Don’t tell me you don’t like meatloaf! It is still one of my favorite dishes my mom makes. Something about ground meat, spices, and ketchup reminds me of home. Usually, no two meatloaves are the same, and maybe your memories aren’t as pleasant as mine. That is okay. I still want you to promise me you will give this one a try. I swear, it is NOT your mama’s meatloaf.

As you can see, this meatloaf sneaks in not one, not two, but three different vegetables! Don’t get skeptical, remember you promised me you would give it a try. Here is what you will need…

• 1 pound ground meat

• 1 zucchini

• 1 bell pepper (any color)

• 1/2 onion

• 1/2 cup bread crumbs

• 1 egg

• 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard

• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

• 1/2 cup BBQ

There is no reason wasting time dicing vegetables if you have a food processor and it is all getting mix together anyway. At least that is how I see it. I keep it simple, cut up my vegetables and let the food processor do the heavy lifting.

BOOM! Look how pretty and tiny those vegetables are all together. Makes it less likely your picky family will pick them out of your meatloaf. Next, you will mix all the ingredients except the BBQ sauce into a big bowl.

Spray a 6 x 9 or one size larger with non-stick spray and add in like a traditional meatloaf. Then top with the BBQ sauce. Bake at 350F for 30-40 minutes. You wan the internal temperature to be around 155F.

How you serve it is up to you. The meatloaf rates as your protein, but doesn’t have enough vegetables in it to be a serving. Get creative with your sides. Tonight the Turners had air fired potatoes. Sadly, there was no other vegetable on my plate. Not every meal rates 100. Ha!

How much time do you spend thinking about food?

Thinking about what you should eat, or shouldn’t?

How many minutes (hours) do you scroll through social media longing for the latest fat burning hacks?

How much closer does the perfectly portioned, totally organic, low-fat, no-carb, heart-healthy, muscle building meal get you to God and happiness?

Do you spend equal amounts of time focused on real worship and gratitude? If not, it will never matter how balanced your plate is, your heart and life will continually be unbalanced and unfulfilled.

Trust me, I know. As a registered dietitian, I’ve worked a decade trying to help you build balanced meals, find time to exercise and convince you to value taking care of yourself because you are worth it. I still, wholeheartedly believe in that mission. Nevertheless, at the core, that well-intended message is flawed, and so is our collective approach to wellness.

We all want to be well.

There isn’t a single person who woke up this morning just dying to get to heaven. Not one of you rushed out of bed to check your blood pressure, blood sugar, or scale, giddy to see life threating numbers. That would be ludicrous.

The desire to be healthy is as universal as the desire for shelter, plenty of food, to feel safe and have opportunities to thrive. No one wishes against good health. It’s unnatural. We agree we all want to be well, but we might not all realize we can’t get to wellness without worship.

In Psalm 103, David understands that true worship is something deeply inward, of the soul. It’s not just bumper stickers, singing praise songs, church attendance, or checking off a daily devotional or liking Bible verses online. True worship is an inward lifestyle that springs from your soul. David called for everything from his head to his toe, to give honor and praise to God. That is going all in!

“O my soul, bless God.
From head to toe, I’ll bless his holy name!”

— Psalm 103: 1-2

We are quick to jump to verses 3-5 in Psalm 103 and want God’s favor in the form of forgiveness, healing, mercy, and goodness. And let's face it, most of our "wellness" desires are really in vain – a longing for youth! Isn’t that what you want, after all? Fewer wrinkles, a tight tushy, and to be able to run, jump, and play at any decade? That’s youth.

“He forgives your sins—every one.
He heals your diseases—every one.
He redeems you from hell—saves your life!
He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown.
He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal.
He renews your youth—you’re always young in his presence.”

— Psalm 103: 3-5

But you can’t get to verse 3-5 without going through 1-2, first. Bluntly speaking, you can’t get to real wellness without going through authentic worship.

“O my soul, bless God.
From head to toe, I’ll bless his holy name!
O my soul, bless God,
don’t forget a single blessing!”

— Psalm 103: 1-2

Don’t forget a single blessing! What a call to action for believers who have been given so much already. When you finally take inventory of every single merit of favor God has bestowed on you, the remembrance along will provide you all the reason to stay in contestant praise.

Once the scale tips to more time spent in praise and worship than obsessing over food and your figure, you’ll start to see a wellness transformation from the inside out. I can’t promise you that worshiping God is the weight loss tool you’ve been praying for, but I can guarantee you, you will never reach true wellness, no matter your weight or athletic achievements, without worship.

As cliché as it sounds, on your death bed, what are you going to recall?

All God has provided you over your life span, or what was the protein, to carb ratio or your last meal?

Don’t wait till your dying to understand the benefits of living.

You can’t have earthly wellness without heavenly worship.

PS- God is good at calling out BS worship.

Go to God in worship as a no strings attached believer, not a beggar.

Love you, mean it.

“103 1-2 O my soul, bless God.
From head to toe, I’ll bless his holy name!
O my soul, bless God,
don’t forget a single blessing!
3-5 He forgives your sins—every one.
He heals your diseases—every one.
He redeems you from hell—saves your life!
He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown.
He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal.
He renews your youth—you’re always young in his presence.
”

— A David Psalm (The Message)

Have you ever wondered what life would be like without any rules, regulations, or laws?

Give it some thought. What would it be like to buckle your family into a vehicle, pull out of your driveway and get on an interstate where there were no speed limits, no stop signs or red lights, and no driving etiquette. If driving in a world with no guidelines doesn’t make you anxious enough, think about living in a world without public law to protect your rights, property, or human life.

The bottom line is that rules and boundaries can be a very healthy and helpful thing.

The truth is most humans are good at following general guidelines that uphold peace for the majority, but no one has ever held all law to perfection. Even you are guilty of speeding (even if you didn’t get caught), possibly failing to report every penny of income, or taking a pen from work without permission. Trivial, but still defiant.

God went to great lengths to prove to us human beings that we are imperfect by design. In the Old Testament, the law was designed to be so rigid and hard to keep perfect that we needed grace and a savior.

“So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess. ”

— Deuteronomy 5:32-33 (NIV)

I can’t imagine what it must have been like for the Israelites to see the ten commandments for the first time. Do you feel anxiety thinking about keeping God’s standards?

God wanted His people to enjoy His blessings, so He provided a standard for how they should live. He was direct in communicating His will; He gave them the law which was a blueprint for how He wanted them to live.

“Be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you
”

— (v.32.)

Born again Christians are aware of the Lord’s instructions. You read your bible, do devotionals, engage in the pastor’s teachings and life groups. Even with all your knowledge and confessed faith, you find yourself slipping, unable to do it all (at least not all in the same day).

Even with the best intentions, you’re unable to live up to God’s holy standard. 

“
For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.” The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.”
”

— Galatians 3:10-12 (NIV)

I’m just going to go out on a limb and assume you aren’t perfect. Something tells me that at some point in your life you have had to receive grace from a parent, spouse, teacher, and God All Mighty. Remember, how it felt when you were forgiven (however little the mess up)?

Humans tend to be repeat offenders of even the smallest transgressions. And you aren’t unique in feeling like a constant letdown. The Apostle Paul had the same struggle that you and I do. He got it to the point he wrote the Bibles most profoundly confusing few lines. Ha-Ha.

“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.  And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.  For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.  For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
”

— Romans 7:15-20 (NIV)

News Flash: God isn’t shocked when you are unable to walk the straight and narrow. The law was created to provide a moral standard. But, as people who live after Jesus came and died for us, we live by faith in Jesus Christ, the only One that was capable of living in perfect obedience.

“So, the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.
”

— Galatians 3: 24-25 (NIV)

What role does the law now play in the life a Christ-follower?

You might think that if it is impossible to live up to God’s perfect standard, why try? Well, if everyone didn’t “try” to follow the rules of the road, there would be a lot more casualties due to carefree driving. Followers of Christ should strive to uphold the Old Testament commandments, allowing it to convict us, not condemn us. You and I obey out of a heart for Christ and a desire to please Him.

Healthy Twist. If by design, you are unable to uphold God’s law perfectly, why do you expect to be able to adhere to strict food rules?

The same imperfect flesh that slips on the Ten Commandments will undoubtedly fail you with silly eating rules. Let’s learn to approach eating with the same faith and grace that comes with living your best Christ-like life. Use time-tested principles to guide your food choices, not dictate them. Offer yourself grace, instead of condemnation and have faith that perfection isn’t required to be in good health.

For yourself, I want you to ponder fad diets or trends that you have made nutrition “law” for you. And then allow God to release of those strongholds you created for yourself. Jesus didn’t die for you to live trapped in a fad diet. There is freedom in Christ, that includes food, too.