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I read an interesting story not too long ago, and it's been rambling around in my brain until today, when I decided to blog about it.
Have you ever seen an elephant at the circus? I don't know if they still do this, but years ago circus elephants could be seen standing next to a small wooden stake in the ground with a chain around one ankle. In the story I read, the writer became rather curious as to how one small wooden stake could hold a large elephant captive, so he did some investigating. As it turns out, the trainer begins using the chain and stake when the elephant is just a baby. The baby elephant is unable to pull free and, over time, gradually accepts the chain and the restriction it provides. What the elephant never realizes is that as it grows stronger, it could easily pull the stake out of the ground and be free. You see, the elephant adapts itself so completely to the chain that it loses sight of the fact that it could free itself in a moment, if it only realized that the chain no longer had any power over it.
This is a powerful illustration for me! I feel like I have been chained to unhealthy food choices for a long time, a prisoner of stress eating and unending cycles of yo-yo dieting. I felt like I was trapped and would never be set free. What I didn't realize, until recently, is that all I have ever had to do was gently but firmly pull and the chain would fall away. I stood next to a weak wooden stake called "food addiction" and allowed myself to think that it held me captive - I gave it power it never had on its own.
As God continues to work in my life through Medifast and so many of the people here, I have finally walked away from this chain and it no longer has the power to hold me captive. I am learning to put food into its proper place and not run to it to deal with stress, smooth a hurt, or celebrate a victory. This is so freeing!
One of my new favorite songs is called "Finally Free" by Nichole Nordeman. Here are the lyrics:
No chain is strong enough, no choice is wrong enough
No mountain high enough that He can't climb
No shadow dark enough, no night is black enough
No road is lost enough that He can't find
*chorus*
And if the Son has set us free, then we must be free indeed
Let the chains fall away, starting today
Everything has changed...I'm finally free
v.2
No pain is deep enough, no heart could bleed enough
Nothing but Jesus' love can make a way
*chorus*
And if the Son has set us free, then we must be free indeed
Let the chains fall away, starting today
Everything has changed...I'm finally free
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That day, almost four and a half years ago, I celebrated a new-found freedom. Today, over 3-1/2 years since reaching my goal, I'm still celebrating that freedom! I tell people all the time that when I started on Take Shape for Life/Medifast, I was just hoping to lose a little bit of weight - I had NO idea that there would be so much emotional and spiritual growth in the process.
The freedom from my long-standing food addition didn't happen in an instant, but each day as I made the choice to stay on plan and chose to find healthier ways to deal with stress and emotional issues (and for me, that healthier way was turning to my Heavenly Father), I took another step away from my food addiction and another step towards a healthier rest of my life.
I write this knowing that some of you are dealing with a lot of emotional eating issues. I've been there, I've walked a similar path, and I understand probably more than you could ever know. I also know that we can be set free, completely free, starting today. Those chains will begin to fall, one choice at a time. Choose wisely :-)
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