30 Days Without Sugar

Character training is a major part of parenting.  Right now, the lesson of obedience seems to be the theme with both of our kids.  (I've been quoting Ephesians 6:1 to them a lot!)  As I prayed about the issues of disobedience that have been cropping up, the Lord reminded me that He'd challenged me a month ago to give up sugar for a while.  I'd ignored it and kept on doing what I wanted to do.

Then I saw the irony of it, how could I continue to ask for help with my children's disobedience without addressing my own?  Well, what better way to teach obedience than to model it?

Yesterday I decided to say good-bye to sugar for thirty days.

Yesterday was a rough day!  My mind kept screaming..."Give me something sweet to eat!!"

Chai is my morning "coffee".  I think this has been the hardest thing to give up!

Today hasn't been easy (or pretty) either.

I'm realizing that sweet foods and drinks are my go-to snacks when I'm feeling stressed, tired, or sorry for myself.  First thing in the morning, and during the tired times in the afternoon, I love to drink Oregon Chai tea.  If the kids are being unusually loud, rowdy, or naughty... I surreptitiously gobble a Dove chocolate.  Late at night I often have cold cereal before bed.  Problem is, all our cold cereal options are high in sugar too.  Telling myself no to these treats is a bummer!

My favorite go-to stress reliever.  One chocolate, not the whole bag :)

However, I know that eliminating sugary foods is good for me.  If nothing else, it's helping me to eat better.  Oh, and food already tastes better too.  Crazy, but the natural flavors are more obvious when you're avoiding sweets.  Another bonus is that I do feel better about myself.  It feels good to do something healthy and a bit radical.

When stressed, this was my snack of choice today...sliced and dipped in Adam's peanut butter.

I wonder what other benefits there will be from this 30 day sugar fast?  I think God has some things to teach me.  Things that have nothing to do with food, sugar, or eating per se.  I'm praying that He'll do a good work in me, and help me to not have a bad attitude about what I'm giving up for a while.  I'll be blogging now and then to share the journey and the lessons that go with it.

What changes are you making in your life?  Is there something you've felt challenged to do, but haven't started yet?  Maybe today is your day to start.