On Being Deliberate ...

Sometimes life happens ...

 

okay, every-day life happens!

 

Too often I have simply allowed my days to get away from me.  Being "semi" empty-nesters means that Dan & I have several days to ourselves -- depending on if the kids come down for the weekend or if we just get Lucy for a few days.  Every week can be a different schedule for all of us. Many days I find when I am here at home while Dan is at his office ...
I am cleaning, straightening up from our visits, sorting & organizing, painting (I really have to get back to this project) ... well, you get the picture.  I can allow my days to get away from me without really doing "anything".

 

So this is where I have begun with this year ...

 

on being deliberate

 

Here's a few areas in my everyday life on which I am on a simple endeavor

to be deliberate ... 

• Time management -- I'm the type of person who has always been task-oriented.  From being a student with class projects, tests, assignments, etc ... to the various jobs I've had in which my daily responsibilities were pretty much laid out ... to my teaching days that I had to plan lessons and teach my kids ................... and now being a stay-at-home wife & Granny -- well, my days can certainly get away from me.  I've made a few little organizational changes that are actually helping me lay out my days more effectively.  There's always always always "things to do" around the house.  But my deliberate "time management" brings my awareness to my forefront on "what" I do with my time ... from my time with God to my chores around the house to my writing & creativity ... so, yes I'm very aware that I'm the type of person who needs to spend my time deliberately.

 



• Health -- This is the area in which I have been a bit lackadaisical.  I've given up my gym membership because I cannot justify the monthly fee & going only a couple of days a week.  So ... Dan I bought a treadmill and now I can workout anytime at home and watch tv or movies on our own television.  (And I do use it several days a week anytime during the day.)  And I am "more" deliberate on eating more nutritiously ... it's much easier to grab this or grab that, but I truly am more conscious on "what" I  put in my mouth.  {Reading Made to Crave by Lysa TurKeurst has helped me put my eating habits in perspective}.  I'm really not a "creative" cook, but it's fun to try new healthy recipes cooking for two!

• Mind -- The things I tend to clutter my mind with ... whether it's books, tv, movies, music, Internet ... I am becoming more deliberate with the "things" I put into my brain.  We used to sing this song at church when I was a little girl "O be careful little eyes what you see. O be careful little eyes what you see. For the Father up above is looking down in love. So be careful little eyes what you see."  And then of "little ears what you hear" and "little tongue what you say" and "little hands what you do" and "little feet where you go" and "little heart whom you trust" ... you get the picture.  I've read over and over again Proverbs 16:1-3 {taking an excerpt here but please read the whole chapter} ... The preparations of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the spirits. Commit your works to the Lord, And your thoughts will be established.  Being deliberate in my mind is part of my overall attitude and effects not only me but my husband, family and everybody I come in contact with during the day.  

By no means am I saying that I am "perfect" in all of my deliberations. 

What I am saying is that I am now committing ME to the purpose that God has for me.  

Being deliberate helps me focus on what I do ... what I say ... what I think ...

and it keeps my focus on living to honor the God who created me to be me.

  

 

I hope you stay warm & safe if you are in the middle of this winter storm weather ...

and just remember that after every winter ...

Spring brings a new beginning for growth and promise.

 

Have a blessed week! 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

To Crave God in Every Aspect

One of my newest purchases on my Nook is Made to Crave by Lysa TurKeurst.  The sub-header of the book is possibly (in my opinion) the true core of what this book is truly about ...

Satisfying Your Deepest Desire With God, Not Food.

 

 

 

And it's in that statement where I have been finding my deepest conversations with God.  I have been on a conscious endeavor over the past few weeks to not only be aware of what I put in to my mouth and body, but also to be aware of what I put in to my mind and my actions. 

 I have experienced some victories in some areas ... as well as some defeats.

I have made some progress in some areas ... as well as some regression in other areas.

I have taken up my determination ... and I refuse to set it aside.

 

The first couple of chapters of this book have been quite challenging to me.  I've had "good intentions" over the past several years to improve our nutrition and health, but I've allowed some of life's challenges to defeat me in completely giving in to our life-style of healthy habits.  Seeking "comfort" from food is simply not as satisfying and beneficial to my overall health as seeking comfort from God's Word and His promises. 

 

As I was driving home this afternoon I began thinking of this post.  I knew I wanted to start postings during my reading, so why not start now?  In her introduction to this book, Lysa gives the example of the rich man who tells Jesus that he has kept all "the rules" but there was something that he knew was still missing from his pursuit of God. (Matthew 19)  Jesus then tells him to sell his possessions and give it all to the poor.  And then (in Lysa's words) the "rich young man then goes away sad because he won't give up the one thing that consumes him."

 

And so ... Lysa's healthy-lifestyle journey continues ...

 "If we want to conquer our cravings, we'll have to redirect them to God." 

And so, in 2015, I want to not only pursue a healthy lifestyle of feeding my body ... but also a healthy lifestyle of feeding overall self ...

my thoughts ... my actions ... my non-actions ... my reactions ... my relationships ... my everything.

(Just an aside note of an extra dose of encouragement/ support/ challenge  -- our future generations are watching ... they learn from us ... we are their role models whether positive or negative)

 One verse that she expounds on that I have been filtering into my mind is I Corinthians 10:23 ...

Everything is permissible -- but not everything is beneficial

 

This verse can be used in other areas of our lives as well ...

 

the things I fill my mind --

the way I treat others --

the things I watch on television --

the music I listen to --

the stuff I buy --

the things I count as priority --

the way I spend my day --

 

Do you see where I'm going with this concept?  I am on an enormous endeavor this year ...

not only to get on a healthy eating track, but also to get my whole-self on a healthy track.  I know it certainly won't be easy (I've already seen defeats along with a few victories) ... but it's a road that God will lead me down and pick me up when I fail and carry me when I can't move forward on my own.

 

If anyone has ever "walked a mile in our shoes", it's been the apostle Paul.  And if anyone could give us an ounce of encouragement that we need to press forward, it would be him.  He tells us in his letter to the church at Philippi (Philippians 3:13) ...

... I do not count myself as apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead ...

 

Each day ... each moment ... each blink ...

is a new beginning to set our eyes on the prize of all that God has in store for us to be.

I look forward to continuing my journey of developing a healthier lifestyle for me, Dan and our family ... not only food-wise ... but in every aspect of all we are to be for His glory.

{{If any of my readers would like to come along with me on this journey, your can either leave a comment or go to my profile to send me a private email.  I look forward to what God has in store for all of us in His year of 2015 ... 
this post will be continued throughout the year.}}

 

Have a blessed week, dear friends!

 

Our wonderland last week ... we haven't had a "bad" winter ... but this Granny is ready for Spring!  

30 By Our 30th ... Yes I Can!

After making every excuse in my head for the past 2 weeks, I returned to the gym this morning.  

My 82 year old war veteran "trainer" thought I had either disappeared or moved across country!  No, no ... just excuses --- I could elaborate and divulge some of my reasons  excuses ... but I won't.  Just suffice it to say that I returned this morning to owning my responsibility to my own health --

no more excuses.

Yes, I know ... why "pay" for a gym membership when we could save that money for other things?  Well, this Granny has made MORE excuses for not exercising at home than I have for not going to the gym.  

(Yeah -- I'm pretty much the Queen of Excuses)

And it occurred to me this morning as I was finishing up on the treadmill that I actually had a goal a few months ago that I simply did not reach -- for whatever excuse I can come up with.  So, for the first time, I am making a public goal and I plan to stick with it.  If any of my readers want to join me, just let me know -- you can even comment on this post & tell me that you want it unpublished

 & I will respect that. We can still be in this thing silently together.  

So, here's my thought process ...

There's 28 more weeks until mine & my husband's 30th anniversary (May 16) ...

My goal is to lose 30 lbs by our anniversary ...

Just over a pound a week ...

I can do it.

Healthier ...

More energy ...

Better focus ...

 Not to deprive myself because that always sets me up for failure -- 

moderation is where I can see better results.

Anybody else want to come along on this journey?  

No, I'm not posting my current weight nor will I post my goal weight.  

Maybe I should, but that's just not me.  

We can keep those numbers to ourselves yet still be there to encourage & support each other 

on our healthier journey!

I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO GIVES ME STRENGTH

(yes, even get healthier & lose a bit of weight in the process)

{{{ PS ........ The clock has ticked away many many MANY minutes since I completed this post ---- wonder if I have the nerve to hit the "publish" button???? }}}