FINDING YOUR WAY BACK TO SURRENDER

Thank you so much for all your kind words and for sharing some of your amazing journeys! I have gotten so many sweet messages and some have a specific and similar question. “How do I find my way back to fully surrendering to the plan?” Some dear friends had either successfully surrendered in the past but have fallen prey to our old way of thinking and eating or are having a difficult time surrendering completely. Before responding, I prayed, “Lord, what should I tell them? What is the answer?” This was the response that came to me. “What would you do?” What would I do if I needed to find my way back to surrender? I would completely start over! I heard an AMAZING quote ---“No matter how far you have walked away from God, the return trip is only one step.” This is so so true and it’s also true in regards to this eating plan. Surrender isn’t far away. It’s only one step.

1. RESET We all started this amazing journey differently. How did you start? My mom, sister, and I started with the 14 day challenge. No matter how we each started, we all started at the very beginning, we all started at day 1. How did you prepare for day 1? Did you buy certain groceries? Did you start a brand new, fresh food journal? Did you watch one of the videos each day for motivation? Do those things again! To get back to full surrender, I would pretend that I’m starting completely fresh and I would even do the 14 day challenge again.

2. WHAT SOLD YOU? What was it that sparked in you – “this is the plan for me! I know this will work! Ok, I’m sold. I am going to do this! I will never go back!” For me, during the detox, during the grieving the food I was giving up, I read the ble book. That is what really sold me. Reading how poisonous sugar and flour really are to my brain and how and why the raging monster awakens sold me. I wasn’t just giving up sugar and flower because of the plan any longer. I was now choosing to give it up because IT WAS WHAT WAS MAKING ME IDDICTED AND CRAZY OVER IT. If I stopped the overwhelming cravings at the source, they would eventually stop. To get back to full surrender, I would read the book again.

3. SURRENDER STARTS WITH LETTING GO So many people out there say, “There’s no one who understands what I’m going through.” The devil will make us think we’re the only one. But that is a lie! Jesus experienced everything we have faced or will ever come to.

Hebrews 4:15 (AMPC) For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning.

Not only does He know and share what we experience, He is volunteering to help you and to take your cares upon Himself. Peter toiled all night and caught nothing. This is the very definition of toil. Working so hard trying to figure out a solution to the worry surrounding you and how to surrender to the plan, with nothing to show for it. God wants nothing more than to help us by taking those cravings, problems, burdens, worries, and fears off of us and working them all out. But, we have a part to play in this. God’s part is, He will bring it to pass. Our part is to give our care and worries and way of eating to God and to do what He tells us to do. There might be some steps He has for you to take in getting out of a problem. Only when we give Him our problems and ask Him for wisdom, will He lead us out. Sometimes we get so impatient and wonder why God hasn’t done anything as quickly as we think He should, yet we don’t do our part and so we don’t give Him anything to work with. Then to make matters worse, we begin a failed attempt to do His part and try to bring it to pass. Sorry, but that never works. Can you imagine how frustrating this can be for God? When we refuse to let go and cast it on Him, it’s like we’re asking for His help in the situation but are pushing Him away at the same time.

Galatians 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. This is exactly what we do when we worry and can’t surrender. It’s holding God back so He can’t help us because we won’t give it to Him. It’s frustrating God’s grace —His help.

FRUSTRATE MEANS: to prevent (efforts, plans, etc.) from succeeding. To keep someone from doing something. Bring to nothing.

Isn’t it frustrating to watch other people try to do something you’re good at? Let’s say you’re a website designer and some guy is going make himself a website. He buys a computer and domain name and is all set to go. He spends the next several hours trying to make sense of it but is getting absolutely nowhere. You watch him working night and day, trying to design this website. Meanwhile, you’re a professional. This is what you do all day, every day! This is who you are. You know all there is to know about it and it frustrates you because all he’s doing is making a mess, all for nothing. Finally, you can’t take it anymore and say, “PLEASE STOP! LET ME DO THIS FOR YOU!” But how does pride respond? “I’ve got this. I don’t need your help.”

God is a professional care taker, care carrier. This is what He does day in and day out. This is who He is. He knows all there is to know about it. Not only does He care about you, He cares FOR YOU, INSTEAD OF YOU! Someone who is worrying is saying, “I’ve got this.” It’s YOU looking to YOU for the answer. Here’s what you're really saying, “God, you don’t care. And if you do, you don’t care as much as I care.” Deep down, you don’t believe God and won’t take Him at His word. When you’re in the middle of this terrible worry and craving cycle, you feel like no one cares about this problem you’re facing. All the while, God is standing there saying, “ME, PICK ME! I’LL NOT ONLY HELP YOU, I’LL FIX THIS!” He’s volunteering for the job.

When I cast my cares onto the Lord, I picture Him swooping in and literally taking my place in the situation I’m in. He comes in and takes my place. He knows exactly what to do. He knows how this ends. He knows every part about it. When we let Him get involved, the answer shows up, EVERY TIME. (Part of this blog is from my book, “Rescued from Worry.” If any part of this resonates with you, please contact me or visit my website, kellyaulnovels.com. This powerful book is super affordable because I want to get this into your hands!)

4. GRATEFULNESS IS KEY Instead of thinking of all the food we can’t have, start thinking about all the amazing and beautiful foods we get! And the huge amount of it, by the way! Now, I get up in the morning with excitement about the amazing and tasty foods we get! I mean, there are so many recipes and cookbooks out there now that are beautifully compliant. And so many free resources as well. My mom said it perfectly! She said the whole point of this way of eating was to get our minds off the food and to live in the moment. As long as we’re consumed on the food, it’s harder to surrender it. Being thankful is one way of doing this. It gets our minds off of what we don’t have and onto all the things we are blessed with.

5. ONE THING AT A TIME Corrie ten Boom said, “Worrying is carrying tomorrow's load with today's strength—carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” Literally, just take one day at a time. Take one meal at a time. When you wake up in the morning, focus on breakfast. Don’t think about tomorrow, or the next meal, or what if I mess up? Just focus on breakfast. Make a wonderfully compliant, filling, satisfying meal that looks pretty too. Snap a pic and post on the Recipe Ideas group. (You’d be so surprised at how fun it is. And sharing the pic keeps us in check because people will see what ingredients there are in the recipe.)

Remember this quote! ---“No matter how far you have walked away from God, the return trip is only one step.” This is so so true and it’s also true in regards to this eating plan. Surrender isn’t far away. It’s only one step.