The Daniel Plan: Week 1 (Chapters 1-3)

     So I've read through the first three chapters of the book.  In fact, I've just finished chapter 3, which most of today's post is going to be about.  Chapters 1 and 2 were pretty much an introduction and an overview, and chapter 3 is where Pastor Rick dives into the Plan. He starts with Faith, (Chapter 3 is actually titled "Faith") and of course the whole chapter is fantastic. Even if you don't plan on putting any of the Daniel Plan into practice, this Chapter on Faith could serve as a book all by itself and would still be a great read.
     I might guess that this was perhaps Pastor Warren's easiest chapter to write: as it is likely his favorite topic (certainly a topic where he has some authority), and there is a lot to think about in this chapter. Some of what Pastor Rick was saying, I've been told many times before but still I struggle each day to put it into practice.  I can tell that Pastor Rick likes word pictures! I love his analogy of the speedboat on auto pilot.  He is talking about how many times in life we try to change our behavior through sheer will power, and this usually ends up failing because our internal mind-set has not changed. He likens it to a speed boat speeding along a lake on autopilot in one direction. If we want to change the boat's direction 180 degrees, we could grip the steering wheel and fight the autopilot, but eventually we will tire out, let go and head back in our original direction.

            Or, we could change the direction of the autopilot.

Wow. 

     Change starts in the mind-set! This is a simple concept, but for me, a huge one.  I am in the business of telling people to make healthy changes in their lives, but I am always focusing on giving them ideas such as "why don't you try cutting back on red meat?" or suggesting they cut down on salt or cut out sodas. Instead, maybe what we should be talking about is their mind-set. Not an easy topic: and certainly one that takes more than 5-10 minutes to really get into. 

       But I digress. His point is that if we want to bear ANY fruit in our lives, including the fruit of getting healthy, we have to start by being plugged in to God daily: this includes at LEAST 10 minutes a day of quiet prayer, Bible reading and meditating on the word. This daily practice helps us "plug into" God's miraculous power: the one that's going to help us re-program that autopilot.

I'm sure I don't have to tell anyone how hard this can be to put into practice.

        I feel like I have such a hard time doing this! I'm not sure exactly why. I could sit here and try to say that I'm busy, but I sure do find time to check Facebook, email and my phone about 25 times a day!   You know what I really think it is: it is about control. Pastor Warren has been telling me in this book what countless spiritual leaders have told me my entire life: If I want a true right relationship with God and true happiness and fruit in my life, I have to give control of my life to God. And I keep thinking I can handle everything on my own.  All the while, God is laughing at me (in a good-natured way) and working out everything for my good, (as long as I don't go and screw it up!)

          This is a lesson I definitely need right now.  I've got some personal stress that I'm dealing with, nothing serious; just life -- the same sort of stuff we all go through, and I can't stop thinking about how I'm going to fix it and handle it all on my own. Even when I try to pray, my mind keeps wandering back to what I'm going to say the next time I see a certain person, or what steps I'm going to take to deal with my issue. Meanwhile, God is trying to tell me: I got this. I will take care of it. 

        So I'm going to try to change that autopilot: that mind-set. I think this has BIG implications in my health as well as yours. HUGE case-in-point: I've been stressing and worrying so much over the past few weeks that I got sick! Usually I have an immune system of steel: built over years of working in the health-care system. But every once in awhile I get sick and it's usually when my stress levels are up. (The only silver lining to what may have been the worst stomach virus of my LIFE is that I've already lost 3 pounds and I just started reading the Daniel Plan- ha!) So the past few days my health has been pretty poor, and I KNOW it is likely because I have been worrying /stressing, and refusing to turn the situation over to God.

       The main point of the FAITH pillar of the Daniel plan is this: God wants us to be healthy. And for that, we need to turn over control to him and TRUST that he will help us every step of the way.  We need to remain plugged in to His power through daily prayer, and reading /meditating on his word. We will not do this through our own power but HIS power. That essential piece is what makes The Daniel Plan different than all of the other diet/exercise/fitness plans out there. 

And that faith makes all the difference.

       So let's all do it together, shall we? Read / pray/ meditate each day. Work on changing that auto-pilot and letting God have control. Let's talk about it online and on our walk.