Food and thoughts: crowd out, don’t cut out

I found out about the diet advise of “crowd out, don’t cut out,” where it will not work to cut out food that taste good but may not be good for you. So instead of cutting it off completely, crowd it out with good food, and you can still savor some of the tasty stuff in small quantities. 

I realize I have been doing that. For one, I drink a lot of water and I feel quite full as a result. And recently, to stop me from opening up tins of CNY goodies at work, I would pop a Fisherman’s Friend lozenge and that worked fabulously in helping me stay away from cookies and snacks. 

But I’m also crowding out this other one thing. There are some thoughts and worries that I cannot cut out. But it does not help to think or worry about it either. 

So I’m practicing crowding out by replacing my thoughts with better things. I did not crowd it out with serious stuff today but with something simple and easy enough to fill my mind for the time being. 

It worked perfectly.

Philippians 4:6-9 (MSG)

Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious-the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.

pearlie

Be still my soul, the Lord is on your side

pearlie

I'm worried

I have not felt worry for quite awhile but for some reasons, I am feeling it right now. 

I found these sayings helpful. I may not however hold some of the people here in high regard. But for the sake of what they said about worry, I found it helpful nonetheless. 

When you begin to worry, go find something to do. Get busy being a blessing to someone; do something fruitful. Talking about your problem or sitting alone, thinking about it, does no good; it serves only to make you miserable. Above all else, remember that worrying is totally useless. Worrying will not solve your problem. 

~ Joyce Meyer

Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy. 

~ Leo Buscaglia

In a storm of struggles, I have tried to control the elements, clasp the fist tight so as to protect self and happiness. But stress can be an addiction, and worry can be our lunge for control, and we forget the answer to this moment is always yes because of Christ. 

~ Ann Voskamp

If you don't know how to die, don't worry; Nature will tell you what to do on the spot, fully and adequately. She will do this job perfectly for you; don't bother your head about it. 

~ Michel de Montaigne

I believe God is managing affairs and that He doesn't need any advice from me. With God in charge, I believe everything will work out for the best in the end. So what is there to worry about. 

~ Henry Ford

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

~ Philippians 4:6-7 ESV

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life...But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Matthew 6:25a, 33-34 ESV

pearlie 

Migraine and memory loss

I have had migraines since my university days and I've suffered through them with as little medication as possible. I would usually just take painkillers and once in awhile I'd take migraine pills when it's really bad. 

I took some yesterday and I noticed something quite unusual. I found that I could not remember the simplest of stuff, yesterday and today. I was in a few conversation with my boss and colleagues and I could not remember names and words. 

I did some research and learnt that memory loss is one of the many side effects of migraine medication. 

I think that is quite scary and I will now not take any until I really, really cannot stand the pain. 

pearlie

Just feeling sad

It doesn't hurt to feel sad from time to time. 

~ Willie Nelson

Heavy hearts, like heavy clouds in the sky, are best relieved by the letting of a little water.

~ Christopher Morley

The word 'happiness' would love its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness. 

~ Carl Jung

Tears are the summer showers to the soul. 

~ Alfred Austin

Sadness is also a kind of defense. 

~ Ivo Andric

Delicious tears! The heart's own dew. 

~ Letitia Elizabeth Landon

Tears are nature's lotion for the eyes. The eyes see better for being washed by them. 

~ Christian Nestell Bovee 

Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought. 

~ Percy Bysshe Shelley

pearlie 

Trying to get over bad feelings

I did not have a nice day yesterday when something that shouldn't have happened happened. 

I felt bad about it and I didn't want to feel that way and so I kept telling myself that it's okay, but it was not okay. I couldn't for the life of me get the bad feelings off as much as I would want to. I tried very hard to get my mind off the matter but I kept going back to thinking about it. 

I finally decided that I couldn't stop the feelings and that I would have to give it some time and ride along it without any frustrations until it dissipates. 

That was yesterday evening. 

This morning, on my commute to work, I thought I'd watch some TED talks in the car. 

This video was a godsend. It brightened up my morning and then the whole day. And I thank God for it. 

The Agony of Trying to Unsubscribe by James Veitch

I was laughing out loud towards the end of the talk but it was this very last part that I will cherish: 

"Guys, just remember, whenever you feel weighed down, and then the bureaucracy and often mundanity of modern life, don't fight the frustration. Let it be the catalyst for whimsy."

pearlie

The Problem of Pain

I had wanted to blog about the sermon I heard yesterday but I was still mulling about it. It's on John 16:16-33, where Jesus was speaking to his twelve disciples before he prayed the pastoral prayer in chapter 17. 

The gist of the sermon was that the greatest of things come through pain and suffering. Jesus's usage of the childbirth metaphor (16:21) points exactly to the fact that we will suffer and there will be anguish and pain. There will groaning and moaning. This is all part and parcel of life. 

But there is a purpose to the pain. It is temporary though it might feel like eternity and we will feel that we are stuck. But when the baby is born, the anguish will be turned to joy, immense and lasting joy.

The basis of this joy is the very presence of the resurrected Jesus. The deep abiding assurance through his death and ressurrection. 

I love how the pastor put it but I was also wondering about pain. It is a necessity for us as his children, at least here on earth, that we suffer and bear the pain through him, so that we will be comforted through Christ, for he had suffered for us, for our comfort (2 Cor 1:3-5). It is through pain that we recognize who we are in Christ, sinners who need his redemption and salvation. 

But we don't look forward to pain. We want to avoid it. We prefer not to feel pain and suffering. We do not want to be stuck. And as much as we do expect life to be painful sometimes, we don't actively look for it, to flagellate ourselves with it. How then? Should we work hard to avoid it or should we welcome it gladly?

This reminded me of a book I read more than thirteen years ago - The Problem of Pain by CS Lewis. I thought it was a good time for me to reread it and I started looking for its e-version. I found it in The Complete CS Lewis Signature Classics. 

The Complete C.S. Lewis Signature Classics

by C.S. Lewis

The collection holds seven of Lewis's classic: Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, Surprised by Joy, The Four Loves, The Problem of Pain, The Great Divorce and Miracles. (The three other volumes are not included namely A Grief Observed, God in the Dock and The Abolition Man.)

The beauty of it was that it costs only $18.50. Its digital list price was $66.57! I bought it in no time. 

And I've started reading The Problem of Pain. I felt like I'm meeting an old friend, I have not read his books in a long time. Lewis's writing is just amazing. He writes profoundly but yet his words and phrases flows along flawlessly. 

I am not sure if his book will answer my question about pain, but I'm nevertheless looking forward to relearning what I've read so long ago and so long forgotten.  

pearlie