"So whether you eat or drink,
or whatever you do,
do it all for the glory of God."

1 Corinthians 10:31
New Living Translation

Yesterday I started my 4-day liquid diet before surgery. Boy, is it harder than I thought it would be! My stomach aches with constant hunger that low-fat ice cream and chocolate milk fail to remedy. I feel weak mentally, physically and emotionally, and I can't turn to food to fill the void.

This morning, as I sipped chamomile tea and prayed for strength, I recognized this feeling. It's the same desperation and longing I knew during our years of infertility and adoption waiting, when I walked closer to the Lord than ever. Life changed a lot since then. It's not that I need the Lord less. I just got comfortable with life outside of a major trial. I've also been a Christian long enough to know to pray with caution for that closeness again (ha ha). So this pre-op diet was the last place I would have predicted to find it.

I ran to the kitchen for scripture cards I had tucked away in a drawer. My favorite from the food-related stronghold topic was Deuteronomy 30:11 "This command I am giving you today is not too difficult for you to understand, and it is not beyond your reach." The verse reassured me that I can get through the next few days, my surgery, and life with a lap-band.

What's more, I can do it all for the glory of God!