Job 38: Then The Lord answered Job from the whirlwind: (4) Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much...(12) Have you ever once commanded the morning to appear, and cause the dawn to rise in the east?... (24) Where is the path to the distribution point of light? Where is the home of the east wind? (27) Who laid out the path for the lightening...(28) Where does dew come from? [Living Bible translation.]
Summary:
Job was a family man. He was a wealthy and healthy man. Everything was going right and then suddenly everything that could go wrong did go wrong. Job lost his children. Job lost his home. He lost his wealth and he lost his health. All of Job's material possessions just disappeared. Job's wife was angry about what happening to them. Job's friends did not seem like friends at all. Job tried to make sense of what was happening in his life but he just could not figure it out. Job's friends assumed that it must be Job's fault. When Job tried to "talk it out" with God, but GOD reminded him through a series of questions of that only GOD is GOD. Through a series of questions Job was reminded of his limitations. When Job could not answer GOD's questions, Job realized that he could not "question" GOD or comprehend HIS ways. Job became mindful that he was dealing in matters that a human mind simply "cannot understand"---- things far "too wonderful for him" to know. (Job 42:3) Job became mindful that he had to come to GOD in FAITH.
BE MINDFUL ABOUT FOOD
Eating raw on Wednesdays helps us to be mindful of the foods we eat, if we take notice. When we eat raw we can appreciate the color of the various fruit (the redness of an apple, the ripeness of a banana, whether the plum is soft or hard, the color and texture of the greens, the smell of the strawberries, melons and berries, the crunchiness and various textures of the nuts, the carrots, the celery, the beans and the other things we eat, if we take notice.
It is also important to be mindful about the way we eat food on raw foods days. One of the things we have to be mindful of is to chew the food. Although many of us may recall a parent or a teacher admonishing us as children to "slow down,' or to "chew your food," as adults we have forgotten to heed that early advise.
In "Slow Down, You Eat Too Fast, Eating Less and Enjoy it More with Mindful Eating," Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD, notes that most Americans eat too fast. According to Zelman, as a result, they take in too many calories before they realize they have eaten enough. According to Zelman:
It takes approximately 20 minutes from the time you start eating for your brain to send out signals of fullness. Leisurely eating allows ample time to trigger the signal from your brain that you are full. And feeling full translates into eating less.
Recent research presented at a meeting of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity showed that overweight men and women took in fewer calories when they slowed their normal eating pace....
See, "Slow Down, You Eat Too Fast...,by Kathleen M. Zelman, www.webmd.com.
Jennifer Warner reaches a similar conclusion in her article, "Mindfulness Key to Losing Weight While Eating Out, Practicing Mindful Eating at Restaurants Helps Weight Loss," January 10, 2012, www.webmd.com. According to Warner, in a study reported in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior involving women (age 40 to 59 years old) who ate out at least three times a week, it was found that women who practiced mindful eating at restaurants ate fewer calories and fat grams per day and were better able to stick to their weight management goals than women who did not practice mindful eating. The women practiced mindful eating through meditation in two ways:
- Focusing on awareness of the sight, smell, and texture of the eating experience to maximize enjoyment and increase satis-faction with smaller portion sizes.
- A series of guided mindfulness meditations to foster relaxation and focus awareness on hunger, taste, stomach fullness, and eating triggers. For example, one meditation had participants explore their fullness before and after drinking a bottle of water.
See, "Mindfullness Key to Losing weight While Eating Out..,"by Jennifer Warner, www.webmd.com.
As always, anyone with a pre-existing medical condition (e.g. diabetes) that involves diet or weight management should consult their own physician.
DELIGHT IN THE RICH FOOD OF SCRIPTURE
In the June 11, 2013 daily meditation of Our Daily Bread, Joe Stowell comments on the benefits of delighting oneself in the daily meal of GOD's WORD [i.e. the Bible] to help with anxiety, pride, fear, temptation and all the other ills plaguing "our undernourished hearts." Rather than rushing out the door or trying to grab the WORD on the run, or hurrying through scripture, Stowell suggests taking time to really read scripture. He suggests finding a time and a place to really fellowship with GOD.
So today as you eat, pray and read GOD's word, s l o w d o w n. Take time to meditate. Take time to listen to GOD. Take time to enjoy the richness of each physical and spiritual meal you ingest.
Today, savor every bite, and BE BLESSED!
