This week has been quite an interesting week. GOP boys left. It was sad yet at the same time I have been encouraged to see the transformation in their lives while they were on the mountain. The life restored in their eyes. The joy returned. The knowledge of the power they each have to fight the enemy when he comes attacking! So, we had our largest group of the summer (so far) come, love us and leave only to be followed by the smallest group. Right now on the mountain we have a family of 5. Really kind of cool to think about to be quite honest. I have imagined what it would be like to have my family on the mountain for weekend. Then to think about my ENTIRE... maw maw, aunts, uncles, cousins... everyone on the mountain for a weekend, and I started to laugh. I could hear maw maw saying how cold she was and having me explain every single ant, animal, and sound 500 times. I could hear my momma telling me all the food borne illnesses I am being exposed to and the fact we don't have hot water all the time. My daddy would be inventing something or fixing the FJ from breaking down all the time. Kevin would probably go stir crazy. Abbie would yell at every single bug she saw on the wall only to be followed by "whoa, that's cool." Matt would go hum. Thomas and Jacob wouldn't know what to do without their cell phones because that means no girlfriend communication. Brenda would be like me, sit up in the hammock and read a book. Wesley, would want to redecorate/ paint something. Aunt Sylvia would be in absolute amazement, and want to know every detail about the place as well as give wonderful ideas on how to make it better! Allison and Daniel would be harvesting the beans, coffee, or trying to figure out where to put some animals to keep the grass down. The more I thought about my family on the mountain, the more I wanted to see it happen. I think it's be an adventure. Costa Rica wouldn't know what hit him. You think California was in shock of Jed Clampet, Costa Rica wouldn't know the Spanish words to explain the Lasleys.
The pace this week slowed down with the decrease in the number of people around. Still chopping away at the veggies. Still in love with cooking beans and rice!
I had a come to Jesus meeting today! Those those who don't know, in my past I have battled and have experienced freedom from several eating disorders. I know. What? Heather Lasley? Yep folks, I'm not perfect. Shocker!! The enemy is a sneak. He knows when to attack. He knows to kick us when we're down. I know his plan and how he works because as a coach you study the other team. You know where the weakest link is, what the player's tendencies are and you devise a strategy to attack the weakness. So think of Satan as the coach, studying us, knowing where and when we are weak. So, off and on in the past 6 months I have struggled. It all started with the death of Paw Paw. One week of upset, grieving, I can't eat I'm so depressed stomach, manifested thoughts of old habits and patterns. For the past 3 weeks my entire eating schedule has been off. I know personally, one of the ways I (big I) kept control (not giving it all up) was to follow a strict food schedule. If the schedule got messed up or if I ever felt full, my stomach would almost out of habit reject my food. Possibly to years of abuse. But NO MORE!!! The past 3 weeks I have had to follow a "meal" schedule. Meaning eat at meals. Meaning feeling full. Meaning hello barf. Resulting in old tendencies, giving power to the enemy, shame, and beating myself up for detouring back to this awful road. Here comes the good part...
This morning I was basking in the morning sun of Costa Rica, trying to get my sun tan back (because kitchen duty and rain has taken my color) I sat and listened to God. So I'm on the upper deck and cry out to to God, "WHAT IS UP? Lord, why? Why again? You freed me from this 2 years ago, why am I returning to this?" It was as though the Lord said, "You never completely gave it all up. You have a feeding schedule. YOU still control it." And you know what.... shocker here, God was right. So I began to pray in audacious faith. Asking the Lord to take this from me. Take it all. To heal my mind. To heal my body. The same way he fixed my hormones when they were out of whack. The same way he healed the bleeding woman in the Bible. To just take it all. To give me strength to fight and to fight Satan for me. Then I roll over and look at the huge cross looking over the jungle out towards to sea and I remember. JESUS died for this. He knew that I would need him to take this sin. To take this battle. He died for Heather Lasley. He died to kick Satan in the mouth so the enemy would have no power of me. And the very fact I have been allowing this to happen has been like a slap in Jesus' face. It was as though I have been saying, "Yeah Jesus you died for this sin, but I'm going to hold on to it, so you're death was pointless. They beat you to shreds so I could stay in bondage under the influence of the enemy."
So at that moment I got mad. I got mad at the enemy. I started to proclaim truth over WHO my God is. Over what he has done for me and how Satan has no authority or dominion over my life. This proclamation was followed by another prayer of strength and a plead for a sign. I roll back over on my back, keep in mind I'm still on a concrete slab of the upper deck trying to catch some rays, when I see not one but at least 10 kite-tailed, eagle type birds; the scripture from Isaiah 40: 28-31 came into my mind,
"He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall MOUNT UP WITH THE WINGS LIKE EAGLES; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."
The enemy has lost! The scripture also says, "resist the enemy and he will flee." Eventually, he will get tired of coming after me because I refuse to let him win. Praise God for the cross and the freedom we have in HIM!!
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