Think In Moderation

One of the hurdles I’ve been working on overcoming has been the extreme, all or nothing, kind of thinking. This approach to life can often lead to eating disorders and addictions. It certainly did with me. If I wasn’t astonishingly beautiful, I was ugly. If I wasn’t impossibly rail thin, I was grotesquely obese. If I wasn’t completely perfect, then I was a miserable failure. Extremes. But none of it was healthy or orderly. And, like the scripture goes… “Let all things be done decently and in order.” 1 Corinthians 14:40 Yeah. That wasn’t me. Neither was the scripture… "Let your moderation be known to all men". Philippians 4:5 Nope, not me either. Recently, I came across this image and quote from the late Marilyn Monroe. You know, the beauty icon and pop culture symbol. And she makes a great point. While there’s nothing wrong with doing our best in life, each of us needs to be careful not to cross the line into believing we need to attain unrealistic standards of perfection. There’s no doubt Marilyn was beautiful, flawed and had a good heart. That comes through in the images and the stories about her. But she recognizes her inability to attain the impossible perfection does not, however, disqualify and cancel her already existing qualities. And how much more would God’s Word and His beliefs about us do the same thing…if we let that happen? God says the following about us: “Since you were precious in my sight… I have loved you…” Isaiah 43:4 “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…” Psalm 139:14 “O my dove…let me see your form…for your form is lovely.” Song of Solomon 2:14 “…being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 We’re not to have super-inflated ideas of ourselves. God doesn’t want arrogant or prideful thoughts. But we’re not to have a poor, wretched sense of self, either. The point to our lives is not image and perfection; it’s about relationship with God. “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” Micah 6:8 We need to keep in check what are attainable Godly requirements versus what are our own oppressive, rigid rules. Moderation. Balance. Healthy perspective. And no, not easy; it’s often a lifelong, work in progress which is, yes, imperfect. But it can be done; it can be started, now, wherever you and I find ourselves in life. God’s inviting us to think differently about ourselves and our lives? Will we? “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23 Copyright © 2012 by Sheryle Cruse