12/30/13

It is the sunset of another year.

I look back on this year with fond memories.

Steve and I celebrated 20 years of marriage and took an international trip that neither one of us ever thought we would do.

I ziplined and LOVED it.  Would do it again in a heartbeat.

I continued to learn how to LIVE in this life and not just sit back and watch it go away without trying new things.

I learned to accept change even more.

I increased in my knowledge of the Lord.

So many things... I honestly cannot remember them all because they have now become a part of who I am.

In reflecting on this past year, though, I couldn't help but think of hard times.  I know of many people who have suffered much worse things than Steve and I this past year and I cannot begin to say I know what they have faced.   One thing I have been thinking on more and more recently is when we go through the storms of life in a year, are we thankful for them or are we just ready for the year to end?  I can remember saying in past years, "I will be glad when {insert year} is finished so that I can move on to another year.  It HAS to be better than this year was!"  

In reading my book on Job (Beginning at the End: Finding God When Your World Falls Apart by Cherie Hill) and studying about Job in Sunday School recently, it has caused me to reflect longer and harder on the trials, or storms, in my life.

Everyone hears that trials are what draw us closer to the Lord.  It is easy to SAY that statement, but harder to live it.  When you are going through a trial and you have no idea what is to come next, it is like walking alone in the dark and feeling that the next step will cause you to plummet to your "death."  I have been there.

Thankfully, God understands our weaknesses.  He knows that many of our reactions in those trials and storms of life cause us to become angry and bitter; we try to have self-sufficiency (control and manipulation); and they can also cause us to fear or worry.  That is why He tells us repeatedly in His Word to "Fear Not." 

So, truly, why DO we have to endure storms in this life?  What IS their purpose?  Recently, one of the pastors at church preached on this topic.  It was a wonderful reminder to me as to why the Lord sends those trials.  Here are a few snippets from what I learned:

Storms uncover areas in need of spiritual growth.

Storms calibrate or re-calibrate your view of God.  

(Renewed reverence for His Person and His Power.)

Storms prepare you for future ministry.

In short, storms in life force you to see you are only human and you NEED the Savior.  If everything went "just right" all of the time, we would forget our need for Him. 

We would forget Emmanuel - God With Us. 

We would forget what He did for us on the cross of Calvary. 

We would forget that He is alive today, having conquered sin, and is there for us every step of this life.

I can honestly say that, although my trials in this life have been hard, what I have learned from them have grown me more than any "good day."  They are some of my sweetest memories only because of how I clung to the Lord and He was always there, just as He is every day, but I chose to be still before Him instead of my do things my own way.

As I reflect on this year I keep coming back to what I read in my book on Job by Cherie Hill:  "[God's] bringing us to "The End," so that He can "Begin."

How do you view 2013? 

How do you plan on viewing 2014?

Forget resolutions... we hardly ever keep them anyway.

Take each second, minute, hour, day, week, month of this next year of 2014 and allow the Lord to guide you.  The way might be rough at times, but He will NEVER let you go and He always has a purpose.

12/07/13

Missed me much?

Yeah, yeah, I know.... been a while.  No words.

Literally.

I just have not had the right words to write about as of late.  I have been given lots of examples of things in life to share, but the Lord just did not give me the words.

For today, I am back.  I had to share the newest journey.

Earlier this year I talked about my weight.   I also shared what the Lord gave me this summer at a workshop about doing hard things.

Put those two things together and you now have one determined 40-something Mama on your hands.

The above picture was taken on our 20th anniversary trip in June to St. Lucia.  Whew... I can't believe it, but I actually gained about 6 more pounds after that picture was taken.... OY. 


My journey actually started in September when I began walking with my best friend.  We both decided separately that we needed a change.  The Lord was working in both of our lives about the same thing and we didn't even know it!  We began talking seriously about our eating choices and then started out walking around 2-3 miles and now we are up to 6 miles when we walk together. 

Fast forward to the first of October.  Steve had his yearly physical and the doctor saw some numbers in his blood work that were too high.  Now the Lord had Sweet Man going through the same need for a change.

At the beginning of October Sweet Man and I both began the journey of our health.  We both have high risk of heart disease and diabetes in our families and we knew we had to get control of our choices.

We have done this weight loss thing many times before, but this time has been different.  I can't explain it exactly.  The first time I lost weight I did it through exercise only.  The second time I lost weight it was through eating choices only.  Now, I am combining both... exercise and eating choices.

It has been both liberating and difficult.  However, DO HARD THINGS has been on my lips to my children and students, so why should it not also be to myself!

Since October, Sweet Man is now down 35 pounds.  Men can blink and weight comes off.  HOWEVER, he has worked VERY hard to get to this point.  He has changed eating habits and worked out almost daily.  I AM BEYOND PROUD OF HIM.

I have lost 11 pounds since we began the first of October.  I realize women lose weight differently... I get that.  Those 11 pounds have been hard-fought and have required much discipline.  I am thankful for what I am learning and how I am regaining who I am.  I have been walking with my bestie, doing Just Dance on the Wii, Zumba on the Wii, and Leslie Sansone Walk at Home videos.  (Let me just say that Leslie knows how to kick your tail.)  I love it. 

This journey is by far from over.  I still have a long way to go to reach my goal and Sweet Man does, too.  What I have found is having two of the people I love the most along this journey with me has made even the hard times easy.  Their encouragement, and the encouragement of others, really means a lot.  I have learned to be a cheerleader for others who are struggling in this same area.

Losing weight requires hard work.  It isn't a quick fix.  If you are looking for that, as I was earlier this year, you are missing out on what is truly important.  Anything worth doing takes time.

As Sweet Man heard on the radio - "Sweat is fat crying." 

Below is our latest picture together.  Sweet Man is wearing the same shirt he was wearing in the above picture in St. Lucia. 

I am learning it takes work and discipline to have a healthy body.  My desire is to continue to "do hard things" so that I may help others do the same.

I'll keep you posted as the journey continues....