I thought I would give an explanation about where I grocery shop and why, more of why food is important to me and mostly how God is so good.
I have a reason for where I shop and it's not because Trader Joe's makes me feel eccentric and free-spirited... well that may be part of my reason. But the reasoning does make sense it just may take me a while to get to it.... which is how I roll if you've ever heard me give any sort of explanation... so here goes.
Since my husband and I got married we decided we would go to Giant Eagle. It's right behind our apartment so it's the most convenient thing ever. I didn't really give it or the food I was buying much thought. I mean I did look, on occasion, at what was in the stuff, I mean food, I was buying. But, for the most part we were satisfied.
It wasn't until this past year that we've been thinking more about what we are eating. And, I think the biggest reason is because of my Crohn's. That Crohn's, always creeping in and stealing the show. This time in a good way. I really, truly started to believe that what we put into our bodies has a huge effect on how we feel. Let me explain my recent epiphany.
About a year ago my Crohn's symptoms started getting worse. Instead of a slight discomfort every so often after meals it was a painful-feels-like-my-intestines-were-being-squeezed-in-a-vice feeling after almost every meal, well 3 hours after (that's about the time your food is making its journey through your small intestine). And after some doctor visits, a colonoscopy, and other various procedures, I found out a part of my small intestine was narrowing and the inflammation was restricting the normal passage of food... phew... alright with all that being said, something had to be done. My doctor suggested steroids and if that didn't work injections of a medication that's usually prescribed for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. I won't get into all the details of why those meds, what they do exactly, and how.
I'll just say that I was a little scared. The long-term side effects of the injections were yucky, no fun at all. Even though my doctor said that many people with Crohn's were doing it and they were doing very well. I still had zero peace about it. I did decide to go on the steroid at first. It was a very low dose and meant to target exactly where the problem was. I was to take it and taper off of it and see how I was feeling. Well I did and I wasn't feeling too grand. So, back to the other option. My response... I found myself overwhelmed and feeling very frightened. All I remember is sitting on my bed crying with my husband asking what was wrong and all I could mutter out was... "I don't want to get cancer!" It's a possible, down-the-road side effect of the injections. It was at that point that I thought, I can't do this, it's not fair to Jeff, it's not fair to my future children, and it can't be what God wants, it just can't. Having a disease and then later on getting another just to treat the first. It didn't make sense to me. It seemed absurd.
So we asked if I could try the steroid again and in the meantime try, really try, to eat better, eat smaller meals, do whatever it took. And, PRAY. That was huge. I needed my God, my Father, my Lord, to heal me.
We prayed. And prayed. And prayed some more. There were times I would be alone and cry out to God to be near, to bring peace to my soul, and to bring healing to my body. And over and over again I heard His words speak gently to my soul. Be still and know I am God. And I began praying and praising. Praising God for making my body, praising Him for knowing my inward parts far more than anyone else, praising Him for being my Creator who cares about the work He created. And then praying that the God of my being would heal the very body He formed with His mighty hands.
Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised! Was I healed from my Crohn's? No, not completely. Did my God bring healing to the part in my intestines that caused so much pain? Yes! I am not on the steroid anymore and have gone nowhere near the other medication option. Because my God is good. Is there a chance that this could happen again? Of course, I'm living with Crohn's every day, but I also live and abide in my Savior every day.
And about the eating better part. I believe I learned things about food (I'm still learning) and started buying food that didn't have 'junk' in it. Which is why I l-o-v-e Trader Joe's. We do go to Giant Eagle still but that's only for 10% of the things we can't find at TJ's. Let me assure you I am not a health food nut, I don't eat all organic, and I love myself some pizza, chocolate cake, and of course... ice cream. But my philosophy, "everything in moderation," with the exception of ice cream.
So, all of this to say my God is wonderful and mighty. I am learning more and more how to cook healthy, what foods to stay away from, and that my body was created by the Master Artist. And to defile or put in anything to make His masterpiece less than what He intends is not believing that I am truly "fearfully and wonderfully made." I'm not always making the best choices, but I do have a desire to feed myself and my family what can best equip us for the work He has planned.
In a nut shell... it's all for our good and His glory.
For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.
-Psalm 139:13-14
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