food for the body, food for the soul

Sunday, October 21


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 

17 comments :

  1. such a sweet husband. i have a dairy and gluten intolerence and its so hard. especially when dining with friends and cooking for your husband!'
    brianna
    adventuresofthesouthernwife.blogspot.com

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  2. So few people realize that we really are what we eat. Whenever I have a junk-eating binge or a couple lazy days where I just don't feel like eating healthy, my body always feel terrible. As soon as I get back in gear, the difference is amazing! So glad you're feeling so much better!

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  3. I can definitely feel your pain. With my raynaud's it took them over two years to FINALLY figure out what was going on. Lupus was a possibility for so long even after all of the tests. It's frustrating! But God is good...always.

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  4. 'the Lord longs to provide' - my heart really took a deep sigh when reading that line because I forget that a lot, when I try to provide for myself.
    how wonderful that God listened to your prayers right then and there. I can't tell you I know what you are going through with your illness, but I can tell you that I know who's with you and it's so wonderful to see you have many people that are so supportive of you. what a great blessing!

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  5. Wow, I can't imagine the pain that you suffered through that time. I am so thankful we serve a Lord who provides, from giving answers to giving a meal. I am pretty sure going off of gluten and dairy would be the end of me, that's pretty much what I live off of. But I guess you do what you have to do in order to be healthy and I am so glad you have found something that is working for you!

    I have been struggling with chronic pneumonia for the last year and a half, I've had it about 8 or 9 times but I am praising God that it has been 4 months since my last bout -longer than I've gone for the last year and a half!

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  6. wow! what an amazing story. good for you for not losing hope when you weren't getting answers.

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  7. Wow what an amazing testimony! I'm so happy the things you are doing are working. Praying it continues for you!

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  8. i struggle with an illness, but I'm incredibly blessed by your post. I'm so glad I stumbled upon your blog!

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  9. Wow is really all I can say! I've only just started following your blog but already you have touched my heart. Thank you for your honestness. God is working through you!

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    1. Rebekah! Thank you so much for your sweet comment:) I look forward to getting to know you more girl! Love Katie

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  10. Oh wow! I had no idea about your battle with lupus, but I'm so glad you're feeling better with this new diet! It's awesome getting to see all the ways God is at work in your life in so many ways =) And if you happen to find some fantastic vegan recipes, send them my way! I'm always looking for them!

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  11. Your posts are always so inspiring and encouraging! I love them :) you are a beautiful person, I admire your strength! && I'm sure your new diet is causing you to eat much healthier than all the rest of us! So cheers to you!!! :)

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  12. You're inspiring me to come up with some gluten-free recipes... hopefully soon something delicious will pop into my mind!

    Hope you've been doing well, friend!!

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  13. thanks for sharing all of this. One of my close coworkers has lupus as well, so I have learned so much about the struggles and successes.

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  14. Sweet Katie! I had no idea. Thanks for being so real. It's so true for the past forever I've not been paying close enough attention to what I've been eating and lately I've been a lot more conscious and aware - it makes a world of a difference!

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  15. That is such an incredible story!!! Praise God for people in your life who are so helpful and amazing. May you continue on a wonderful journey. I don't know much about Lupus other than from reading this entry!
    +Victoria+

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I LOVE hearing from you friend:) Your comment will make my day!