Transformation

It's been two years since I underwent the biggest physical transformation of my life. But the reason it was so pivotal to me, is that it was much deeper than just weight loss.

We spend countless hours and dollars in the process of transforming ourselves. We have a clear picture of who we want to be, but we often stop short of the key to lasting change.

Many of us have found time and time again our activities only change temporarily, and we cycle back to where we started. This is because we need to be transformed in our thinking and vision if we desire to have a lasting positive change in our lives.

So how do we transform internally? The world has a number of different solutions for this, and inevitably they all seem to focus on self. "The more you focus on yourself the more you will be transformed."

But this is counter to Christian thinking. Scripture tells us that we should be transformed by the renewing of our mind, which comes through the Word of God, by way of the Holy Spirit. We are transformed when we get our eyes OFF ourselves, and fix them on God.

However, I think so many of us are scared to approach God to ask him who we are, because we have this impression that he is an angry and spiteful God who wants to punish us. And that couldn't be farther from the truth of the God of the Bible.

The Bible reveals to us a God who is incredibly patient and merciful. A God who created each one of us knowing that we would rebel against him and potentially spend our entire lives ignoring him. It is not that we are worthy of his love and grace, but that he deems us worth it - to the point of dying for us!

When Christ came and died for us, it was with full understanding that we may never appreciate what he did, or show any measure of love back to him. But God doesn't love us because we love him, he loves us because he IS love!

The truth is that you have value and worth, your life is precious and you are loved. Whether you have people in your world that communicate that to you or not, that is biblical truth. You have a heavenly Father who desires to speak blessings over you and bring you a joy that exceeds any possession or relationship available on earth.

You are not a failure, you are not a disappointment, because the one who created you knew your future before you were ever born, and he chose you still!

It is when we understand this truth, that it's not because of how well we have performed in the past, but because of who created us that we should. When we grasp that, we are to make lasting changes in our life, because we understand that we are worth caring about, we are worth helping and worth pursuing.

It's your choice whether to believe that transforming truth, or not.

Give thanks, in all circumstances

"Though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls, yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord GOD is my strength" (Habakkuk 3:17-19).   

It's easier said than done right?  But our praise and thanksgiving should never be dependent on our circumstances or our situation, which frequently change.  Praise for God is based on who He is and what He has done for us, through Jesus Christ, and that is unchanging!!

When we take our eyes off the eternal truth I just mentioned, we are tossed around in a sea of emotions, challenges, and fear.  It's what happened when Peter stepped out of the boat, and after fixing his eyes on Jesus he walked on water.  But as he looked around him, taking his eyes of God, he began to sink.

As he did with Peter, Jesus will pull us up out of the storm when we fix our eyes on Him, and reach out for his help.  

Our lives come and go, ever so briefly, but our future rests in our hands, and how we respond to Jesus' call to get out of the boat and trust him.  and we can always praise Him, always give thanks, because He never ceases to watch over us and give us his strength.

We've had some storms recently, some real, some just dark clouds threatening on the horizon.  I was thankful to realize that rather than panic and run for the hills, I grabbed my umbrella and pressed on, confident that God would be in the storm with us, if He did not completely remove the storm.

It is well known that a grateful heart can withstand much, because it is focused on what is good, and it is much easier to move on to what good may come from that standpoint!

Don't lose sight of who God is, or what He has done in your life and the lives of those you love.  See His faithfulness and love and cling to it.

Mawiage

It's not only women who are affected by parenting!  Both moms and dads find that time is limited to care for oneself, when little tyrant elves are running around demanding food, shelter, car rides, and attention!  And some of that is even required by law!!

It's even harder, after trying to survive, to invest meaningfully in your marriage.  We are drained of energy, resources, and usually patience, leaving only the threadbare remains of a loving feeling at the end of the day.

Here are some suggestions for things to consider for the future...

Dates.  Not the fruit!  Remember what it was like to have time solely set aside to enjoy each others company?  From a coffee or meal out, to going to a movie, department store, pool hall, or other random places, together - when planned regularly, dates don't need to be Facebook worthy, just "put your phone down" worthy!

Budgeting.  Not sexy, I know, but financial strain and mis-matched expectations are a HUGE cause of stress and marital conflict.  Sit down and plan out the month, year, or next week TOGETHER!  Commit to being accountable to one another and sharing!

Health.  You knew it was coming!  Nothing says "I love you" like "I'm willing to work hard to be healthy and available to you for the next 50 years!"  Women worry about their husband's health, as much as they do their kids, but feel powerless to help.  It's why they make comments or try to force changes that are received as nagging or disapproval.  It's not, it's love, in a naggy voice!

Communication.  With me on my Facebook, and him on his iPad, we can go for hours without connecting.  And then we wonder why we feel like it's been days since we saw each other.  You might to do a screen-time fast, or set time, or maybe just give each other permission to ask for face-to-face time!

Dreaming.  My dreams often involve construction!  So rather than joining in my day-dreaming, Scott starts imagining workload!  With a little communication (see above) we can dream together, knowing that it's just sharing information, not setting goals or requiring overtime!

Grace.  A small word, with a powerful impact.  Grace is undeserved favor.  We all need it, in bucketloads!  If you treat me the way I deserve to be treated, my life will be miserable.  I forget things, I run out of time for things, I mess up at things.  Grace is loving me anyway, and continuing to invest in our relationship. Marriage needs that.  It needs you to forgive the snippy comment this morning, or the undone chore that was "important".  It needs you to continue to value their hard work, their commitment, and the grace they show you too!

There are many other things I could speak of, but these are a few that come to mind, worthy of a resolution at anytime.  Let's resolve to put marriage where it belongs, a top priority, and a beacon of hope for our kids.

Happy New Year

These lines are from "The Gate of the Year," a poem written in 1908 by Minnie Louise Haskins:

I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year
"Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown."
And he replied, "Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way!"

 

New Years Eve was a lonely night for me, for many years.  When you are single, it seems magnified that "everyone" has someone special on that night - though many of those relationships are hollow shells. 

 

It's a time when we feel compelled to make changes for the future, but often fail to celebrate our successes or embrace contentment.  We need to balance our pursuits of self-improvement, with the peace of knowing we have intrinsic worth.  Lest we fall into the "disease of more" (https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-disease-of-more)

 

This is the time to heed the call of Christ:

"Come to me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads. I will give you rest. Accept my work and learn from me. I am gentle and humble in spirit. And you will find rest for your souls. The work that I ask you to accept is easy. The load I give you to carry is not heavy." (Matt. 11:28-30)

 

There is no amount of money, no level of popularity, no pinnacle of professional success, no number of adoring children, no accolades and trophies, that can fill the desire to be significant.  Just look at all those who have reached their personal summit only to be disappointed and look around searching for what they still lack.

 

BUT, God.  He tells us we are loved, individually created, with intention, care, forethought, and purpose.  God invites us to know Him, and in turn be fully known, without fear of rejection.  We don't need to hide from God - we can't.  And even knowing all that you have done, thought, or said, and even knowing all that you will do, He invites you to be loved, be redeemed.

 

Christmas

The kids were up at 5:56 am, which was way too early since we didn't go to bed until midnight!  We weren't wrapping gifts this year, we had that taken care of well in advance, but there was football on!!

The kids have embraced the tradition from my childhood, where their stockings are outside their bedroom door and they bring them into our room and open them with us.  This year they both know the truth about Santa, but were adamant about still having stockings!!  I put some together for the dogs, and Scott and I!  Ours both included a gift certificate for a professional one hour massage - if there aren't perks to all the hard work, what's the point LOL?!

After stockings it was breakfast (pancakes and bacon), then on to the tree!!  In the U.S. most often all the gifts are under the tree, and are from Santa!  I have never understood that, I want the kids to know who has blessed them with a gift!!  They were thrilled with everything, and it was so much fun.  They don't make formal lists, we tend to seek out things we know they love or need, so the expectations are low and appreciation high!

After the flash of gifts, which included a lot of family games, we played together, and the kids also disappeared!  Later in the day we headed over to visit a few friends and get out of the house! 

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve we had Scott's family over for lunch, then it was off to church!  The cousins exchanged gifts, and Aunt Kim surprised Emma with a trip to the Museum of Archeology and Anthropology (it's her thing right now!), and Toby got tickets to see a Sixers basketball game with Kim!

Then it was off to church for the candlelight communion services.  I gave a reading during the service, posted below!

Then we watched The Star movie before bed!!

Christmas Cookies

All season we have been watching all the baking shows on the Food Network!  Emma has been dying to bake some cookies, and on Sunday I finally let her!!  Toby and Scott helped us decorate and we saved them to share with our guests over Christmas!