Truth Smoothie
Café Menu for Thursday, February 20, 2014
Today’s Special is: Transforming an Infomercial Addict
Carefully prepared just for you by your friend, Noelle Dey
Main Ingredient:
Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.
– 3 John 1:2 NIV
Entrée:
I can’t count how many times I’ve fallen asleep on the couch and woke up to a middle-of-the-night infomercial. “Oh brother,” I’d grumble . . . until . . . I watched for a few minutes. Then I’d actually start to think, “You know, they have a good point.” I’ve caught myself thinking, “My life would be so much better if my blanket had built-in sleeves!” or “I’d be happier if I could just cut my hair with my tank vacuum cleaner!”
That thought process isn’t isolated to infomercials. It has also plagued my life on a more significant level. I’ve bought into society’s “infomercials” that promise me happiness if I just focused on
And then I received the greatest blessing: my mitral valve ruptured and I went into heart failure when I was 28 years old. Sound crazy? Stick with me. Within hours, I went from being an athlete to being on life support. It was during those horrifying days when I learned that John’s words in 3 John 1:2 apply to me. They apply to you!
Heart and mind and body. Each of these components needs consistent attention in order for us to thrive. If any element is lacking, we will find ourselves off-course. I learned that lesson the hard way when I was on a ventilator in the ICU. My heart was literally broken: not just physically, but spiritually. I was living on shallow faith. My mind wasn’t helping either. Instead of using my mind to hear what the Holy Spirit was whispering in my heart, I was drowning in fear. And my body was all but useless. I didn’t have the health, energy, strength or stamina to give God feet and bless others with His love.
Through my trial, God showed me the truth about my heart, mind and body. All needed healing and daily nurturing. When I shared these thoughts with my dear friend and teacher Luann Prater, she said, “It’s all meant to be blended together . . . a truth smoothie!”
Take Out:
Any chance you are like me? Have you taken an infomercial approach, giving your attention to only your heart or your mind or your body? If so, what would it take for you to transform from being an infomercial addict to becoming a truth smoothie?
Take a glance at your calendar for this week. If it’s not already a habit, schedule your quiet times as special dates with God to encourage your heart. Strengthen your mind by filling it with godly inspirations (you can add Encouragement Café podcasts to your iPod or sign up to receive daily devotions in your inbox). Pen in 30-minute workouts. Your body and your self-esteem will reap great rewards whether you power walk with your dog, dance to 80’s music in your bedroom or try a workout video while the kids are napping. When you break it down, wouldn’t you agree that we can all become truth smoothies together? Blend it up friends . . . Cheers!
Dessert:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for making us so wonderfully complex. Your workmanship is marvelous! Thank You for our hearts, minds and bodies. Bless each of us with the wisdom we need to become truth smoothies . . . going from surviving each day to truly thriving, living the life Jesus died to give us. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.
“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13 (NIV)
For more encouragement, visit Noelle at Transformation by Truth where she invites you to chisel your body, sharpen your mind and live from your heart. Check out her book Transformation by Truth: 30 days to a healthy heart, mind and body and Lysa TerKeurst’s book Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire With God, Not Food.
© 2012 by Noelle Dey. All rights reserved
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Originally published Thursday, 20 February 2014.
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