Portion Control

Weight loss is inevitably something most of us deal with at some point in our lives. It might just be 10 pounds, it might be 100, but most of us all have been there done that. The idea of crash diets and fads sounds good, but simply don't last. Trust me. I remember when I was in college, and nursing school blew me completely up. I had to find something to help me get the weight off. I tried working out, but I was still eating crazy, so I wasn't getting anywhere with that. I tried not eating... That lasted an hour. Then I gave up. Until I started seeing commercials about a program where you count points that go off the serving sizes of the food you eat. I was skeptical at first, but once I got the hang of it, the weight started coming off. One thing I loved about that weight-loss program was that I didn't have to stop eating the things I loved. I just had to actually look at the serving size, something I didn't even realize existed for such a long time--no like seriously. Doing this allowed me to be aware of my portions. It helped me practice portion control. I did this for a while, started feeling myself and started back eating regular, and we all know how that ended up.

During that time period I learned the benefits of watching my portion sizes and how it truly did not matter what I put in my mouth as long as it was in moderation. So I could get a plate of fried chicken, mac and cheese, dressing, yams and green beans ( I just got so hungry) and divide it up into three servings, and even though it might not be the cleanest or best choice for eating, I would still lose weight because I was eating just enough and not stuffing myself and overeating. It is a very interesting concept and honestly the only thing that truly works for me.

Okay, you can stop looking at the blog like "Why in the world is she talking about weight loss, and who does she think she's giving advice to?"

It might seem like I'm rambling and I'm definitely not giving any advice, but just hear me out.

When I heard the words portion control, it wasn't until recently that I realized I could actually apply that phrase to my life overall, not just weight loss.

We hear a lot about being content with our portion and loving where we are in life currently, but do we ever stop and think why "portion control" in regards to life is so necessary?

My heart leaps at the thoughts of certain things that could happen for me and George in our marriage and lives individually. I get so excited, but discouragement and discontentment can quickly creep in and destroy my excitement. Questions of when, how long, why do we have to wait overwhelm my mind. I get to the point where I am like I know I am ready for blah, blah this or blah, blah that so what's taking God soooooooo long. Little do I know God knows all about portion control. He definitely knows not to put a 12-piece honey mustard wings, Cajun ranch fries and a huge Ki Ki Pooh juice in front of me because He knows I will go in. By saying that, I mean God knows that giving me a new house, a baby, a car upgrade, a bigger bank account and whatever I might desire all at the same time is simply just not feasible. Sure it all sounds amazing, but it's just too much at one time for me and my life. I couldn't be happy about getting one of those things without being consumed with the others.

Paul says in Philippians 4:12, "I know how to have a little and I know how to have a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned that secret of being content--whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need." I love this scripture. I love the richness behind it. Paul was in jail and clearly in a bad place. And still talking about being content with his portion.

My point is God knows exactly what He is doing exactly when He does it. He controls our portions throughout life so our contentment can be fulfilled through Him and not our current circumstances. Our human nature makes us want to have everything when we want it and cry when we can't have it that way.

Now sometimes our life can experience an abundance of portions all at once--take it from the experience of one of my close friends. Getting married, getting pregnant, leaving a job, starting a new one, moving from an apartment into a house and having a baby all before she and her husband hit one year of marriage was extremely stressful and overwhelming. God clearly saw that she and her husband were very capable of handling all those "blessings" at one time. He knew exactly what He was doing, even when they were going through what we may look at as "not so easy times." This may seem unfair to someone who feels like they are lacking and can't move out of a situation they have been in for months, but consider this: If you haven't passed your current test or found contentment in your season of singleness or childlessness or not having the job you want, then why in the world would God give you something else to mull over? Even though it may seem like my friend and her family had it made, believe me, without trusting God every step of the way, they wouldn't have been able to fully swallow those huge portions all at once.

No matter what your situation looks like right now--whether you are in true abundance or you may be lacking--let God plate your portions. Stop jumping the gun on life. Stop being in a rush to be where others are. Let God move how He deems necessary, and in the meantime your job is to truly be content, whether you have the 12-piece chicken meal or just the bones.

A few scriptures on contentment...

But godliness with contentment is a great gain. 1 Timothy 6:6

Each person should remain in the life situation in which he was called. 1 Corinthians 7:20

He then told them, "Watch out and be on guard against all greed because one's life is not in the abundance of his possessions." Luke 12:15

Your life should be free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for He himself has said, "I will never leave you or forsake you." Hebrews 13:5



Brittany