On January 21st I began a “sugar detox” eating
only berries, lemons, vegetables, wild caught fish, organic chicken and
grass-fed beef, nuts, seeds, apple cider vinegar, coconut oil, herbs and
spices. Although I only use honey, coconut sugar, coconut nectar, dates and
real maple syrup as sweeteners, those are still sugar and the body just needs a
break from that in order to reset the digestive system and cleanse away
anything that is not beneficial. And, truth be told, more than I’d like to
admit, I will skip a meal and just have dessert, so I knew my body needed a
reset. The plan was to stay on the detox until after the 15k Double Bridge Run
on February 2nd.
The day before my sugar detox was to begin, I came down
with the flu. This turned out to be such a blessing because it forced me to eat
really healthy and kept any cravings for sugary foods at bay. I also received a
timely word of encouragement from a good friend:
…let us throw off
everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run
with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the
author and perfecter of our faith… - Hebrews 12:1-2
This was just the word I needed to encourage me in “throwing
off” things that were hindering my hearing from God and running the race (of
life) that He has marked out for me; in doing the work that He has prepared in
advance for me to do (Ephesians 2:10). I was spurred on to stick with my detox
to clear my mind and cleanse my body, while the flu was enabling me to throw
off/sweat out other impurities through the fever. It also gave me an
opportunity to just simply rest and when I felt able, to fix my eyes on Jesus
by looking to God’s word. Because, really, there is just not much good on TV
when you are homebound for 3 days straight and syndicated episodes of Reba (I greatly enjoy that show!) are
only on for a few hours in the morning and a few hours in the evening.
As I looked to God’s word, fixing my eyes on Jesus, I was
reminded that we endure cycles of suffering and restoration. I knew that the
flu was a time of temporary suffering and that God would restore. As the pounding
headache faded and my body began to feel strong, I had the Double Bridge Run in
view. After spending nearly two weeks on the sugar detox, I felt strong and
able for the run even though I had not spent time training. The day before the
run, these words leapt off the pages of Deuteronomy:
…you have stayed
long enough at this mountain. Turn and take your journey and go… - Deuteronomy
1:6-7
I asked God to help me daily, hourly, moment by moment turn and fix my eyes on Jesus. Little did I know that the very next day,
during the run, I would have a perfect picture of what it is to fix your eyes
on the sun (Son). The morning of the run, the temperature was 39 degrees...brrr,
that is COLD! With a gunshot start, I began to make my way through downtown
Pensacola towards the 3 mile bridge to Gulf Breeze. Running across the bridge,
I felt strong and the clear blue sky allowed the sun to shine brilliantly,
sparkling on the water. One thing I noticed as I faced the first mountainous hill
was that if I looked ahead at the incline I became focused on what it would
require of me to overcome it, yet when I looked towards the sun, I was so taken
with its beauty that I didn’t even notice when I began the ascent up the hill.
There were times when the sun was so bright that I had to close my eyes and
just put one foot in front of the other, continuing in faith that as I ran
towards the sun I would persevere. The encouragement of friends in the race and
bystanders along the way helped spur me on to keep a steady pace to the end. Then,
the next big hurdle came and it seemed more steep than the previous, but just as
with other matters of life, God is faithful to His word:
But the Helper, the
Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things
and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. – John 14:26
I was reminded of the last hurdle and how I was given the
power to overcome it, my faith was renewed to believe that this too could and
would be overcome. I just needed to press in to the journey, the race, God had
marked out for me and know and believe that it was for my good. The momentary
pain of conquering the obstacle was only slight compared to the glory of
crossing the finish line in 80 minutes and 25 seconds.
As I waited with the crowd for other friends among the
4,000 runners to cross the finish line, I thought of Hebrews 12:1 and the “great
crowd of witnesses” cheering us on. The excitement in the crowd as runner after
runner made their way to the end of the race was contagious. There is nothing
more exciting than watching someone endure and receive the prize….in a race and
in life.
To celebrate, I had a chocolate shake with a grass-fed beef burger and baked sweet potato fries.
Chocolate Shake
Ingredients
3/4 cup coconut milk
2 frozen bananas
cinnamon, to taste
cocoa to desired chocolateyness
1 Tbsp honey
ice cubes, to meet desired amount of thickness
Combine all ingredients in a Vitamix or high-powered blender. Blend until well combined. Pour into glasses and enjoy! Serves 2.
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