Eat Canned Vegetables
Fellow former procrastinators, I remembered a delightful and encouraging conversation from some months ago. It illustrates the question, What CAN I do? (What CAN I Do? October 9, 2017)
I walked out of the gym with a lady I’d never seen before. As we crossed the parking lot, out of the blue she said, “I’ve lost 79 pounds.” Needless to say, I was impressed. “You’re kidding!” “No. I have lost 79 pounds. I started with canned vegetables.”
Now I really wanted to know more!
“My life and my health had to change. The only thing I knew was that I needed to eat more vegetables. I didn’t know the first thing about the right way to eat. I went online and found a group I thought could help me so I signed up. I asked the woman in charge ‘Do I eat canned vegetables or frozen or fresh? Do I get organic?’
“She told me, ‘At this point it doesn’t matter. Just get started.” So I started with canned vegetables. I learned more about how to eat as I went along. And I started exercising.”
It was a wise instructor who did not overwhelm this lady with lengthy, detailed requirements for a healthy diet. She just came alongside her and encouraged her to take simple steps.
The lady in the parking lot was a wise woman herself not to fret over having the perfect plan or the perfect method before she took steps. She didn’t do thorough research or wait for local friends to join her. I’m a proponent of both of those, but they should not cause us to put off action. She didn’t shop for the perfect gym clothes or wait for the approval of others before she got started.
She recognized the truth about her life and health; she accepted responsibility. She took steps; she found help. She ate canned vegetables. She learned and kept growing in her knowledge and application. Seventy-nine pounds later she was telling me her story and enjoying a changed life and good health.
This example is a boost for us as we consider our own ignorance about what to do sometimes. It’s also good for coming alongside friends or children who feel lost about how to do a project or homework. We can ask, “What do I know? What CAN I do? Start there. Learn as I go.”
Sometimes some of us need to set a big hairy goal and tackle a lot at once. Go for it! But remember the value of starting small and keeping on. Just get started.
“Thy Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105. The Lord often doesn’t reveal the whole path at once. He reveals the next step. What step has He revealed for you to take?
The parking lot lady told me she had more weight to lose. I’m totally confident she has done that.
What “canned vegetables” can you eat this week?
Beth, thank you for this post. It reminds me of the tortoise and the hare, another example of just sticking with the plan, however simple or maybe even boring. But it gets results in the long run!
Exactly right, Sue! Thanks for reminding us of the steady, faithful tortoise.
My family sent me on a solo retreat for 2 nights (!) as a birthday gift, and the most “audible” word from God during my time away was, “Susan, just ask me in the moment for wisdom, and I will gladly give it to you. You don’t have to come away from this time away with all your ducks in a row or a new system that is guaranteed to bring you calm and no more chaos.” Sounds a lot like canned vegetables to me, and what a reassurance that God will guide us one step at a time! Thank you for this beautiful picture of encouragement, Beth!
This is really great, Susan! What you understood from God is something probably all of us need to remember – certainly I do. You’ve made it so clear. Maybe one reason it’s important to ask God in the moment is that we can get so wrapped up in our plans for calm and no chaos that we count on the plan instead of on Him. Then, too, when things don’t go according to our plan, we get discouraged. I want to remember “just ask in the moment for wisdom.”