What does the book of Judges have to do with a healthy living blog?
All,
A person's convictions are a funny thing. Many times they make total sense. Black is black, white is white, the why is obvious and the course of action logical. Other times your conviction leads you to wonder "why in the world do I feel like I am supposed to do this?". The latter is what I'm dealing with today. Let me explain...
Judges 7 tells the account of Gideon leading a small group of Isrealites into battle with a horde of oppressive, nomadic peoples. Gideon leads his small unit down to the edge of the camp under the cover of nightfall, where the camels of the enemy numbered so many that they could "no more be counted than the sand on the seashore". Using scare tactics, Gideon successfully lead a unit of 300 men to a victory over this horde, beginning a new era of freedom for the Isrealites. Awesome, right?? Just one chapter earlier, however, Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress. Fearful and cowardly, Gideon did not believe that God was with the Isrealites, and repeatedly asked for signs from God even after an angel appeared to him. Gideon was a very unlikely military leader.
Throughout scripture God uses the unlikeliest of people (almost exclusively) to accomplish great things. It's his modus operandi, as in Judges 7 God also explains that if Gideon hadn't reduced the number of his unit to 300 (where previously it was 32,000) Israel would claim to have beaten the horde by their own strength instead of by God's power. The use of unlikely heroes ensures that the glory of victory goes to God alone, because there is no way they could have conquered without Him.
Which brings me to this blog. "What are they doing?", you think as you scroll through our Instagram, Facebook, and now these blog posts...Well, an angel of the Lord has visited me in my winepress, so to speak. After Gideon questions God's presence in the winepress, God says to Gideon "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?".
Amidst a world of industrialized and processed food, the modern sedentary lifestyle, and the mistaken dogma that a person's level of manhood is directly related to the quantities of red meat they consume, I feel that God has called me to go in the strength that I have to lead people to a healthier lifestyle for the glory of God. An unlikely person for the task, no doubt. But with faith in the Lord's presence, my hope is to change the average person's life for the better through proper nutrition, physical activity, and tons of encouragement, one of my spiritual gifts.
I have reaped the benefits of changing my lifestyle little by little, as over the last 7 years I have lost 25 pounds (and kept it off), gone from a beginning runner to a decent 5k-er with plans of a 10k and half marathon (November 2017), and most importantly am learning how to prepare nutritious meals that do a body good and create meal plans to ensure that healthy choices are made, week by week.
Gideon led his people, by God's strength, to an era of freedom. If, by God's strength, I can lead one person out of the oppression of the American diet and modern lifestyle into a more fulfilling, pain free, active life to be shared with friends and family, then buckle up people. I'm about to start smashing clay pots and lighting torches.
-James Russell Garrett