Recalibrating Life...

A year ago I read the book Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst. I enjoyed it but didn't retain any of the information in the book. This year, one of my 2012 goals is to get healthy. To do so, I need to recalibrate my thoughts. Lysa states in the intro to her book,

"Getting healthy isn't just about losing weight. It's not limited to adjusting our diet and hoping for good physical results. it's about recalibrating our souls so that we want to change- spiritually, physically, and mentally. And the battle really is in all three areas."

What does that mean for me?

Spiritually-I need to make time in my life for Worship- the worship of my Creator, my Savior. Honestly, this is something I struggle with- I start off with good intentions and it goes well. I get up early and get that time in (I KNOW myself and know that it won't be happening at night) and then as the weeks progress I get more and more tired. Then, I think, "Oh, I'll do it tonight" and it ends up being several days and nights before I pick it up again. I started a new Journey group this week with several women- this has been a good week to start off this new "journey"- so far so good but I covet prayers to continue this. And that leads into....

Physically- Again, this is something I KNOW I need to do. I'll be honest, I just don't enjoy the thought of exercise. Once I have started and finish, I am SO glad that I did it but that getting started- ugh! I also know that part of the physical is also getting enough sleep. That means, if I want to fully experience the spiritual aspect then the sleep/physical aspect needs to come into play as well. When I am tired, I am less focused. I'm making a more conscious effort to go to bed at a decent time so that when the alarm clock goes off, I'm more likely to be ready to go with joy in my heart and a spring in my step :) This also means I need to make healthy food choices and surround myself with healthy food. I found a pin on pinterest that says "If you keep good food in your fridge, you will eat good food." This is the stage where I need to be- I need to not tempt myself by having that candy or chips or whatever else might be calling to me (ice cream???) and fill my world with healthy food options. And then there's the water (which will be a whole different blog post as I had some thoughts about this wonderful thirst quencher earlier this week)- cutting out the sodas again and drinking that water. And the final step is...

Mentally- this is probably the hardest one for me. Physical and Spiritual are hard BUT they are those things that have been around for my lifetime. Mentally, I struggle. I know that I don't fit the world's ideal (which is where my struggle lies) and Satan uses this to attack me. Some of the lies he tells me are, "why bother? it isn't going to make a difference." "Do you really think anyone will even notice? Nah, they won't- there's no point." "That one little donut isn't going to hurt" and on and on. Oh, he's good in that aspect- he knows my heart and knows exactly the words to say that will bring heartache. And this is probably going to be an area of further blogging as I work through it.

Anyway, this is long enough- just a little peek into the journey I am on. I will be participating in Melissa Taylor's online Bible Study for this book beginning this Sunday. I think this is exactly where I need to be right now to do this and would covet your prayers as I find my "want-to" and learn that food cannot satisfy the emptiness- only God can.

A New Year...A New Perspective

ETA- out of habit I typed 2011 so I fixed it!

2011 is over and 2012 is just beginning. When the calendar turns from December 31 to January 1 you can't help but be a little excited- it's a new year- a blank slate.

For many 2011 was an exciting year and for others not so great. It was a year of loss, a year of questions, and a year of uncertainty. I read the following verse tonight and thought how fitting it is:

"You were wearied with the length of your way, but you did not say, “It is hopeless”; you found new life for your strength, and so you were not faint." Isaiah 57:10 (ESV).

I want that to be my legacy- that at the end of a long day, a long year it can be said of me that I did not say, "it is hopeless" but through my HOPE in Christ I have found new life for my strength and did not faint.