include much gazing into the distance anymore. It struck me that I was missing the "Big Picture" of the whole ocean by only staring at the small area beneath my feet.
                                                                              

That thought became a theme that has been rolling around in my brain since. I have missed out on the "Big Picture" in my spiritual life at many times. I have become caught up in the "doing" of so many things. Bible studies, helping at church, community service, attending church. While these are all very great things there are times when they have become the focus rather than looking at the "Big Picture" of what God really wants me to be doing. My relationship with Him is the most important thing. Not the immediate details that sometimes overshadow the total picture of what my relationship with God looks like. 
                                                                             

It is so easy on a weight loss journey to get caught up in the immediate things that are right beside me. I completely plan my food the night before. I have it planned right down to the snack what I will eat.
 I plan out my weekly exercise around my piano teaching schedule, our family activities, my time commitments and the schedule of the household. I have planned which days I will do cardio and which days I will do strength training.  I know that for me to be successful with the changes that I am making in regards to my health and choices I need to have a plan so I don't act on impulse. These are details that I must focus on to stay honest with the changes that I am making.

This was the first week since January that I have truly had more than a momentary struggle. It has been a week full of emotional challenges that in the past would have driven me to try to nurture myself with food. My weight loss has naturally slowed a bit but when I honestly sat down and looked at my food tracker I could see that this week I was pushing my boundaries on a daily basis. It was time to look past the important details right at my feet and look at the "Big Picture" and into the horizon. It was time to admit to a friend that I was struggling. It was time to admit to myself that I was feeling wounded. It was time to work through the emotions that in the past would have had my stuffing food into my face to "nurture" myself.
                                                                                 

 The things that are right at my feet, tracking, planning, exercise, are all important. Even more important is learning healthy life skills to deal with my emotions and how I handle stress. After honestly looking what I was doing and how I was pushing boundaries and headed back towards former habits I made a turn around. I looked at the Big Picture and made the decision to make my next choice a healthy one.