Living in the information age, the Internet can become one of your greatest tools; however, it can also become one of your greatest enemies. Have a question? Google it. You will find a few, if not hundreds of answers for almost any question you ask. You might also become overwhelmed with all of the information at your disposal and find yourself desiring to retreat into a little corner with ear plugs and a blanket to place over your head.

This happens to me quite frequently, especially in the world of whole health & nutrition. Katie recently wrote a great post about many healthy lifestyle topics that can stress us out. With fuel covered almonds, GMO non-browning apples, and bacteria eating viruses added to organic food, it’s easy for me to get into a rut and think, “what does it matter anyway? It doesn’t matter what I do, my family and I are going to die from some sort of ailment brought on by this world!”

…and then I take a step back.

Yes, those thoughts are true. Of course we are going to die! Death is inevitable. Every one of us is going to die of something eventually, even if it’s at the age of 110 from “nautral causes” while we sleep. Preventing death is not my motive behind living the whole health lifestyle. My motive behind all the time I spend researching, prepping, and cooking nourishing foods for my family is to make our bodies as healthy as possible so that we are most able to give glory to our Maker.

“Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” I Corinthians 10:31

“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” Romans 12:1

I am not doing this to lengthen my days and trying to do so would be pointless, because God already has my days numbered and that is not going to change.

“Since his days are determined, the number of his months is with You; and his limits You have set so that he cannot pass.” Job 14:5

Ultimately, even “health” does not determine our days. My dad was a very healthy man and suddenly died this past spring at the age of 47 of non health related causes. On the other hand, my husband’s grandfather is in his mid eighties, smoked, drank, and has eaten unhealthfully throughout his life, has beaten cancer seven times and is still alive. Eating well and staying healthy does not guarantee a long and happy life.

So, if I am looking at it from the perspective that my goal is not preventing death, but taking care of this earthly body in order to give God glory, it is much easier to see that there is no need to be overwhelmed or stressed out. This is not a race against time. This is an ongoing pursuit of health for the betterment 0f the days that I and my family have been given.

Are we able to serve God and others better when we feel well ourselves? YES!

Do we feel better and have more energy when we eating whole, traditionally prepared foods? YES!

Will I continue to do my best to be a good steward of God’s blessings to myself and my family, seek out whole & nourishing resources, and feed them to the best of my abilities? YES!

Will we spend our days in fear that with every bite of food we might be eating something that will shorten our lives? NO!

We will be thankful for what the Lord has blessed us with, we will pray that He will use our food to sustain our bodies in order to best serve Him, and we will happily eat as best as we can.

Would I like to always be able to buy the very best? Of course! However, I would rather eat homemade sweet potato fries from conventional sweet potatoes with a little bud-nip on them than to be eating restaurant french fries that are hardly even made up of potatoes and mostly contain non-food ingredients. Sometimes with bad, good, better, and best, “best” is not an option, so we settle for “better” rather than “good” or “bad.”

There are still places that we won’t often compromise such as unhealthy oils, soy, GMOs, processed foods high in sugar, and meat/dairy from unhealthy sources, but life is too precious to fret over everything.

When at group functions where food is served, I try my best to steer clear of anything that might have ingredients that I just don’t feel comfortable compromising on, but I am also not willing to sacrifice a relationship over food conflict. Most of the time there are ways to politely decline food or not partake of the “bad stuff” without hurting feelings, but on the rare occasion that I just can’t get around it, relationships are not worth sacrificing for the sake of food & I will eat a bite. Once again, this is not about prolonging my life, it is about giving my best to God and I cannot in all honesty say that I am giving my best to God when I am hurting a brother or sister in Christ over food. I do not live under law, I live under grace. There is no need to be legalistic where food is concerned. This is not hypocritical, it is loving. I know that not everyone will agree with this, but this is my stance. I do not always throw in the towel and eat whatever is served at a party or potluck, but if it is really going to cause a brother to stumble, I do not want to be the one responsible for such a thing. Food is not a black & white issue. Food can be used as a tool for sin, but the act of eating a particular food is not sin.

As with every aspect of life, it’s all about the motives of your heart. When I step back and evaluate why I do what I do, it relieves anxiety and brings peace as I am reminded that God loves me and my family and that He is taking care of us. I have no need to fear or be stressed out, but instead I have the freedom to gladly enjoy the journey of life, eating and savoring whole, nourishing foods, and living my life to give Him praise.

What are your thoughts and motives for living a wholistic lifestyle?

Shared on: Frugal Days Sustainable Ways