When You Can't Keep Up with Health Culture
I can’t pronounce “La Croix.” Unlike my cultured French-speaking husband, I don’t even attempt the French accent. I say, “La Croy,” or more accurately, “La Kroger;” since I buy the generic cans of sparkling water.
My right to consume a beverage and own my pleasure in it doesn't hinge on my ability to perfect the pronunciation.
However, when I go to a fancy health-foods restaurant and ask my friends why they are putting satan on the menu (must have been a typo), somebody Googles it and announces that “seiten” is wheat meat and not, in fact, some new type of “devil’s food cake.” I stand corrected.
I am an adventurous eater, but I hate feeling dumb. What I fear even more than looking stupid is making others feel that way.
Removing Barriers for the Sake of the Gospel
In a recent post, I described an “anti-inflammatory” food. A reader pointed out to me that she didn’t know what that meant, and since I didn’t define it, I assumed she should know what this means. For the reader who avoids healthy living blogs like mine because she feels a secret shame over the neglect of her body, I did a disservice by staying in my own bubble and forgetting to step into the reader’s shoes. Shame is an unwelcome barrier to getting and staying healthy.
My desire is to take away the barriers to healthy living, as Jesus took away the wall of hostility between us and God and gave us the gospel, free of charge. I intentionally give away recipes and exercises on Instagram to inspire and educate out of an overflow of joy for health. Most of my workouts only require your own bodyweight, because I don’t want a gym membership or expensive equipment to get in the way of movement. I will never promote any one product to you for my own profit, because I don’t believe there is any one-size-fits-all program or prescription.
If I plate food pretty and take a picture, it’s because I tend to be captivated by beauty, and want to make healthy food more appealing than pizza.
If I take time out of my Saturday to go shoot an exercise video in a location with a brick background instead of a dirty laundry pile, it’s because I want to take away any distractions between you and understanding how to move your body well.
When I post Scripture with a plain white background and the same solid black font, it’s because I want to share the Word of God as it is and let the Spirit speak to you in His own way.
I might be able to inspire you to eat whole foods and move more, but my true delight is in seeing you live in freedom. Shame is a barrier to freedom. Me acting like I have reached the epitome of health, speaking down in a language out of reach for most, gets in the way of you following Jesus.
Not Perfect, But Loved Perfectly
When I brought this up with my sisters from MOMENT’em, Amia shared this verse with us:
"Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” Philippians 3:12
My friends, I have not yet attained the resurrection. My body is not perfect. But I will press on to make the resurrection real, because Christ has already made me his own.
At the Revelation Wellness retreat, we were told to write an accusation on a balloon. I wrote, “not perfect.” I popped the balloon, and a paper fell out with the words, “my child” on it. I took that as an answer to my accusation.
We are not perfect in the way the world knows—perfect proportions, no blemishes, eats farm to table, exercises enough but not too much, drinks sufficient water every day, takes the right supplements—but because we are covered by Christ’s perfect sacrifice, the Father looks at us and sees us as His children.
We are not perfect, but loved perfectly.
Let this truth free you to eat quinoa (pronounced keen-WAH) not because it’s the new superfood and must be healthy because it sounds highbrow, but because God created it and it’s good.
Let Christ’s death remind you that your life and health is too important to spend worrying about what others think.
Health is not out of your reach. God holds no riches back from you. If He gave you His son, what else is there to give?
And if I post something that is a stumbling block to you, please feel free to confront me. I receive it. Your truth helps me grow and love others better. And for another resource on this topic, check out my friend and fellow Compel member Marlene's blog post: Ever Find Yourself Avoiding Help?
Next week, we will talk about the practical barriers of health, and how to overcome them. I would love to hear from you, so please leave a comment or question below, and I would be happy to incorporate your answers into my response.
Reflect and Respond:
How do you pronounce, La Croix?
Are there any health foods or programs that have made you feel less than?
Has shame ever been a barrier to pursuing health? Why or why not?