Agency & the Words of Wisdom…
When I first became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or Mormon as most folks tend to call it, one of the most frequently asked questions I got from friends, family and even random people who happened to be listening in on whatever conversations I happened to be having at the time was, “Don’t you have to, like, uh, give up a bunch of stuff now?” or something along those lines.
My answer was – and still is – a simply put “No”.
Now, I assume that these people were referring to the Word of Wisdom when asking me about changes I would have to make in my life when joining the church. The Word of Wisdom, as defined in True to the Faith, is a law of health revealed by the Lord for our physical and spiritual benefit. This revelation, as documented in the Doctrine and Covenants, basically tells us what foods are good for us as well as those that should be avoided. We are promised spiritual and physical blessings for obeying The Word of Wisdom.
We have been instructed to not use alcoholic drinks, tea, coffee, and tobacco (D&C 89: 5-7). We are also taught that we should eat Vegetables and fruits, which should be used “with prudence and thanksgiving”. The flesh “of beasts and of the fowls of the air” which is “to be used sparingly” and Grains such as wheat, rice and oats, which are “the staff of life”. (D&C 89:10-17)
We are given promises of blessings if we obey the Word of Wisdom, as stated in D&C 89: 18-21.
And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones; And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures; And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint. And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen.
Now, back to the topic I wanted to talk about today, Agency. We are each given the gift of Agency, the ability to act and choose for ourselfs. So when it comes to the Word of Wisdom I like to think of it as guidelines that we have been given by our church leaders to help us live a healthy life. If I follow the Word of Wisdom and never drink alcohol I will never, ever, become an alcoholic. If I choose not to do illegal drugs, I will never become a slave to the hold they would eventually have over me. Choosing not to use tobacco makes it impossible for me to become addicted to it and also much less likely to get different types of cancer that modern-day science has proved it to cause. If I choose to eat fresh fruits and vegetables, to limit my meat intake, and to consume grains I choose to live a healthier life. The most important thing here is that *I choose* to do these things. I choose to follow the guidelines of my church leaders. I choose to be healthy. I choose to avoid addiction.
I have not always been a member of the church, and I have not always followed these guidelines. I have done drugs, drank myself into such an ignorant state that I was completely unable to defend myself from what was happening to me, and even though I am barely 5 feet tall I once weighed over 200lbs because of my very unhealthy eating habits. If I had been made aware of the Word of Wisdom at a younger age I may have avoided some of the most horrible experiences and hardships of my life, but knowing that I chose to willingly participate in those activities, and that I am now choosing not too makes me feel that much stronger. I am very thankful that I have never really been addicted to these substances, and also thankful that I survived the poor actions – and sometimes very serious consequences that were a direct result of – my youth. I can attribute so many things to the choices that I once made, including getting cancer, before becoming a church member.
I would also like to point out that these revelations occurred prior to modern day science proving that alcohol and Tobacco were dangerous and that whole grains were good for you…
I am so happy to have been given the gift of agency. To be given the ability to act and to choose for myself. I am so thankful to have been introduced to the Words of Wisdom while I was still somewhat young and to have the rest of my life to choose to be a healthier woman.
Filed under Mormon, body image, healing, hope, how it started, quotes, religion vs science, sick | Tags: agency, lds, words of wisdom | Comment (0)one year ago today…
One year ago today I willingly went under the knife to have a roux-n-y bypass. This is a pretty common surgery for weight loss, although one of the most extreme options out there, but I had it preformed to treat other medical problems I had at the time. I needed to loose weight, and that was defiantly an added benefit to having gone to this procedure, but my other health problems is what convinced my insurance to pay 100% of the surgery. I had the beginning stages of Barrett’s disease, a pre-cancer of the stomach and esophagus. Most people who get this disease are about 60 years older than what I was when I was diagnosed. Most people who have the disease have no symptoms what-so-ever, but others, like me, become very sick and need to have part of their stomach and esophagus removed. Although turning in to cancer is somewhat rare, my doctors and I decided that it would be better for me to have the surgery now and attempt to solve the problem because my grandfather died of stomach cancer. I have also had another type of cancer when I was 15. Its just that it seems like I get sick very easily and I didn’t want to risk the problem getting worse. I also had a few other things removed/fixed/repaired while under the knife. Although I didn’t feel much better immediately following my surgery(ies), today, exactly one year later, I am doing much better. After my surgery I lost about 25 or 30 pounds in the first few months (much less than most people having the surgery loose in that time period) but later found out that I had Chronic Biliary Dyskinesia that caused me to need to have my gallbladder removed approximately 6 months following the bypass. Having it removed should have done nothing for weight loss, but it seems like as soon as it was out my extra weight began to drop off.
I don’t own a scale, so I honestly don’t know how much I have lost or what it is that I currently weigh. I think it is safe to say I’ve lost about 80 pounds. I know my highest non-pregnant weight to be 200 pounds and my current weight to be somewhere around 120.
I don’t have many full body photos of me prior to my RNY, but here are two face shots that you can see an obvious difference in my weight.
Before:
After:
Filed under about me, body image, goals, healing, photos, scarey stuff!, sick, what i'm doing... | Comment (0)
They’re back….
Last night before I went to bed (and after about an hour of crying) I put my tongue ring back in. It’s not because it completely defines me, or because I am not strong enough to live without it. It’s not because I think it is cool, or because I am afraid of what people will think of me without it. It is simply because I like it and it is part of me. It has been part of me for a very long time. I didn’t get my tongue pierced as a sign of rebellion. I do not think having my nose and my tongue pierced makes me a bad person. I may decide to take them out one day (just as I have taken all of my other piercings out already) but as of now it’s just part of who I am and I do not think that it is a terrible sin. After a conversation with a friend of mine the other day about the spirit of the law versus the letter of the law I decided that the letter of the law might say that it is wrong, but the spirit of the law does not. I do not feel as though it is a terrible sin to wear these piercings. I do not feel as though it is a sin to have a few tattoos. Just like I do not feel it is a sin for men to clip the sides of their beard, or for woman to have short hair, or that non-virgins should be stoned to death for that matter, even though the bible says so. I agree with another online friend of mine who says that God is much more interested in the love you have for him in your heart than what you have on your body. On the other side I also believe that your body is holy and that you should respect it. You should carefully choose how you present yourself also, because when people see you they should see your love of Jesus.
With that being said I am still committed to giving up caffeine, as it is without a doubt a drug. I am still committed to not drinking alcohol, as it is also a drug. I will not do any of these for at least the next 40 days and nights, but I can honestly say that it will probably be forever. I am still committed to finding faith, and attending church. I am not; however, ready to change all aspects of my life. I one day might make those changes as I grow and mature, but that day isn’t today.
Filed under Mormon, body image, how it started | Comments (2)I feel naked right now…
I just removed my final two peircings from my tounge and my nose.
Honestly, I feel naked right now.
Fat Tuesday & Ash Wednesday
Fat Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday, called Mardi Gras. Traditionally, it is the last day for Christians to indulge before the sober weeks of fasting that come with Lent. Formally known as Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras has long been a time of extravagant fun for European Christians. In many southern states of the USA Mardi Gras is a traditional holiday. The most famous celebration takes place in New Orleans, Louisiana. It has been celebrated there on a grand scale, with masked balls and colorful parades, since French settlers arrived in the early 1700s.
On April 17th, 1958, His Holiness Pope Pius XII confirmed the Feast of the Holy Face of Jesus on Shrove Tuesday (Tuesday before Ash Wednesday) for all the dioceses and religious orders who would ask for the Indult from Rome in order to celebrate it.
I was raised primarily in the Lutheran church. This church is similar to the Catholic Church with its primary differences being the 95 theses that Martin Luther nailed on the church doors. Anywho, Fat Tuesday, the day before Mardi Gras begins, is usually celebrated with a pancake supper at the church and we would give up something for 40 days and 40 nights. You should give up something that’s not easy to do. Some people give up candies, others meat. Everyone is different, and thus their self sacrifice varies too. My personal sacrifices over the years varied from giving up caffeine to sugar to liquor to cell phone usage, etc.
I am not Catholic, and really I am not Lutheran either. However, I have decided to participate this year in a new and different kind of way. Last night I decided that I would make some changes in my life, at least for the lent season anyways, to see if it brought me closer to Jesus. I will not be drinking any more caffeine. I have seriously cut back on the amount of caffeine I have had recently (and in fact that’s usually what I give up for lent anyways because it’s so hard for me to do. Last year I gave up all drinks other than water – including teas, coffee, milk, juice, etc.) I have also decided to remove my remaining body pricings. I had twelve piercings total. Three in each earlobe, two in my left ear cartilage, my nostril, my tongue, my right nipple, and my navel. In recent months I have removed everything other than my nostril stud, and my tongue ring. The reason behind this is simple my piercings (and tattoos for that matter) mark a certain part of my life. Its kind of like how a photograph captures a particular moment in history and preserves it for all time. My body art did the same for me. It captured memories for different parts of my life and provided a constant physical reminder of my past. My first piercing was in my earlobes for Christmas when I was 13 years old. I wanted it so badly but my father, a Pentecostal, did not believe in altering your body. When I was 13 I had already been confirmed in the Lutheran church, the one my mother attended, so my parents agreed that I could have my ears pierced and wear modest earrings. At 16 I got my second holes in my ears, and at 17 I got my third. At midnight on my 18th birthday I got my tounge and my right nipple peirced (i went for my tounge only, but if i remember correctly they had a two-for-one-peircing special that apperantly i thought was too good to pass up.) Later that year I also got my cartilage pierced two different times in my left ear making what is called an ‘industrial’ where you can wear a bar through both holes at the same time. Once I removed the bar and placed separate studs in each opening the holes shifted and I was never able to wear the industrial bar again. That didn’t convince me from letting them close, though. I got my navel, or belly button, pierced when I was 18 (I think) also. I was dating a guy that didn’t want me to do it, and I ‘rebelled’ against him one night by going out and getting it done with a friend of mine without his knowing. My nostril was the last thing I got pierced and it was when I was 20, about a week before Casey and I got engaged. Casey had his septum (the cartilage between your two nostrils) pierced at the time, and this was my way of matching him. I had always wanted it done, but I hadn’t gone until then.
Tattoos are the same for me. They mark a time in my life that I’ll never forget. My first tattoo was when I was 15. I was on house arrest (another story for another time…) and I still managed to get into a tattoo parlor, not get asked for ID (or arrested for that matter), and tattooed. My second was when I was 19 – a homemade tattoo in memory of my grandfather who had passed away, and my 3rd was when I was 20.
In addition to no longer drinking caffeine, taking out my piercings, and committing to not getting any more tattoos I have decided to also no longer drink alcohol. Giving up alcohol will not be hard for me since I don’t drink very much at all anyways. There was a time in my life that I drank on a very regular basis, but those days are long behind me. I have drank several times in the past few months, but am resolving now to no longer drink, at least, as I mentioned earlier, during this 40 day period.
I haven’t had any caffeine since the day before yesterday, and I am having headaches from it. Surprisingly enough most over the counter headache medicine contain caffeine, so I won’t be taking any Excedrin either. As I mentioned earlier I have given up caffeine a number of times and I know the headaches are normal, and that they only last about 2 days after they start. So by tomorrow afternoon I should be fine.
Also, I realized that it might not be appropriate to speak out nipple rings on a Christian website, but the purpose of this blog is to be honest and to document my journey. I hope I didn’t offend any of you, although I am sure I did. I welcome your comments….
Filed under Mormon, about me, body image, fast and testimony, hope, how it started, quotes | Comments (2)
on tattoos:
I have 3 tattoos and 12 body peircings so I found this particular blog to be intresting.
This was posted at www.thisisreverb.com by Pastor Ryan. I LOVE his blog. I read it daily.
Check it out, and tell me what you think and where you stand on the subject of tattoos and peircings…
http://www.thisisreverb.com/2009/01/on-tattoos.html
Filed under blog roll, body image | Comments (4)