~My Sweet Life~

Throwing Off Everything That Hinders

I did something this weekend that seriously PAINED me! I threw away perfectly good food. It was food that I did not need. Food that tempted me. Food that makes me FAT when I eat too much of it--which I do!

I had made some cookies and some crushed oreo/cream cheese balls for Mac's Harvest Party at school last week and even after giving some away, I still had a lot left over. I also made some of the Pioneer Woman's apple dumplings last week. After Stephen and I each had a serving, there were lots of those left over as well. To the trash they went.

It's not that I'm big on wasting food, it's just that I got on the scale recently and SERIOUSLY nearly fainted from shock. NEVER have I seen a number as large as what I saw in front of me. Not even close. I just decided "I can't do this anymore".

Of course I want to be physically attractive, but more than that these days, I just want to FEEL good. I'm tired of my feet hurting, trying to catch my breath after going up a flight of stairs, and being uncomfortable in my clothes.

Since I have made several (unsuccessful) attempts at getting rid of this weight, I am really arming myself with scripture this time. Here are some that I am focusing on--AND writing on index cards and taping to my fridge and pantry doors!

"You were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body." 1 Corinthians 6:20

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." ~Hebrews 12:1

"Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive." 1 Corinthians 10:23

That last verse, especially, has really got me thinking. I want to examine not only the kinds of foods I eat, but also the way I spend my time and my money and ask myself DAILY, "IS this truly beneficial to me?"

Some things are obvious...Nutter Butters dipped in white chocolate may taste good for a moment, but they are not truly beneficial to me. Crushed oreos mixed with cream cheese are YUMMY, but when you are 50 lbs overweight, they are not beneficial AT ALL! ;)

Other things in my life I can examine in light of that verse...choosing whether or not to watch a particular tv show...choosing whether or not MY KIDS should be watching a particular tv show...spending inappropriate amounts of time playing Bejeweled or seeing what all my Facebook friends are up to when there is plenty of work to do in my home...buying something at Target because it's a "great deal"! Ha! Are those things beneficial?

I feel the need to slow down and take a closer look at all the choices I make in my day and ask myself, "IS this beneficial--to me? to my family?" I'm always telling God I want to be a better steward of my time and money and body...I want to take my pastor's advice and turn my good intention into an action starting TODAY! Won't you join me?

Voice of Truth

There's another great discussion going on over at the Internet Cafe this week--and since I get "writer's block" quite often, I appreciate the writing prompts they offer their readers! Here goes...

This week's question is:  

"What is one message that your "tape recorder" (mind) is playing over and over in your head that is a lie? Since God's Word is the only thing that has the power to change our minds,  His truth is the only way to erase a lie...So find a scripture from the Bible that gives you truth over your lie."

_______________________________________________________________     Like most women, I am always hearing that tape play over and over in my head that tells me I am not good enough...pretty enough...smart enough, etc. Although I realize those are indeed lies I need to deal with and apply God's truth to, at this moment I am listening to a new "tape" that is continuing to play in my mind. It's tortured me and has had me paralyzed for the past few days.   My 19 year old son, Taylor, left for Coast Guard boot camp earlier this week. And I was not at all prepared for how hard it would be. I am a mother who has spent years praying for my son, but for the first couple of days, I worried sick about him anyway. I fretted about where he was, what he was doing, what he was feeling, etc. I cried until I couldn't cry anymore.   The tape that I keep hearing sounds like this: "He's all alone now. He has no one. What if something bad happens to him...or if he somehow fails...even after all the prayers that have been prayed for him?"   But God's Word tells me:   "The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore." ~Psalm 121:8   "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8   "No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame." Psalm 25:3   "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him and I am helped." Psalm 28:7   "'For I know the plans I have for you', declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.'" Jeremiah 29:11   "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6   "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19     I know this list is barely the tip of the iceberg! There are many other scriptures I can meditate on that will comfort and strengthen me...and more importantly, expose Satan's lies. And I plan to spend more of my time replacing those things with God's TRUTH. I am seeing that is how you overcome paralyzing thoughts of worry. And as I was reminded earlier today, I don't want to  miss out on anything God has for me right NOW because I am too distracted looking back to the way things were or even looking ahead to my son's return.    Father, open my eyes to the blessings You have for me in this very moment, for I know there are too many to even count. Thank you for that! In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.        

Real Love

Earlier this week I had the privilege of hearing an excellent message by Andy Stanley called "Staying in Love". It was based on Philippians 2:3-8

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!"

Andy began by pointing out that we are to follow Jesus' example--clearly stated in John 13:34 ("As I have loved you, so you must love one another").

Some other excellent points he made-all taken from that passage in the second chapter of Philippians:

• Our goal in relationships is not to be right, but to be respectful.
• When Jesus died on the cross for us, He opted for RELATIONSHIP over GLORY--our attitude is to be the same! How many times have we argued with our spouse or anyone we love, in order to prove our point? We want that other person to know that we are RIGHT! But Jesus' example shows us instead, it's more important for us to protect our relationships. When we try hard to get what we feel we deserve, we hurt that other person in the process and overlook the VALUE of that relationship! This is the opposite of what Jesus taught and modeled. It's worth repeating: He desired a RELATIONSHIP with us more than He desired His own GLORY! Let that soak in.
• Imitating Christ means the relationship comes before you getting everything you want and deserve.
• Embrace the interests of the person you're in love with--love them like Jesus loves you--the greatest evangelism is through these kinds of relationships.
• Everybody desires to stay in love and we've been instructed in how to do that! It goes beyond us being happy. It is demonstrating to our culture what Jesus did at Calvary when He put us first.

This is simple but definitely not an easy thing to do. When we've been wronged--or even when we just believe that we have been--everything inside us tells us to demand our rights...to make sure that other person knows they are wrong and prove our point at whatever cost! But if we can take a moment to breathe and to pray, God will absolutely give us the strength we need to "let it go", humbling ourselves for His glory. I promise you God will bless you (and your relationship) for that. And wouldn't that be better than sacrificing peace and love in your relationships to be RIGHT?

"For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." ~Luke 14:11

Surrender

I came across this question at The Internet Cafe's "Cafe Chat" yesterday:

Is there a situation in your life that you feel ill equipped to handle? If yes, would you be willing to surrender this situation to God, and let Him work through you? If no, why not?   

How timely! Yes, right now I am facing a situation that seems overwhelming to me. It  may not really sound like a big deal, but after enjoying the privilege of being a stay at home Mom for the past 5 years, my husband is asking me to return to work outside of our home.

To say this does not thrill me is an understatement. First of all, I am 40 years old with no college degree. To be honest, it is hard not to "beat myself up" and get discouraged when I look over all the listings of jobs I feel I am not qualified for. My self-confidence is a bit lacking.

Also, I'll just be very honest...I love being at home and taking care of my family. I have 3 kids and a very busy husband, so I am in no way lacking for things to do! Despite the way "the world" tends to view the stay at home Mom, I actually enjoy making a career out of caring for my home and family. I really don't want to leave it behind.

However, all that being said, I have to remind myself daily that God is in control. I love Charles Stanley's quote: "Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him."

As much I love being at home, I love God more. I truly want to be where He wants me. (Who am I to tell Him where I can serve Him best? Ha!) I know that what I must do is honor Him by being obedient to Him and submitting to my husband's request. If God does not want me working outside the home, of course He can prevent it if He chooses to. But maybe God does want to use me outside of my home. I have to believe that He sees a bigger picture I cannot now see. I have to believe Romans 8:28.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose".

So to answer that question, yes. I am more than willing to surrender this to God. To be frank, this whole "going back to work thing" has been like an elephant sitting in the middle of my house for years. I am sorry to say that I have fought my husband on it and that was wrong. I realize now that I was putting my dream (and comfort) of being a stay at home Mom before trusting and obeying God. In other words, I made it my idol.

Today I am choosing to step out in faith--regardless of my fears and feelings--and expecting God to show up in a big way!

Waiting on God...

It's been awhile since I have really blogged, and I wanted to explain why.

Since 2005, I have used this blog for everything from journaling about cute stuff my kids say and do to sharing good recipes. Mostly, though, I've blogged about the amazing things God has done in my life--stuff I thought was too good to keep to myself!

For awhile, I was "on a roll". I enjoyed blogging and had many readers who would comment about my entries being meaningful to them, and of course that made me feel good. Maybe too good? Unfortunately, I reached a point where the blog got harder and harder to keep up. Frankly, I struggled to find things to write about. And as my posts got to be fewer and farther between, I lost a lot of readers.

A few months ago, God began speaking to me about this. He helped me understand that my blog lost its effectiveness when it became more about me seeking an audience than about Him being glorified.

I know that God wants me to write and I intend to keep blogging. I've just decided that from now on, I will write and share my experiences as He leads me. So if it seems I am being quiet, it's because I am sort of regrouping and preparing for a fresh start! :)

"Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ." ~Galatians 1:10