Go!

"Go, Mommy, Go! Don't give up!"

This is what I heard from my six year old, who was laying on the bed watching tv while I worked out.  I didn't realize he was paying attention.  But, he was.

In the journey to health and fitness, others may be watching.  Those who say, "I don't exercise."  Well, they are watching too.  And, while my journey may include whole foods, exercise, vitamins, and energy drinks, it also includes my Bible, a devotional, a journal, and prayer time.  I hope that those watching can see that too!

You see, God does call us to take care of our bodies, as well as our spirits.  Our body is the home that God has given us to live in temporarily until He calls us home.  A healthier, active body is a body that is better prepared to fulfill the Great Commission:  "Go and teach all the nations" (Matt. 28:19).  Did you see that word?  Most of us focus on the word "all" and then line up a list of excuses:  God, how can I reach all?

But, that's not the focus!!  The focus is "Go!"

Get up!  Go!  God never promised anything would be easy!  In fact, He pretty much said the opposite.  Things like "burdens" or "cross to bear" or "persecution" hinder us!!  But, God calls us!  God has chosen us!  Now is the time for us to MOVE where He has called us to be! 

Are you ready?  Are you ready to get in an hour of cardio?  Run that mile? Maybe just start eating healthier?  Read your Bible more?  Reach your personal milestone? Are you ready to be the best you, so you can be the best for Him?  Take the challenge and take it one step at a time!  One day at a time!  I encourage you to get stronger physically AND spiritually!

Go!

Clouds

This morning, on my way to work, I saw the clouds.  I mean, I really saw the clouds as what they are--a masterpiece created by God, Himself.

It was in that simple, small moment that I realized I'd faultered.  The Bible speaks of a "slow fade" into sin.  Was I a sinner? Well, of course, for all sin daily and repent daily.  In the book of Song of Solomon, it states that it's the foxes that spoil the vineyard, meaning that it's the small things that will ruin something.  

I'd grown "too busy" and indifferent.  I was just living life and life was good.  But, I wasn't at the heart of who I am in God, of who I am in Christ Jesus.  

Moreover, I'd gained some of my weight back.  I wasn't eating as healthy.  Even on the verge of beginning my first exercise class as an instructor, I seemed to have lost my enthusiasm.

My family life-great.  My work life-great.   But, while looking at those clouds, I realized that I had taken my eyes off of the Son!

Reader, maybe you've gone into a slump like I was!  Hebrews 6:12 warns us not to be lazy in the ways of the Lord, but to have faith and patience and lay hold on the promises of the Lord.  

When lost at sea, He is our Compass.  When drowning in life's <fill in the blank here>, He is our Life Savor.  When tossing to and fro, He is our Anchor!

Yesterday, my family decided to get back on track with our healthy eating.  Today, I am getting back on track with the path that God is leading me through. And, my prayers are that you, my dear reader, will also always be able to find your way home to Him.

Love and prayers,

Julie 

You are more than a to do list

Luke 10 tells the story of Mary and Martha.  Jesus visited these two sisters.  Mary sat at Jesus' feet all day long and just listened to His Word.  Martha went about playing hostess, cleaning house, and busying herself with the "things that needed to be done."

To be honest, if it were me, I would be like Martha, even though I desire to be Mary.  I am a get-the-job-done type person.  I am known for my reliability and ability to make and accomplish tasks.

Yet, I am more than a to do list.  It doesn't define who I am!  

You are not a to do list!  Even as I pondered on this subject on the drive home from work.  When I got home, I had dinner, did laundry, washed dishes, made sure my kids had homework and baths done, and graded papers.  All before I sat down to read my bible!  Yes, I'm a Martha!

But, it doesn't have to be!  Dear reader, you are more than what is required of you!  You are a daughter of the Most High!  You have a royal legacy and know the Maker of the rain!  Allow Him to calm the storm within you and raging around you.

Do you have unfinished laundry and toys lying all over your floor?  Is your bed not made?  Your paperwork incomplete?  Maybe, your to do list is not fully checked off?

I know mine isn't!  Life is about balance and I'm learning what's important:  God and my family... All other things come second, even as much as I may love them and love that feeling of accomplishment when I get something done.  

Allow God to set your balance.  He wants all of you, but He is a gracious God and a Gentleman.  Trust in His presence.

Pursue

My husband was very persistent when he was courting me.  He gave me random presents, paid for my haircut, and even stood outside a women's restroom one time when I was sick.  At one point,  I even told him that I didn't want to date him.   But, he was pursuing me.

Even before that, I focused on getting my college education.  I didn't date much.  I wanted to focus on college.  See, I was pursuing my dream to become a teacher.

Within this last year, I have pursued a quest in becoming a healthy version of me!  Today, I even ordered my Refit Instructor package!

But, what does it mean to truly pursue something?  The dictionary says that to pursue something means that you chase after something until you catch it!

The bible speaks of a heart that pursues.

But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.  1 Timonty 6:11-12

Do you pursue after these things mentioned in Timothy? Are you chasing after righteousness and godliness until you catch them. Until. You. Catch. Them.

The bible often uses the word "selah", which means "think about it".  

So, think about it.  Do you pursue after the things of God like you do the things of this world?  Your relationships? Your work? Your success in life?  It's okay if you don't always do this.  So many times, we excuse our behavior because we are embarrassed by our mistakes.  Yet, King David of the Bible was an adulterer, a man who acted crazy, and a man who sent another innocent man to his death.  Yet, David went on to become "a man after God's own heart" and the author of the most beautiful prayers and my personal favorite book, the book of Psalms.

So, no more excuses.  Pursue after God's righteousness and holiness.  I promise you won't be disappointed.  God never moves from us.  He is stable and unable to fail.  Seek Him until you catch Him.

Easy Happens Through Hard Work

Okay.  It's confession time.  I am an all or nothing kind of girl.  I don't do things half-heartedly.  I either give it all I've got or I don't do it.  It makes me very loyal.  It makes me very dependable, because I get the job done.  However, this all or nothing approach to life doesn't benefit my health.   Even a little exercise is better than none at all, right?

It's not easy.  Today, I did my workout in my classroom, after school, all by myself.  The same classroom in which it is posted, "We don't do easy. We make easy happen through learning and hard work."  

I've been doing this Refit workout since January; it was easy today.  But, I've been working at it.  I started with 2 songs and only a 10 minute workout.  Now, I'm to a 45 minute workout and considering becoming a Refit instructor.  

But, things don't come easy, naturally.  The bible speaks of a man name Jacob.  Jacob loved a girl named Rachel.  Jacob agreed to work for Laban (Rachel's father) for seven years, in order to earn her hand in marriage.  Seven years!!  Well, Laban, loving the free help that he received through Jacob, tricks him upon that seventh year into marrying Leah (Rachel's sister) instead! What does our lover boy, Jacob, do? He works ANOTHER seven years to get Rachel!  Now, that's hard work!

The same thing is true for Christians.  God says that the way to follow Him is narrow.

So, what do you want to make easy in your life?  Recently, my husband and I were told that we make marriage look easy.  But, that's not true either.  That happens through hard work, too.

You see, just like my all or nothing concept, some things are worth working for and worth fighting for.  What do you wish to fight for?  What's worth working for? What's worth letting go?  Make your decision and give it all you've got!

 

It takes about 4-6 weeks to get in a routine of something and create (or break) a habit.  

You can do (almost) anything for a year.

If you can do it for a year, it can become a lifestyle.

Jesus moments and me moments

 "How many of you are multi-taskers?  Is your hand raised? Mine is!

The Proverbs 31 woman takes care of her husband (v 12), works (v 13-14), takes care of her household (v 15), gardens and farms (v 16), plans (v 16), takes care of the needy and volunteers (v 20), prepares for the future (v 21), and is not idle (v 27).

Were you like me and raised your hand to the first question?  If so, you may be more like the Proverbs 31 woman than you originally thought.  For me, personally, time is one of my most important things; yet, it is the one I so freely give away... To my church, to my family, to my work, and so on...  I know I've wished for times when I had "time" to be idle.  With this busy lifestyle, I still wouldn't want it any other way...and that is what makes me AND you more like the Proverbs 31.

HOWEVER, life is full of moments.  We can make these moments about us and our life OR we can make them Jesus moments.  Recently, I had the opportunity to sit with an older, wiser gentleman, and listen to him talk. He said, "Life is like a mist.  It's like driving a car down the side of a hill.  The older you get, the faster time goes by."

So, you can stay busy.  It's fine.  I'm guilty of it, but so was the woman from Proverbs 31.  There's nothing wrong with that.   But, you can turn your moments in to Jesus moments.  Take time to sit in His presence, to breathe in His grace, to read His word, and to worship Him!  I promise that the time will not be wasted.

And, then, it's okay to give yourself a break and have some me moments.  You can't take care of anyone, without first taking care of yourself.  That's the whole purpose behind this "journey to a better me".

"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's" 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Take a Jesus moment.

Take a me moment.

Take care of your temple.

****

This was my morning and how I take care of my temple. How do you? 

Join me in prayer, as God may be opening the doors for me in more areas related to faith and fitness.  I always want to be in a His will.  I will keep you "posted", pun intended.  Be blessed.

Give Love

Having reached a plateau in my weight loss, I press on.  I may not have lost any more  weight, but I feel healthier than I've ever felt in my life.  

Today, in  my exercises, I pondered on things that have been happening in our nation.  Recently, the motto of our nation is "love wins". For me, love already won on the day my savior was crucified for my sin.  Yet, as I was exercising, I looked at my shirt, one of the first shirts I'd ever bought to exercise in.  It reads: "Give love".  Yet, are we, as Christians, really giving love?  Are we showing God's love?

Before I begin, allow me to say, I am a Christian.  Therefore, I believe the Bible in its entirety.  If you want to know what I believe in or don't believe, read the Bible.  I believe what it says. 

Yet, if you knew me before I was 20, you know that I had a past.  Did I partake in the sins that many teenage and young adults partake in? No, I did not.  However, I was the most judgemental Christian I knew.  I condemned a friend who told me he was homosexual.  I never had a chance to witness to him because I cut him away from my life entirely.  I went to a party (which I was completely uncomfortable in) and a friend said, "oh no, we are all going to hell" when he saw me.  Could I witness Christ's love to him? No, because all he saw was my condemnation of his sin.  Even Christian friends that didn't know me then but are friends now tell me that I wouldn't have been their friend then, because of my judgemental attitude.

So, now that you know my past, allow me to continue with my heartbreakening honesty.  I believe we, as Christians, are somehow missing the boat here.  In wanting to be like Proverbs 31, I believe the Proverbs 31 woman is a woman who gives love.  

Recently, I had an opportunity to have a long discussion with my husband about life. He said something I will never forget, "I may be a Christian but I'm not going to join the hate wagon."  So, in these last days... Yes, I believe these are the last days, but I've believed that long before a court decision or what has happened in the media...I want to encourage us all to give love.  Give Christ's love.

My husband and I are youth leaders and recently we had the opportunity to attend a Christian concert.  (I am a music nut... But I especially love music that uplifts God, His Son, and His Word!!). We heard a young man (Colton Dixon) speak to the crowd about it being the last days.  He said something along the lines of: in the last days, the Bible says we will do greater works than Christ.  Then, he said, how many people have you raised from the dead? How many people have you seen healed?  How many people have you lead to Christ?

Ouch! That hurts!  Matthew 24:12 says that because sin will abound, the love of many will grow cold (or fade away).  As a former self-proclaimed judgemental Christian, I believe that's what we are doing.  We are too busy spewing hate to show love.  The bible says that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God.  After that, to love your neighbor.  It doesn't say that our neighbor would share our beliefs.  Moreover, the great commission tells us that we are to take the word of God to the sinner.  So, get out of your comfort zone.  Get off of your social media condemnation and go out and find the sinner.  (Remember Matthew 7 tells us to take care of our own sins--through Christ--before we judge or worry about others' sins.). Go beyond your church walls and find the sinner.  Give them Christ.  Give love.

A Proverbs 31 woman gives love.