"Yesteday you can't alter, but your reaction to yesterday you can. The past you cannot change, but your response to the past you can."
~ Max Lucado, When God Whispers Your Name
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Who should I be?
I disagree that I need to look like the skinny, airbrushed models in the magazines. I do not believe that striving for achievement, fame and fortune is the path to success. Education does NOT matter more than character in my book. I hate hearing how I am supposedly intolerant, unloving and closed-minded. I'm tired of being yelled at that I need to not only accept sin but embrace it.
Aiming to be healthy is important. What is in my heart should be what makes me beautiful on the outside. I am to become a servant because afterall, that is the example Jesus set for us. Learning is important but without the wisdom to apply it, those smarts are fleeting. Character means more than the amount of facts I can hold in my brain. God tells me that I am to love through His example as He is the definition of love. True love wants one's best and doesn't require altering the owner's manual. I am to be open-minded and tolerant by God's standards (not by my own and not by some predetermined set of standards from Oprah, The View or Hollywood).
It can be exhausting at times to use God's filter for my thoughts. Still, I know I need to turn off the television and be careful of what I read and listen to. What enters my mind will shape and mold the life I live. Do my thoughts and beliefs really line up with God's? Or have I simply given in to the media and decided that God's best for me doesn't really make a whole lot of sense?
I cannot determine what is best for my life by my own standards. I have a Creator and He knows best how His design operates. Just because someone shouts louder, it does not make them right. God allows me the freedom to embrace His truths or not. This is love. I can choose to take the easier path and go with what my own predetermined standards of right and wrong or I can choose the narrow road that God sets before me because it will take me to the perfect destination.
We are doing a study at church of John Ortberg's book, The Me I Want to Be. In it, he reminds us that "There is a God. It is not you." That is likely the biggest struggle. I want to be God's best version of me. That's the me I want to be.
Aiming to be healthy is important. What is in my heart should be what makes me beautiful on the outside. I am to become a servant because afterall, that is the example Jesus set for us. Learning is important but without the wisdom to apply it, those smarts are fleeting. Character means more than the amount of facts I can hold in my brain. God tells me that I am to love through His example as He is the definition of love. True love wants one's best and doesn't require altering the owner's manual. I am to be open-minded and tolerant by God's standards (not by my own and not by some predetermined set of standards from Oprah, The View or Hollywood).
It can be exhausting at times to use God's filter for my thoughts. Still, I know I need to turn off the television and be careful of what I read and listen to. What enters my mind will shape and mold the life I live. Do my thoughts and beliefs really line up with God's? Or have I simply given in to the media and decided that God's best for me doesn't really make a whole lot of sense?
I cannot determine what is best for my life by my own standards. I have a Creator and He knows best how His design operates. Just because someone shouts louder, it does not make them right. God allows me the freedom to embrace His truths or not. This is love. I can choose to take the easier path and go with what my own predetermined standards of right and wrong or I can choose the narrow road that God sets before me because it will take me to the perfect destination.
We are doing a study at church of John Ortberg's book, The Me I Want to Be. In it, he reminds us that "There is a God. It is not you." That is likely the biggest struggle. I want to be God's best version of me. That's the me I want to be.
Solitude
I've always considered myself an extrovert. I like being with people. Conversations that matter energize me. I like to talk with people about God, marriage, friendships, and life in general.
This year, more than ever, though, I find myself craving solitude. My husband said it's because right now it is such a lifeline for me. It is one of those commodities in life I am not afforded very often and therefore I am left craving more. I think he has a valid point there but I also think it is more than that. I think God is telling me that I need solitude in order to become more of the person He designed me to be. I think He is whispering to me the importance of quieting my mind and my life and taking the time to listen for His voice. I'm not the best listener in the world. I often find myself thinking about what I will say next rather than listening to words that are being spoken to me.
This year, I want to hear God more. I want to become a better listener and I believe an action toward that goal is to find solitude and quiet. That's my goal anyway.
This year, more than ever, though, I find myself craving solitude. My husband said it's because right now it is such a lifeline for me. It is one of those commodities in life I am not afforded very often and therefore I am left craving more. I think he has a valid point there but I also think it is more than that. I think God is telling me that I need solitude in order to become more of the person He designed me to be. I think He is whispering to me the importance of quieting my mind and my life and taking the time to listen for His voice. I'm not the best listener in the world. I often find myself thinking about what I will say next rather than listening to words that are being spoken to me.
This year, I want to hear God more. I want to become a better listener and I believe an action toward that goal is to find solitude and quiet. That's my goal anyway.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
New endings
I'm always looking for a clean slate. A fresh start that allows me to begin without any mistakes. That's why I like Mondays. It always seems like a new week will help me achieve the goals and desires I have for myself. The problem is that I quickly muck it up.
The new year always gives us the opportunity to wipe the board clean. When my children came down with the stomach flu and all I could do was operate in survival mode as 2011 greeted us, my dreams for healthy eating and exercise suddenly slipped through my fingers. (I didn't even have the opportunity to shed a few pounds through hugging the toilet bowl myself.) So much for New Year's Resolutions -even though I didn't really make any.
I'm so good at excuses. I don't make any changes because I want perfection. That lasts for a minute (if I'm lucky) until I find myself wanting a new beginning again.
I liked this quote from my Weight Watchers meeting last night:
“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” —Maria Robinson, health educator
I alone am responsible for my choices. I may not be able to undo yesterday or even the last hour but I can change tomorrow. I've been told monitoring my thoughts will help greatly with my endeavors. I'll start there.
I
The new year always gives us the opportunity to wipe the board clean. When my children came down with the stomach flu and all I could do was operate in survival mode as 2011 greeted us, my dreams for healthy eating and exercise suddenly slipped through my fingers. (I didn't even have the opportunity to shed a few pounds through hugging the toilet bowl myself.) So much for New Year's Resolutions -even though I didn't really make any.
I'm so good at excuses. I don't make any changes because I want perfection. That lasts for a minute (if I'm lucky) until I find myself wanting a new beginning again.
I liked this quote from my Weight Watchers meeting last night:
“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” —Maria Robinson, health educator
I alone am responsible for my choices. I may not be able to undo yesterday or even the last hour but I can change tomorrow. I've been told monitoring my thoughts will help greatly with my endeavors. I'll start there.
I
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Satisfied with God
Lysa TerKeurst of Proverbs 31 Ministries has written Made to Crave: Satisfying your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food. You can read about it here or go to her blog www.lysaterkeurst.com.
With God speaking to my heart this year on Psalm 63:5 "You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy.", this book sounds like it will speak straight to my heart.
With God speaking to my heart this year on Psalm 63:5 "You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy.", this book sounds like it will speak straight to my heart.
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