food for the body, food for the soul

this past week the Lord was kind to me. 

He is always kind, 

but often I am too preoccupied with "my plan" 

to see the hidden treasures in HIS. 

A few of you may know that I have an autoimmune disorder called lupus. 

It's been a journey, it really has. 

For years I struggled not knowing what was going on in my body. 

the physical pain unbearable at times,

and the emotional and psychological strain even more so. 

my freshman year in college I woke up and couldn't move, and so began a 2 year long testing of all that could potentially be wrong with me. 

the doctors were stumped, they had no idea. 

i could hardly walk without 9 advil a day, and running became a stretch. 

i looked perfectly healthy on the outside, but I wasn't on the inside. 

a few years out of college, frustrated, I started doing my own research.

i walked into the doctors, convinced it was lupus, and asked them to test me. 

they did.

it was positive. 

the ups and downs were difficult, but I was thankful to know what was going on in my body. 

The years following, I saw little improvement. 

however, the last year and a half i've been seeing an amazing doctor who uses a very holistic approach to treating me. 

i've healed in tremendous ways. 

i have more energy, i'm not as achey or tingly, my strength has returned.  

to sum it up, I feel like a normal person again. 

yet, in the last year, i've changed my diet and gone off gluten, dairy and soy. 

wow, what a difference that made! it was amazing! 

and this last month, my doctor found some things that needed healing, and prescribed me a diet of just veggies, fruit and meat. {that's right...JUST veggies, fruits and meat!}

yikes! it's been hard, but i've already seen an improvement. 

i ran on Friday, like fully went on a run, without joint pain, for the first time in 3 1/2 years. 

i.couldn't.believe.it. 

but eating so strictly can certainly be tough, especially when invited places. 

last week, I was bringing dinner to a friend's house who had just had a baby. 

Because it was far away, I just stopped by Corner Bakery and bought them their favorite meal. 

when I got to their house, I realized I was starving. 

but I had no food, and there were no places around to buy the food I could eat. 

a tear rolled down my cheek as I sat in the car. 

Here I was bringing food to my friend Kierra.

I didn't want to ask her if she could feed me. 

how embarrassing! I was coming to feed HER! 

But I prayed "Lord, please provide something, anything, that I might be able to eat"

I knocked on the door to greet my sweet friends and their new baby. 

In less that five minutes, when I sheepishly admitted to them my new eating habits, they graciously whipped me up a bunch of cooked veggies and fruit. 

I sat in complete awe. 

God had heard my small prayer,

without much faith. 

and yet He cared. 

He heard me, and He provided. 

His tender heart, 

it blessed me. 

and then today,

my sweet husband took me on a date to a raw, vegan, restaurant called 118 Degrees. 

it was delicious, and I walked away overcome with blessing. 

i thank God for that man who has blessed me in this health journey. 

the Lord longs to provide.  

May we look to the small ways that the Lord blesses us. 

For it is food for our soul, those remembrances. 

If any of you have ever struggled with their health, I would love to hear from you, and pray for you! It can be a battle, but we are not alone:) 

much love and HAPPY MONDAY,

love Katie