Self-Obsession Becomes Ugly Vanity

The way of error is down-hill; one absurdity being granted or contended for, a thousand follow, Matthew Henry, Acts to Revelation, Volume 6, page 676. 

I lift words from Matthew Henry's commentary on The Bible, and today, I use them to suss out the downward-dropping, the head-long falling, that is occasioned by thinking errors embraced, and acted upon. 

Absurdity is a standout word in the sentence about. Imagine contending, or fighting, for what is absurd? 

Lately I have been watching videos on facial and body surgeries, or what is branded as, "enhancements". If one wanted to, they could spend endless days on absurdity, watching women, and men, in their own self-obsessed staring role, of cut, bruised, swollen, self-administered healing, and alternatively, botched or brutalized, talk talk talk videos, giving countless details about their surgical experiences, and the ones they plan to have, to compliment the ones they have already suffered. Minimizing the suffering seems a common practice for many, and I ask you this: When did everything we do, become so important, that everything we do, must be recorded and then publicly posted, for anyone and everyone, to witness? 

Subtly and discretion with a touch of feminine mystique, have gone the way of the dodo bird. The in your face big lips, over blown breasts and baboon sized booties, are grotesque; couple these with caterpillar like tattooed brows, stuffed full with filler cheeks, and botox foreheads and frown lines, that no longer present themselves as telltale facial expressers of feelings, we have ourselves cartoons that haven't a clue, that the way of error, is down-hill, and one absurdity granted and contended for, has a thousand foot soldiers of folly, at the ready, waiting to take their destructive turn. 

I learned what a 360 is the other day. A person that wants a Brazilian butt lift must have enough fat on their body to have it sucked out, and then redistributed to the buttocks. Weight gain must take place, so that fat can be removed from arms, abdominal areas, thighs, the back, in other words, all around the body, to have enough fat to inject in the backside. This is monstrous, and this process is repeated by the self-obsessed, despite the risks involved: the people that have these wicked procedures, go back for more, sometimes three to four times, or until they die. It is a dangerous route to abuse the body thusly, and yet there appears to be fearlessness in the approach to sedation, knives, cuts, necrosis, long term suffering, surgery gone wrong, and surgery to fix what got damaged the first or second round. The mentality, and the hope, is that the results after recovery, will be worth it, and Hey, bad things happen to other people, until of course, they happen to me... 

Vanity is defined as: excessive pride in or admiration of one's own appearance or achievements. 

Vanity is self-obsession. Vanity is a display of inner workings. Vanity is vapid and catastrophic to the well-being of the soul. It is a killing of character, a destruction of any possibility to course correct to Christ. Dear one, you cannot love God when you destroy his handiwork. You cannot thank him for your blessings, when what he has given you is cursed by you, and criticize to the point of wanting to alter it all. Our faces and bodies change daily, and these are reminders that our time in the shell we are in, is limited: we are mortal and beings unto death. Wanting to be perfect - our what a sickened mind perceives as perfect - to the point of being cut and reconfigured, does not adjust the fact that aging happens, and death is inevitable. The holy grail of facial and body enhancements is clearly, not the foundation of youth, that spares a person of the inevitability of getting old, and looking old too. People are paying for facial construction and scaffolding, that eventually, drops, droops, and will need repairs, just like a house that needs maintenance, to remain intact. 

The Devil is having a plastic surgery heyday with the vain, the proud; with those that admire their appearance so much, that they believe everyone in their social media feed, is hanging on their every word and every action, to the point of them sharing far more than is healthy for their own mental and emotional state of being. What, pray tell, can strangers do for you, when you tell them too much? and when you are just one of many people they "follow" and like, or chasten, or criticize, and make fun of? 

I have had my fill of watching "enhancement" videos. The line, If it makes you feel better about yourself, then do it, is such a crock. It encourages bad choices that can be lethal; immoral choices that temporarily make us feel good, or choices based on pressure from friends, family, or the government, such as getting the cv shots, that excuse thoughtlessness, regarding long term outcomes and consequences. In a godless society, meaning God's commands are not considered prior to choices that impact individuals and whole families, feeling good about bad things we do, is marketed heavily, and it is a shame to witness the time, money, and health expenditures on nothingness, on ugly vanity, that a consumer society indulges. 

Vanity is hideous, dear one, and it is trendy to be utterly lost in self-obsessed grandiosity. People are dying in droves or being permanently maimed and disfigured, at the expense of their very soul... they are dying whilst living, without knowing the Saviour, and this, is a sad state of affairs for thousands upon thousands of lost and wandering humans, that take to the knife to fix, what ain't  broke. 

Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die (Ezekiel 18:4). 

We belong to the One that made us. Mutilating the body is a sin against God. We do not own ourselves, and it is the soul that suffers when we take liberties that he does not approve, with the bodies we reside in. We are designed to glorify God, and this is just not happening for the masses as they thumb their fake noses, at the One that gave them life. 

We owe God a debt that Jesus paid in full. We do not have the right to destroy his property, and you, my dear, are his property. 

A Committed Soul

Man! Woman! thou hast a soul committed to thee, what hast thou done with it? To whom it was offered, to God or to Satan? How was it employed, in the service of sin or in the service of Christ? There is a day coming, and it will be a very solemn and awful day, when we must give an account of our stewardship (Luke 16:2), give an account of our souls: now, if by an active obedient faith we commit it to Jesus Christ, we may be sure he is able to keep it, and it shall be forthcoming to our comfort in that day, Matthew Henry, Acts to Revelation, Volume 6, page 673.  

What, pray tell, does commitment mean to you, dear one? 

The thought of being entrusted with a soul is startling, and yet parents are given this responsibility immediately, when a babe begins to grow and take shape and form in the womb. It is the irresponsible parent that does not consider the impact he or she has, on their God given fledgling, when they do not comprehend the magnitude of their parental accountability. Souls reside in bodies, and we are encoded with eternity, inescapable immortality. We are mortal in our shell and prone to dying and death, but the soul does not die when the flesh gives up the ghost - forever is real, and fear of death is real, especially for those that decide God isn't the one they owe an explanation, or accounting, for the way they have conducted their life. 

Man! Woman! what have you done with your soul? 

Man! Woman! to whom did you offer your soul, to God, or to Satan?

Man! Woman! how was your soul employed? Did you serve sin or did you serve Christ?

There is a one or other situation with the soul. God and Satan are not equally powerful, since Lucifer was one of God's magnificent creatures, crafted to glorify God, just like you and I are designed to glorify God; but it can feel like a tug of war with Satan pulling hard, to yank us in his direction, at many a turn. Temptation to indulge the flesh is strong, and when we give in, we have failed the test, and this means we have dented, bruised, and damaged our soul, offending the God that made us, and commissioned us to keep from cruelly self-abusing our own being. 

You, dear one, are the steward of your own soul There is magnitude in this statement. There is importance in the message that you are in charge of the directing of your own soul. Your parents were in charge of bringing you up in the admonishment of the Lord:

And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). 

Once the parenting is complete, the child chooses, and this can happen a little too early for some, meaning, we can see waywardness in a child that is obstinate and disobedient, when they are quite young. Prayer is a powerful course correcting tool to engage, when a parent is troubled by the direction their child seems to be taking... nurture and admonish, these two things go together, to equip a little one with the understanding that yes, God loves you, and... he does not approve of sin. 

Man! Woman! yes, God loves you, but he does not approve of your sin, your sinful wanton ways, your disobedient denial of the stewardship of your own soul. 

Man! Woman! you will give an account, and it will be a solemn, serious day, when you are asked, What service did you with your soul? Did you serve Christ, or Satan?

If you are not a Christian, I boldly proclaim, you do not live for God, but rather, you live for yourself, and this means you serve Satan with your soul; alternatively, by an active obedient faith we commit it to Jesus Christ, we may be sure he is able to keep it, and it shall be forthcoming to our comfort in that day.

You are a committed soul, dear one. You have committed yourself by what you think, what you say, and what you do. It is evident to God to whom you have committed yourself, and I ask, Is it evident to you at this point in your life? By not committing to Jesus, living to glorify his name, and living according to his Way, Do you comprehend that you are making a soul commitment to serving, and dying, for Satan? 

Your immortal soul will go to heaven or to hell. Christian's are commissioned to speak gospel truth, and I pray you not only hear truth as you read this but that it is absorbed into every fibre of your being, so that you can see how valuable you are to God, how beautifully designed and delightfully prepared, to love him, serve him, commit your all to him, and worship him as one of his precious creatures, and as your Father in heaven. 

By the mercy of God we are saved; we cannot work our way into his presence, but we sure can steward what he gave us in a saintly, godly fashion, to make him proud of us as his children. Humanity is by design, made in the image of God, and there are some children that receive admonishment, and duly course correct, as they are nurtured in the ways of the Lord; there are many more, that are froward, and go the way of the Devil. 

Which kind of child, are you?

Jesus Christ is able to keep you and comfort you in the solemn day of the Lord. I pray you commit your soul to his stewardship, and live a holy and blameless life, until the day anticipated. 

Snacking is a Chronic Disease

I knew something was missing - more on this later - but I did not know what to do about it, until I stumbled across a documentary about juicing entitled, Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. An Australian man in his early forties was carrying a lot of weight, and adding to the load daily with food and drink. He had a chronic skin condition that displayed itself all over his body, in an angry rash, and he knew he had to do something about his situation, or face an unwanted, early death. 

Joe Cross decided to start a juice fast, and he made vegetables and fruit drinkable, via a juicer he took with him everywhere he went. He committed to a sixty day juice extravaganza, and the results were extraordinary. 

Results are measurably extraordinary when they are extreme. Joe Cross was extremely overweight from extreme fast food consumption, and it took extreme measures and effort, to reverse his weight from heavy to lighter, and revamp his health condition. He had to give his body what it needs, what it requires to function optimally, and what it craves too, because fuel matters, and what we put in, affects how we live, breath, and have our being in the world. Joe was on many prescribed medications, and just like obesity, side effects from meds, can be deadly. 

Watching the documentary had me fascinated. I am a fit person, but I am also a bit of a sugar junky. I have good intentions with my diet, and when I am on a kick, I overbuy fruits and vegetables, hoping that I will stay on track and eat the recommended daily servings of both, but man alive, it is so much easier, to breakfast on toast with almond butter and a bit of jam, then to prepare veggies for a morning omelette. Veggies were the missing link to my wellness, and Joe's documentary hinted strongly at a solution, a way to include more of them, into my daily routine and into my body, to cure what ails. 

What ails you Linda? I hear you asking. Here is my list of ailments: 

Joint pain

Headaches

Muscle cramping

Disturbed sleep

Five extra pounds

Three on and off frequent flyer pounds (they come and they go and then make a return round trip)

Snacking

See the last ailment, dear one? snacking. Snacking is a chronic disease! I jest of course, but even as I attempt to take the funny out of the statement that snacking is an ailment, I cannot. Isn't it kind of humorous in a morbidly obese kind of way, to think of snacking as a sickness? Some people feel addicted to the foods they eat, and while I often resist calling anything we do an addiction, since we choose how we allotment our time, money, and energy, I can see how people get stuck in a cycle of behaviours that they do not want to be in, but have a very hard time extricating themselves from. I have vim and vigour for making healthy meals, but not all of the time... I have the time most days to prepare good for me foods, but I do not always have the interest, thus the snacking. But the snacking, dear one, does not do the body justice, does not serve the mind, the heart, or optimize functioning on a microscopic, cellular level. 

Before you run away to escape me getting all scientific, please don't go! I have no intention of discussing anything from a deeply physiological viewpoint, because that is not what interests me, nor am I inclined to do the work of a biologist: I am more of a, How does our behaviour affect our lives, kinda gal. This said, I knew some of my behaviours were negatively impacting my health, my physical wellness, and my confidence in taking control of fluctuating weight. I knew something was missing, as is commonly the case for most of us, and I discovered it was the infusion of micronutrients, after watching Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. 

So, dear one, I ordered a juicer, and I ordered a book with recipes to make juices. The juicer arrived and next, I headed to a local store for organic produce. Then, I started juicing, for me and my family. Here is what surprised me, and continues to surprise me the most: I am not hungry for most of the day. I drink vegetable with a bit of fruit juices twice a day, along with a fruit smoothie and one meal, and I am not at all interested in snacking, or sugar, or that mid afternoon coffee to keep me semi-productive. I exercise and my joints feel fantastic, and while I do cramp in the calves a bit still at night (I need to stretch), the cramps abate quickly, and don't have me shooting out of bed to stand-up until they pass. My sleep is still very disturbed and I have nighttime headaches and early morning residual headaches, but this is an indicator that I need an osteopathic treatment to realign what I have put out of place, as opposed to the awful congestion I often experienced from certain foods my body reacted to. Like Joe's chronic rash reactions to food, I have battled angry sinuses that cause headaches that make me vomitrocious, from dairy products. My sugary snacking gave me a bit of tasty and temporary satisfaction, but it was never enough, and I always wanted a little more now, or a little more later. Things are changing, and I know why. 

I didn't understand how micronutrients, fed directly into the blood stream, can act like high octane fuel. After one juice, my son was astonished and pleased with the energy boost he experienced, and I have to agree with him: he feels great, and so do I for that matter. It feels like an infusion of goodness, right into our veins, when we drink what I juice. If God made it, we ought to eat and drink it, but where can God's handiwork be found, in the majority of restaurants and grocery stores? People think produce is expensive, and I will agree, however: think of all the processed and prepared foods that come in boxes and containers, plus all the eating and drinking outside of the home, and do yourself a favour, by calculating the cost. Financially, it is less expensive to buy a juicer, a recipe book, and produce, then it is to buy from a drive through restaurant, or a grocery store, where the prices have skyrocketed for all products, that do not even remotely resemble, produce. 

You are no dummy. You already know all these things. If you have spare, extra, rolly weight in your midsection, on your thighs, arms, and anywhere else on your body, you know what is causing the gain, and dear one, if you are gaining weight, doing what you are doing, you will continue to gain weight - this makes logical sense. The beauty of design is built into our bodies by God, and when we decide to love ourselves with the food we eat, our bodies say a big Thank-You, each time. Think of revamping your diet as a form of repentance for mistreating your body, and for forcing it to work overtime, to the point of abusive exhaustion. 

You can change how you feel by changing what you consume, and from over here, I will cheer you on when you decide to do the work (it is pretty simple and easy to juice with the right equipment), with a raised glass, of micronutrient rich juice. 

You can take charge, dear one. Do your own research and be encouraged. Juicing changes lives. 

NOTE: Fast food isn't food, and it is more expensive in countless ways, than produce. 

Consistently Deceptive

People are consistently consistent. This statement, in its simplicity, seems to be an obvious kind of observation that needs not further exploration, and yet, here we are, discussing the topic. 

Do you know someone that consistently misleads, misrepresents, manipulates, and just plain old lies? What of someone that thinks white lies are acceptable, and states this frequently? Can a person like this be trusted? and if so, when? O, and what constitutes a white lie, compared to say, a glaringly obvious red lie, or a fabricated fudge coloured dark lie, or an itty bitty watered down grey lie?

I have a liar in my life, and sometimes I feel remorseful, as though I am too hard on this person, especially when they are being kind, sweet, or generous. This morning it occurred to me that this person has been consistent in their deceptive ways, and so, it makes perfect sense, that I have been guarded in mine. How can I trust seeming sincerity, when in the past, the trickster often practiced their dark arts in order to disarm and deceive me?

Lies are of the Devil, and anyone that consistently lies for their own bizarre reasons, must be considered the enemy of Truth, otherwise known, as Jesus Christ. Liars and truth tellers are incompatible, and it is sandpaper to the soul for each individual when they interact, with one pulling in the direction of destruction and the other trying to extricate themselves from the grasping and greasy grip of the maliciously minded. Liars, make no mistake, are malicious, because they are always looking for angles to take control, to change a mind, to corrupt those that resist craftiness. 

I decided to look up synonyms for deception, and here we have some words to describe what you and I see and hear, from liars:

deceit, deceptiveness, duplicity, double-dealing, fraud, fraudulence, cheating, trickery, duping, hoodwinking, chicanery, underhandedness, deviousness, slyness, cunning, craft, craftiness, wiliness, artfulness, guile, dissimulation, dissembling, bluff, bluffing, lying, pretence, artifice, treachery. 

Let us use these in a paragraph, shall we? 

The liar uses deceit, savouring the effects of their deceptiveness. It is with duplicity and double-dealing that they attempt to mislead their prey, committing fraud for material gain. With fraudulence as their front, cheating others out of what is theirs is an easy way of getting what they want without working for what they get. Trickery, duping, and hoodwinking, are employed to spin their marks round and round, to dizzy them to the point of questioning their own observations and judgments. Chicanery is a go to for deceivers, and underhandedness is employed secretly to reduce the likelihood of detection. Deviousness, with sly and cunning craftiness, mark the liar as snake like in their slow, get ready to strike slithering. Wily and artful, the liar is muse like, shameless in their guile as they seek to dissimulate, dissemble, and destroy, not only truth itself, but all confidence one might have, in The Truth. Bluffing, lying, pretence, artifice, are the tactical techniques the liar utilizes in their treachery. The liar aims to disarm and maim, the truth lover, truth teller, and those committed to charity in word and deed.

The liar is the enemy of the faithful. 

Don't feel badly for the liar in your life, dear one. Feel badly for how they so happily, so cunningly, so cheerfully, embrace their desire to trick you out of the truth; to deny you of honest communication and dealings; to corrupt your thinking so that you are confused. Feel badly for you, not them, for having to put up with their trickery, despite your many attempts to turn them toward the narrow path. Perdition is preferred by the liar, and there is nothing, I mean nothing, you can do, to unhook them from the beetle juice life they most certainly enjoy.  

Truth tellers have a very hard time comprehending the power-up thrill liars are jolted with when they practice deception, but I tell you now, you are naive if you continue to believe that you can at all, trust a liar, especially a professing liar. Believe their behaviour, and let it be. Let them be themselves, and pray for their conscience to be convicted and for God to redeem them, because you, my dear, do not have the power to convert or change anyone, and you may as well bang your head on a concrete wall, if you think you can swap out a snake for a cuddly panda bear. 

Not gonna happen. Drop naiveté on its head, and make it dead. 

The consistently deceptive, can be consistently counted on, to deceive. 

Needled to Death

A friend sent me an image, and there is a suggestion, a message on a t-shirt, that implies freedom was killed. Can, I ask you, freedom be killed? I think not - what do you think?

The message had me recalling Esau the hunter, that sold his birthright, his inheritance, for a bowl of stew. In a moment of extreme hunger, his fraternal twin brother Jacob, was able to entice Esau to forsake what was due him, by virtue of coming out of the womb first, by giving up the first born's promised privileges and portion, for a meal. 

I ask you - is this not comparable to what we have witnessed during the stupid unforgettable revolting covid era? A paycheque was worth more to people then their own self-governance, and worse yet, then their own trust in God to not only protect them, but to provide for them, if and when they refused to be tempted by tyrants to do their vile bidding. Jacob was known as a deceiver, and Fauci is pinned with this moniker: but it is self-deception that was the foul trickster that had people rushing to the point of being needled to death. 

I cut off the head of the actor in the picture I posted, that is supposedly sporting the Fauci t-shirt. The message is misleading, and is designed to point fingers, and have people playing the blame game while using a celebrity to lead the way, but there is a sinister undertone with this kind of scamming. There are doctors prescribing and nurses injecting hundreds of people, including pregnant women, infants, toddlers, and the elderly, on a daily and annual basis. Why are we leaving them out of the big picture of killing? Why are they left to their own deadly devices without being rebuked, reproached, and reported as murderers, to the police?

Why, are they free - how is it that their freedom is not curtailed for maiming and murdering? 

Fauci is one of many monsters that purposefully pushed potions and poisons onto a naive and spell bound global society, but dear one, the masses that do not know the living God, are the susceptible ones, and they are accountable for their freedom of choice, and their choosing to get injected in the first place. People found their way to injection sites, even sites set up in churches, and they insisted on everyone doing the dirty deed too, but they were wrong, dead wrong, to go along with a diabolical plan, and for suggesting others do as they did, by subjecting themselves to this heinous and huge, self-betrayal. 

Regret marks those that know now what they did not understand or see in the early 2020's... the shots maim, they kill, they destroy lives and families, and it is not Fauci's fault, if perfect strangers, followed the little troll's convoluted mixed messages, and took to the needle.

Anger is generated when wicked people say wicked things, and it is helplessness and deep sorrow for what we have given up or lost, that has us fuming mad sometimes... it is weeping and calling out to God for help that heals though, and at this point, prayer is required, and is the most powerful balm for the soul that we can engage, and have ministered to us. 

Let us start now, our prayer without ceasing.

Luciferian's

Dedicated to their dying and killing fetish, Luciferian's stop at nothing when obeying their masochistic master. A death culture pervades in our society, and yet, encoded in each human being, is a strong will to live. With vanity reigning and ruling in hearts, many deem life pointless, if they cannot live in a form or state of copy-cat perfection. Trapped in bodies that are never good enough, despite working beautifully; trapped with faces that reflect the yuck they feel inside, despite being lovely to look at, many a human is distorting themselves, and it is a sign that they are no where near, to knowing who they are, according to the Maker. 

Trends come and go, but what does one do with a face and body that has been pinched, poked, prodded, and plumped, with pinchers and needles and redistributed fat, to increase butt or boob size, or add a youthful look to lips and cheeks? Back to the question: What does one do when the effects start to fail, and the face and body begin to morph into something alien, distorted, and eventually, unrecognizable? And what about the tattooing of lips, eye-lids, eye-brows, whole arms, and private parts, with in the moment fancies, that do not fade away over time, but instead, become grotesque reminders of a moment in life that required deep meditative thought and emotional processing, rather than marking the body with permanent ink that records pain, or ideals that no longer ring true for a person? 

The urge to live is so strong, people fight to stay alive, but Satan wants people to hate themselves, hate their life, hate their shortcomings and missteps. Satan wants everyone to compare themselves to others, and question their own worth, whereas God, wants us to be honest, kind, compassionate, and loving, firstly with ourselves, and next with our neighbour: love you neighbour as yourself is a commandment. And all those missteps and shortcomings? They are part of a life that includes choices that did not pan out with the best results, and God is more than capable of equipping us to walk a straight path, and also, to work on our character so that we emulate Christ, and not faulty misguided human beings. 

Luciferian's know who they serve, but the majority of people that haven't committed to Christ, will be led, and are led, this way and that. by the Devil's divas and hirelings. The Devil is barbarous in his cruelty, and his devotees are too. The self-tortured try desperately to remain relevant, as the saying goes, but we are all fading flowers, and our best before date arrives quicker than we expect! 

Look again at the picture included in this piece of writing. These are but a few of the "in crowd" that have made their way onto the headlines, in a most unflattering manner and light. They have altered their looks to be seen as more appealing, or is this true? Who, exactly, do they want to look like, I ask you?

The light of God shines brightly in the eyes and faces of those that love the Lord. The darkness has taken over these former babes and beauties, and they reflect the dim within. 

Unfortunately, the trends are turning, as the marketers continually shift and shaft to make more money, but the damage has been done, and some things, dear one, cannot be reversed... some things, are permanent. 

Ozempic or anorexia? 

I say for best skeletal results, these misguided women, have utilized a combination of methodologies to transform themselves into hard to look at, creepy waif like, creatures of the night. 

Some things, are permanent. 

Muscle Testing

I have the recipe, and I am at the grocery store. All ingredients are purchased, except for one: noodles, the kind of noodles that come in a single serve package with spices in a sachet to sprinkle, when the noodles are cooked. 

I pick up the package and as I hold it in my hands, my temples begin to throb to the point of feeling like my brains are going to blow out of my head casing. Okay, I say to myself, Not that one. I pick up another brand, and holding this one, gets the pulsating and pumping in my temples started, and in short order, I put this one back on the shelf. I decide to try one more time, but I feel so physically repulsed that I am hesitant, and disinclined to go through the process yet again. The recipe, I say to myself, Requires this noodle, uncooked, to add some crunch to the salad: Do I forgo this ingredient? I pick up one more package, and it takes me less than a second to place it back where it belongs, on the shelf, dangerously inedible. 

Have you had an upset stomach from something you ate? What about a headache after something you drank? Does it sound crazy to you to learn that your body will warn you of danger, before consumption? Maybe you already know that dairy products churn your innards, or cause head congestion. Perhaps you understand that brushing zebra grass with your bare arm, can make that arm itchy, and that dog dander, or just plain old dust, makes your eyes red and runny. If it affects your outside, dear one, what about the inside of you?

Again I ask you: Does it sound crazy to you to learn that your body will warn you of danger, before consumption?

There is an expression, once burned, twice shy, and it is applicable to individual physical experiences, and human interactions. If you put your hand on a hot stove and burn yourself, you will be shy, or reticent, about ever doing that again. If you have experienced the burn of betrayal in friendship, you will be hesitant, one would hope, in trusting that person in the future. The once burned lesson, is a good one, for injury prevention, if you heed the warning, to be shy of repeating actions that have wounded in the past. 

It took me a long while to acknowledge that I can't do whatever I want. This sentence seems so juvenile, that I chuckle as I continue to write. I really cannot have Baskin & Robbins chocolate mousse royal, or cheese on my burger, pasta, salad etc. Correction: I actually can have these dairy products, if I want to guarantee myself a massive headache, that has me immobilized for an entire day, for fear of movement that results in extreme nausea and vomiting. I learned the hard way what dairy does to my body, and while I see others not suffering the way I do, I have learned that I cannot pretend this time, if there is a next time, will be different, for me. 

I say all of the above to tell you this: Your body knows what is good for you, before the item ever touches your fingertips, your lips, tongue, throat, stomach. You know too, don't you dear one, what is bad, and what is good, for you. Look at yourself, and look around you: you know who listens and heeds warnings, and you can see with your own eyes, those that ignore and dismiss, the alarm bells that sound, prior to them eating what they eat, touching what they touch, and engaging in activities that they ought to steer clear, far, and away from. Your body is you, and your are your body, and there must be an understanding, that what you do inside your shell, impacts every atom that makes you up, and the very essence of who you are. This is why people suffer from low self-esteem, cognitive dissonance, and a lack of a solid sense of integrity, because they betray themselves when they go against what is good and right for their own well-being. 

I presume you can sense when your spouse, child, best friend, or co-worker, is happy, sad, tense, anxious, overwhelmed, irritated. You can read these moods and emotions just by being near. Now transfer this knowing to all of your experiences, including selecting what to eat. Read the room, and read your self, and you will become aware that there is so much going on that requires your attention, prior to making your decisions, decisions that may be life altering, that it behooves you to perk up when your senses are firing warning shots to grab your gaze. 

In modern lingo, there are woke people and awake people. The Bible Author wants sleepers to arise. The Bible talks about the blind seeing and the deaf hearing. The Bible mentions the lame walking, and leaping for joy, but none of this is possible without conscientious, concerted, and consistent effort. We cannot coast to the finish line of life: we must bound with bounce in our steps, and this means we have to be accountable on many fronts, here are a few: 

• What you eat and drink brightens or darkens your countenance and disposition
• How much you move affects your weight, joints, organs etc
• Who you spend time with impacts your mental health
• What you do with your spare time is telltale about what is important to you
• What you think about most of the day indicates what you value most

Pay attention, and you will learn so much about yourself and what is beneficial; alternatively, when you are honest in your self-assessment, you will admit that some of what you think and do, and some of the people you spend time with, aren't very good for you at all. 

I will end with this message to you, dear one: 

Your body knows. Your body whispers, Help me, then raises its voice, I am suffering, and eventually, it will shout, STOP IT RIGHT NOW! I am going to break. 

Heed, and I pray you good health.