Nighttime Parable

Last night I remember a precious dream where I had a great conversation with a precious friend of mine who tragically died a few years ago. In real life, I have always loved her and consider her a good friend, however we didn't exactly have a whole lot in common. In the dream we had a conversation about our weight. I remember knowing she was going to ask about shame and she did. It was like we could read each others minds. When we spoke about about the solutions, the life in us just got bigger and bigger. She made a comment about how it can be really embarrassing to be seen in public with a weight problem. I responded that I felt the same shame and we talked about how Jesus took all that shame, etc. It was a positive and powerful conversation.

When I woke up, I pondered on this dream for a while. I love dreams so much. I believe they are little personal parables just for the dreamer. My friend and I have similar names and we always shared the concern about our weight. In the dream I knew what she was going to ask before she asked it. Because of that, I believe that she represented me. I believe that she was the mirror image of Fat Me not because of her physical weight, but because of her concerns about it. I am thankful for this dream. It shows me exactly where my heart is on this journey. I loved my friend deeply and never saw her with a weight problem. I realize I can also be happy with me in this place and love me the same way. We spoke about issues that really are just distractions when it comes to our weight, particularly shame. It really is embarrassing when you go out in public weight-conscious. We even act differently when we are aware of our physical appearance. Jesus bore our shame...that means he took it away. It's almost like a rejection of that gift when I pick it up again. I'm also judging me when he has already taken away all judgment. It's imaginary. When I have shame, I believe a lie. I don't want to do that anymore. When I start to think on a lie like that, I will remember the truth. I'm who HE says I am, not who I think I am. Here is the best part of the dream....I was having a conversation with a person (my reflection of me) who has been dead for years. Do you understand that? It's really a huge revelation! I no longer live. It is not me but Christ who lives within me. Would a dead person care if she were fat? Um....nope. The more I realize that I have been made new, the more I will effortlessly walk out of the flub-bondage. I don't have to be conscious of where I am not. I only need to allow him to pamper me in this place I stand today and know that because of HIM, I already AM. That is really good news.

Nutritional Nugget: Bell Peppers. Mmmmmmm.

Not only are they pretty, they are nutritious. I've had them on the brain a lot lately, and I even bought more red ones today along with a yellow one just for fun. The really colorful bell peppers like yellow, orange, and red are especially nutrient dense. They have great phytochemicals that include beta-carotene which acts as an antioxidant among other things like conversion to vitamin A for vision. Orange peppers are a top source of lutein and zeaxanthin, which guard against cataracts and macular degeneration. In fact, orange peppers contain more zeaxanthin than any other fruit or vegetable. One small bell even has three times the daily need of vitamin C. This is even more than an orange. The green bell peppers have lots of vitamin C in them too. The more ripe the more colorful the bell pepper. All of them start out as green and then change color and flavor depending on the ripening stage. Cool huh?

Read more at Wholeliving.com: Power Foods: Bell Peppers

By the way, my recipe I posted of Roasted Butternut Squash was great, except I did end up scrapping out of the skin and mashing it. That seemed to be better accepted with my guys. It was yummy. The leftovers I will use to throw into some dish for added nutrients.