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Saturday, December 28, 2013

Getting to the Source

I love the acronyms :)
I have noticed a particular set of trends within my circle of friends and family within the last few years.  It amazes me how quickly they seem to catch on.  Word of mouth is powerful if not the most powerful advertising.  I have heard the buzz about several different products from weight loss and weight management, wellness remedies, kitchenware, to organizational tools.  These things aren't bad things in and of themselves.  God calls us to wellness and we should want to be in our best shape to be used of Him.  These products give people a particular result.  Most of them work, some better than others.

 I have been on a long journey to wellness.  I like the sound of that, wellness.  Over the last seven years, I have made steps to a healthier me.  At one point, I lost over 80 pounds for the most part by eating less and exercising more.  That was my motto in the beginning and it still rings true today as long as I follow it.  The last few years have had their bumps along the way with several hundreds of dollars spent on personal training, 10 pound gains here and there, expensive diets, and more.  I learned more about food and how it works with my body, and the more I learned the more I felt responsible to eat healthy (I didn't always do so, and am currently getting out of a funk).

My relationship with food and fitness hit a spiritual note two years ago when I did a book study called Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst.  That is where I came face to face with the fact that I turned to food for comfort and support other than for fuel and not to God.  I didn't quite grasp the importance of that discovery then.  A year later, I was afforded another opportunity to participate in a book study entitled Uncommon Vessels: A Program for Developing Godly Eating Habits by Elyse Fitzpatrick.  This study was good as well, but I personally didn't take full advantage of the accountability afforded me at the time.

In 2014, I plan to get to the Source.  God is my Creator.  He knows me best.  He will provide for me the best way to get out of this cycle of over-indulgence and excess.  He will be able to instill in me the discipline I need to succeed.  He is the Source of strength and endurance that I need to overcome.  I can't do this on my own.  No product will do it completely.  Products can assist in the journey, but they can't cure the problem.  Only God is able to do the curing, and I must be willing to do the work.  He has already provided the victory.  I am not sure what 2014 will bring, but I am sure that whatever I do, it will be for God's glory.

By the way, if we shared Jesus the way we shared the latest trends today, I wonder what would happen?  Word of mouth is a powerful tool, share Jesus and see what happens.

For God's Glory,

Friday, December 27, 2013

GOing into Glory

GO ~ There is so much packed into that tiny little word.  For me it was a more than a command to go and do what God had for me to do for my harvests of kiddos.  It was a broader command to go and share the love of Christ to everyone.  It was a bidding to seek out the opportunities to be a witness to others.

That tiny little word also had a flip side to it with a meaning of "letting go."  This by far was the hardest impact of this word for me.  I can honestly say that I haven't allowed it fully to sink in and do it's work in me.  I have held on to particular things for so long that letting go feels like losing something that is a part of me.  I'm not talking about a coat or a jacket; it's more like losing an organ or body part.  I know in my head that "letting go" would be best for me, but getting that from my head to my heart are two very different things.

As for what I expected my word, Go, to do in my life was to give me a sense of awareness and boldness to share my faith to those around me.  I did that for a while, but relaxed a bit later in the year.  I also expected a sense of spontaneity, so to speak, to go and do rather than plan and plan to do something with no follow through.  This also happened to a certain degree, but there are several times when I still get hung up on the details.

I have now been in a waiting period for the past few months learning to trust God with my everything especially my health and harvests of kiddos.  This is where a lot of the "letting go" has been asked of me.  I am slowly learning to trust and surrender.  I know God's got me, but for some reason it has been difficult for me to let go of control even when my head knows God's plan is better for me.  God is always faithful and gives me exactly what I need.

As I close out 2013 in the next few days with my one word GO, I look with anticipation to 2014 with my one word Glory.  I seek to do everything in 2014 for the "Glory of God."  Whenever I ask "why", I will answer for the glory of God.  I look forward to educating myself on the glory of God and what my actions should reflect to bring Him the honor He so deserves.

For My One Word resources check out myoneword.org for more information.  It will change your life.

Thanks & Happy New Year,