Detox

My wife and I are in the middle of a family experiment. We have significantly altered our family diet... for a specific amount of time. Our family is eating "whole" foods and excluding a lot of things we would normally eat. We are watching how we feel and our children's behavior to see if there are any clear benefits. It turns out there are, but not what I expected.

About a week ago a bunch of my muscles went into rebellion and seized up. I've been in pain since then wondering, "What is going on?" I've come to the realization that I'm experiencing detox.

Your body can cope with a lot unhealthy things and keep moving forward pretty well. It does this by taking all the poisons and junk that it's not sure what to do with and stashing it away in dusty corners.... until cleaning day arrives. Detox is cleaning day.

Have you ever decided to clean your house and discovered that it got a lot more messy during the cleaning process? That's detox. Have you ever sought to right a wrong in a relationship and things seemed to get more wrong before they got better? That's detox too.

Detoxification is when the polluting process is reversed. The goal is to be clean... but the path to clean isn't a tidy path. Whether it's your garage, your body, or your relationships, when you make a commitment to detoxify, know that this process requires effort and will involve some discomfort. Getting it right is worth it.

When you are on a detox path....
- Put Christ first in all and listen to His guidance. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
- Set the right pace. Allow yourself (or a relationship) to be stretched.... but not torn.
- Focus on the basics; Keep your heart grounded in Christ, drink lots of water, consume good things (body and mind).
- Finish what you started - If you leave a bigger mess, you haven't completed your mission.
- Sooner is better than later, because a little detox is much easier than a big detox.

Your body, mind and your relationships will be joy-filled... and more fruitful.

Hebrews 12:2, NASB "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

1 Peter 1:22, NASB "Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God."

Matthew 18:15, ESV "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother."

James 5:16, ESV "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."

Ephesians 4:32, ESV "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."