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Drowning in your SuperGal Stew? I was. And still am, in many ways. But with God’s super power, the lid is off. Yep, I’m climbing out of the pot!

Every year for Thanksgiving, I make the Black Bottomed Biscuits.  Now, mind you, it is never my intent to blacken the bottom of the biscuits. But always, in an effort to shorten the cooking time, I crank up the oven temperature, then get distracted. And always, just before the biscuits burn, I grab them from the oven. A little scraping, a little butter, maybe a quick hit with the belt sander, and voila! Mostly edible biscuits.

The same can be said for my life. I dwelled in the oven for a long time, but just on the brink of burning, I was saved. Perhaps a bit crusty and blackened, but still useable. 

I am a complicated dish. God has His work cut out for Him. But that’s no problem for the true Top Chef.

There are as many ingredients in a SuperGal Stew as there are over-burdened and worn out SuperGals. Our stews all look, smell and taste a little different. But none of them are the least bit nutritious. Sadly, many are poisonous.

What makes a SuperGal? A wife, mom, daughter, sister, friend, grandmother, or worker with a superhero mentality. Struggling to control her world and everyone in it. Trying to be all things to all people.

Starting to sound familiar?

Along with all of you, I’m itching to dig down to see what drives us. To explore the circumstances and choices that landed us in this pot. And to learn to get out of the frying pan.

Listen, I could spend months talking about my own gloppy mess. On the hot issues in my life that still manage to bubble to the surface.

My own recipe for life has been filled with all of these ingredients.  I took everything, the good and the not-so-good, too far. Sacrificing myself in the process; believing I was big and bad enough to handle it all.

I boiled in that pot for far too many years. Worse, I pulled my loved ones down in there with me.

These days, though, I’ve begun to simmer in the presence of the One who can remove these bitter tastes from my soul. The One who is transforming me into a SuperGal in recovery.

Take a look at this list. See what rises to the surface. Bubbles up.  Think it over. Then tell me about it.

They are hard to swallow, these flavors. I’ve never been much of a cook, but I could whip together this stressed-out stew like nobody’s business:

Too-Busyness
Controlling life - other people - your present and future
Constant worry - Anxiety - Fear
Selfishness - Self-centeredness
Pride - Ego - Self-reliance
Too responsible for others - Fixer - Co-Dependent
Impatience
Complainer - Negativity - Depression
Perfectionism
Guilt
Lack of trust
Problem anticipator
Risk Resistant
Lack of stillness
Lack of healthy balance - sleep - proper diet
Hostility - Aggressiveness
Over-thinker
Time Anxiety
Envy
People Pleaser

Whoa. I told you this soup is thick. Chock full of chunky tidbits—habits, addictions, misery. Choices.

The stuff that seasons every aspect of your life, and not in a good way.

This stuff adds saltiness, but not spiritual nourishment.

Crunchiness, but not contentment.

Bitterness, but not joy. Never joy.

A big ol’ serving of emotional fat, calories and cholesterol.

As a Recovering SuperGalaholic, I am learning to taste real freedom for the very first time. A taste that is changing me. And can change you, too.

I want us to share. I’ll tell you about my journey. I want to hear about yours. To learn from other SuperGals. From those who may be farther along Recovery Road. From those who are walking beside me, and from those who are bringing up the rear.

We don’t have to keep cooking in the same old stew, SuperGals. We can choose freedom. Every day, choose freedom. Say it out loud. Write it down. Ask God to transform your mind.

Do not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. ~ Romans 12:2 (NIV)