Hearburn & Church

Been experiencing fairly frequent heartburn the last two weeks, and especially the last 3-days - yuk. And I did myself in by drinking plenty of coffee at work this morning. Last night I tried generic tums with little effect. Tried some pepto bismol with no apparent relief. Tried a spoonful of apple cider vinegar which did seem to help, but either my stomach was already headed in the other direction or the vinegar didn't mix with my food and other remedies so the results were miserable in the end.

I looked up some home remedies. The most popular were various doses of vinegar, and also water with baking soda. One person suggested laying on your left side to keep the acid from rising up. I did see one I decided to try: lemon juice with a little bit of luke warm water. Sounded fishy since lemon juice is technically acidic, right? Hmmmm... I added about 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar too for added neutralizer, just in case.

Results: I feel better after just a few sips!

Concluding remedy: 1/2 cup luke warm water + 1 Tbsp lemon juice + 1 Tbsp + 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar.

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Heartburn can be triggered by increased fat intake, and some people even get it when they eat certain foods like onions. And of course, STRESS is another heart burn trigger. I'll be cutting out my onion bagels for a week or so and see how that goes. But yesterday we went to church and the message helped me see some things I need to work on too.

Pastor Mark preached on I Kings 19:1-16; an episode in the story of Elijah. Elijah experienced major miracles and provision from God, and yet even he let little things get in the way of his appreciation and great faith he had built. Instead of turning to God, he ran away in a time of trouble. He forgot who had his back in all things if he would just call on his Father in Heaven. For me, I had to ask, "Why am I stressed? What am I trying to do without God?" God whispered to me, as He did to Elijah, and I'm ready to give those things to Him asap.

I can't do it on my own. I can't bring my marriage to where it should be spiritually on my own. I can't worry about or miss my family and friends on my own. I can't rely on our finances on my own. I can't manage my time on my own.

I know I'm not alone, so I guess I shouldn't continue to live like I am...