Ah, that delightfully fizzy, slightly citrus, very sweet taste of what I called liquid gold but was more frequently called, Mountain Dew, beckoned my name yet again. I already had 7 delicious cans of it that day. I was so desperate for more that I had robbed my own children’s piggy banks to find just .50 cents so I could drive 20 minutes to the nearest grocery store, now closed, that had a vending machine outside that held the liquid gold I treasured. I devoured it long before I got home and yearned for more. Robbing my kid’s piggy banks had been no easy feat either. I had gotten them small piggy banks that required a key to unlock. Without the key, the only other way to get the money out was to shake and wiggle it while holding it upside down to maneuver a coin (with “hopefully a quarter – oh please God make it a quarter” running through my mind). I unfolded a paperclip that I had, and while tipping the piggy back, I was able to free the change.
Later that day, I cried miserably as I looked at my body while I was taking a bath. The tears streamed down my face and dripped into the bath water. I knew in my gut as well as in my heart that my prized liquid gold was harming my body and adding more than a just a few pounds onto my frame. I despised – hated – what I looked like. I had felt like this many times before but I just couldn’t stop myself. I would continue to knock back can after can of Mountain Dew even while wanting nothing more than to stop. It was then that I realized I had to find a way to stop the insanity. Maybe you can relate to that feeling?
Now today, years later, the craving for Mountain Dew is quite infrequent. It doesn’t even cross my mind much. On the occasion I decide to indulge at a restaurant, rarely can I stand to drink more than a half a glass of it - it is just too sickening sweet for me. Looking back now, I realize the long, heart-wrenching, mind-blowing, body-aching journey that I embarked on that fateful day so many years ago. It was life transforming in so many ways. My struggle still continues on and off today with a myriad of twists and turns fraught with detours and road construction. Along the way, my lust for that liquid gold morphed into other things – snack cakes, donuts, buttery rolls, etc. With each, I had to search out creative ways to keep it hidden and hide all evidence.
Eventually, my struggle propelled me into health coaching. I was determined to overcome the many addictions with food that I was accumulating. As with the Mountain Dew habit, I have conquered many of these fixations, yet I cannot let myself become too relaxed or something else edges in and the temptation to slide back into similar patterns is always present.
I started to realize that if I want to overcome any of my addictions, I couldn’t run forward with only willpower. I would have to change my mindset. Our perspectives and mindset can evolve and change based on what we decide to focus on. I attempted to become more mindful and continued to make positive choices. I saw myself as someone that was worthy of change. I identified hurtful thoughts and false thoughts.
Slowly, with continued effort, those new beliefs changed how I thought which in turn changed how I behaved. As Romans 12:2 states, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” The part where it reads, “let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think” speaks volumes to me!!! Another version words it as, “but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”. I love this definition of the word transformation – “change in form, appearance, nature, or character”.
God can change all aspects of me and that gives me hope. He can renew me – transform me – and he can do the same for you. We just need to ask Him to help us change how we think. It isn’t an easy process but it is highly rewarding and worth every twist, turn and detour along the journey.
Later that day, I cried miserably as I looked at my body while I was taking a bath. The tears streamed down my face and dripped into the bath water. I knew in my gut as well as in my heart that my prized liquid gold was harming my body and adding more than a just a few pounds onto my frame. I despised – hated – what I looked like. I had felt like this many times before but I just couldn’t stop myself. I would continue to knock back can after can of Mountain Dew even while wanting nothing more than to stop. It was then that I realized I had to find a way to stop the insanity. Maybe you can relate to that feeling?
Now today, years later, the craving for Mountain Dew is quite infrequent. It doesn’t even cross my mind much. On the occasion I decide to indulge at a restaurant, rarely can I stand to drink more than a half a glass of it - it is just too sickening sweet for me. Looking back now, I realize the long, heart-wrenching, mind-blowing, body-aching journey that I embarked on that fateful day so many years ago. It was life transforming in so many ways. My struggle still continues on and off today with a myriad of twists and turns fraught with detours and road construction. Along the way, my lust for that liquid gold morphed into other things – snack cakes, donuts, buttery rolls, etc. With each, I had to search out creative ways to keep it hidden and hide all evidence.
Eventually, my struggle propelled me into health coaching. I was determined to overcome the many addictions with food that I was accumulating. As with the Mountain Dew habit, I have conquered many of these fixations, yet I cannot let myself become too relaxed or something else edges in and the temptation to slide back into similar patterns is always present.
I started to realize that if I want to overcome any of my addictions, I couldn’t run forward with only willpower. I would have to change my mindset. Our perspectives and mindset can evolve and change based on what we decide to focus on. I attempted to become more mindful and continued to make positive choices. I saw myself as someone that was worthy of change. I identified hurtful thoughts and false thoughts.
Slowly, with continued effort, those new beliefs changed how I thought which in turn changed how I behaved. As Romans 12:2 states, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” The part where it reads, “let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think” speaks volumes to me!!! Another version words it as, “but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”. I love this definition of the word transformation – “change in form, appearance, nature, or character”.
God can change all aspects of me and that gives me hope. He can renew me – transform me – and he can do the same for you. We just need to ask Him to help us change how we think. It isn’t an easy process but it is highly rewarding and worth every twist, turn and detour along the journey.
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