July 26th. I dreaded the day coming. I came back from Colombia on the 24th, and two days later I had to start what is called a "low iodine diet" in preparation for my annual body scan. This year, I've put it off for two months, but the time has come now, and it's unavoidable.
A "low iodine diet" is when you drink only water and can eat basically fresh fruits, vegetables, and a very small amount of chicken each day. Nothing in a can. No steak or beef. No dairy. No breads. No Diet Coke. No Coffee. No chocolate. No ice cream. You get the idea. You can probably tell where my allegiances might lie and why I've been dreading this diet!
It started July 26th, and it ends August 13th...a few days shy of three weeks. An eternity to me. This all may sound foreign to you, so let me explain. The thyroid cells are the only cells in the body that naturally soak up iodine. Since I had thyroid cancer three years ago, I go through this annual routine. I deprive my body of iodine, then two days before the scan, I swallow a radio-active iodine pill. Any cells that are present in my body will soak up the iodine I've swallowed and actually glow on the body scan. Technology is pretty cool; the diet is not.
It's now August 6th. I'm more than half way through this thing, and I'm happy to report that aside from accidentally eating a few bites of cooked turkey from the refrigerator instead of chicken, I've stuck to this thing 100%. Not an easy task for someone like me with no willpower. "What does this have to do with "GodandMe2theMax" you might ask? Well, through this thing, God is changing my perspective.
You see, I've been pretty miserable through this. I've been dreaming of the 13th and what foods I will eat first. The problem is, I couldn't even decide what I wanted to eat first because my palate is so vast. But this morning I started reading in Daniel. I didn't have to go any further than Daniel chapter one for God to start working on me. Verse eight says, "But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine..." Then in verse twelve Daniel says, "...Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink." (The King James uses the word "pulse" instead of vegetables, which means anything that grows from a seed...that would include fruit!) You gotta love God. Here I am complaining about this diet thing, and there Daniel is requesting it!
Now, we don't know exactly why Daniel didn't want to eat the King's food. Maybe it contained foods forbidden by Jewish law, like pork. Maybe it had not been prepared according to Jewish law, or perhaps it was meat that had been sacrificed and offered to a pagan god. But whatever it was, Daniel felt that eating it would defile himself. What about me? I don't live under the law, I live under grace. I don't believe eating pork is a sin, even though my maternal grandmother had 100% Jewish heritage. So can I really use the same term "defile myself" and actually apply it to my life? Yeah, I think so. No, I know so. I've made years of food choices that have defiled me. My problem is that I like just about everything, and pushing back from the table is not a discipline I've chosen to take up in my life.
Daniel resolved. The King James says Daniel purposed in his heart. Resolve means to form a purpose; to make a decision; especially, to determine after reflection. This morning, I know God is dealing with me. He wants me to resolve these food issues in my heart, too.
Now, not for a second do I think God is telling me to stay on the "Daniel diet" for the rest of my life. That wouldn't be practical or even a realistic goal for me. However, what God is showing me is that over the last few weeks, I've learned to make healthier choices. I've learned that I'm not going to die if I don't have that full feeling in my stomach. And I've learned that Target does sell fresh vegetables, and not just the kind in a can. God is teaching me things I already knew in my head but didn't always rely on in my heart. Things like when I am weak, He is strong. He's reminded me that food doesn't offer the comfort I thought it did, only He can do that. He's giving me peace. He's teaching me self control. He's teaching me contentment...in Him. Hmmm....those are some of the fruits of the Spirit, aren't they? Food for thought. Yes, definitely, He's giving me biblical food for thought this morning.
---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com