Dreaded Plateau

I haven’t posted about my getting healthy journey in awhile. To be honest, this hasn’t been the quick or profound trip I had hoped. I’m coming up on a year now and am not where I had planned to be at this point. In fact, for the last 7-8 weeks, the scale hasn’t budged… well, that’s not true. At my last official weigh-in it went UP half a pound and some of my measurements also went up incrementally. I was so frustrated! My trainer told me my body had entered its own “maintenance phase”. I have officially reached a plateau. Ugh!

Oddly enough, I had been feeling “plateaued” in other aspects of my life, also: specifically in my spiritual and vocational life. Dictionary.com defines plateau as:

1. a land area having a relatively level surface considerably raised above adjoining land on at least one side, and often cut by deep canyons.

2. a period or state of little or no growth or decline; a period of little or no apparent progress.

Yeah… that second definition pretty much sums me up. I was bummed. So I prayed about it. “Lord, what is going on?” I got an interesting answer in my spirit.

“It only looks like a plateau from your viewpoint.”

Huh?

“If you looked at your driveway from an ant’s viewpoint, it would look like a huge plateau. From your viewpoint, it’s not. I can see you are not on a plateau. There is an end to the level spot, you just need to pull up your tent pegs and get moving.”

Just so we’re clear. This was not an audible voice I heard. It was an impression in my mind and spirit; an idea I believe was from God since God was who I was talking to when I was praying… actually I guess I was kinda whining…

Ok. So the point is I need to do something different. If I keep doing the same things the same way, I’ll keep getting the same results. The good news is:

•  I HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR! <—- huge deal.

I have NEVER stuck with an exercise regime for an entire year… EVER. When I started this, I HATED exercise. Now, if I go more than two days without working out somehow, I start getting a bit panicky, edgy, and irritable. That is not like old Tammy, at all!!! Although I don’t always WANT to work out, I feel so much better after I do. Now it’s just time to bump up my intensity, push a little harder, eat a little less.

And in all honesty… I did eat a bunch of M&M’s the week before my weigh-in… and by bunch I mean… nevermind what I mean… I should know and do better. Time to stop resting on my laurels and get on with this.

Even though I haven’t lost 100 pounds this year, I have made progress. I will post my official one year results on or around June 2.

How are you doing with moving towards your goals?

Thorns and Such

I heard a sermon last week on the Parable of the Sower (or Farmer) found in Matthew 13 which I have been mulling over ever since. The preacher focused mainly on the seed that fell among the thorny plants (vs. 7). I’ve often seen a correlation in my life to this soil where the seed (God’s Word) is choked out by the thorny plants that grow up around it. Jesus relates that the thorny plants are “the worries of this life and the false appeal of wealth” which choke out the effectiveness of the Word and cause it to “bear no fruit” (vs. 22). The “worries of this life”, more than the “false appeal of wealth”, can be immense for a mom. You know what I’m talking about. You may have even heard a poem about it at church Sunday, honoring mothers by listing all their numerous professions: taxi driver, nurse/doctor, counselor, cook, maid, cheerleader, advocate, teacher, banker, etc… And every mother isn’t just a mother, she’s also a daughter, friend, volunteer, and usually a wife, oftentimes an employee or business owner, and always her own person with her own needs, wants and desires.  I’m overwhelmed just listing all this!

During the sermon, the preacher told a story about his experience with thorny plants or brush. He noticed that when most thorny plants were young and green, their thorns weren’t sharp, or even very noticeable. Of course, little seedlings aren’t what crowd out and choke other plants either. Thorny plants become sharp and obstructive when they mature, become well-established, and even start turning brown. He noted the same is true for the “worries of this life”. These can be those distractions and habits that seem harmless at first, maybe even helpful or relaxing. But when we start focusing more of ourtime and energy on these things, and start interpreting the people and activities of our lives from the perspective that gets planted in our minds from these pursuits, God’s Word and ways can get choked out. For example, I love to read. But the words I read get planted deep into my mind and I mull over them (see, I’m doing the same thing with the message I heard on the radio that prompted this post). They influence how I respond to my family and what I get accomplished. If I am reading fiction, the characters can inspire how I want things to be in my own life (or not). So I am selective in my reading. The same is true for music, television shows, movies, etc. Encapsulated in all of these are ideas communicated to us that influence our perception. What starts as something small can become a thorny weed that chokes out the good, godly things in my life, making it unfruitful for God’s kingdom.

As moms and dads, husbands and wives, daughters and sons, friends, employees, and individuals, we have to do what we have to do. Things need to get done. But there are different lenses with which to view our lives and the things we do. Secular lenses are the most used and the easiest to access because they are EVERYWHERE. Just turn on the television in a moment of relaxation, jump on the internet while checking email at home (or on your phone just about anywhere) , or pick up a magazine in line at the grocery store and you see the interpretation of things of this life through others’ eyes. We have to dig a bit deeper and more intentionally to gain a godly perspective and maintain it. We have to spend time focusing on God’s Word, not just reading the Bible, but studying it. Those are the seeds which yeild the fruit in our lives we want to bear.

The “After Easter Effect”

I love Easter. Not the commercialized bunny and chicks thing, but the whole Jesus-rising-from-the-dead celebration. I love the traditions we celebrate as “Lent” and Holy Week,” and all the rich meaning we find in those remembrances: Ash Wednesday, 40 days of renewed focus, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday…and then the biggest day, the reason for our entire Christian faith…Resurrection Day!  There has to be a death for there to be a resurrection. But THE resurrection ends the sting of death, it’s been conquered! The grave is not the end, just a doorway.

Now we have celebrated Easter. Perhaps, like me, you spent more time than usual last week reading the Bible and examining some of the stories around the Last Supper, Jesus’ arrest, trial, crucifixion, resurrection, and first appearances to His followers. These stories are found near the end of all four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Now what? What do we do this week?

Did the disciples wonder that, also? These men left their careers and families to follow Jesus for 3 years, and had quite the adventure in the process. But now that seems to be over. Last week was a very crazy week for them. Their leader was betrayed, arrested and killed in a matter of hours…but a couple of days later He’s not dead and they’ve seen Him alive…just not as often as, like, before…

So now what are they supposed to do? In John 21, Peter makes up his mind. For a couple of years, under Jesus’ daily direction, Peter was a revolutionary, a healer, a demon-crusher. He saw the world in a whole new way! But that was before he denied Him. Now Peter decides to go back to being a fisherman. I mean, a man’s gotta eat; he’s gotta do something to earn a living. A couple of the other disciples joined him. But God had a different plan. He didn’t give them all that experience and teaching so they could go back to the way they were before they met Jesus. No, Jesus had a new life for them. He singled Peter out, maybe because Peter knew he deserved to be rejected because he had rejected Jesus at the most pivotal time (as he understood). Jesus recommissioned Peter to ministry, “If you really love Me, care for …(and) feed My sheep…Follow Me!” Peter and the other disciples had a new mission, they couldn’t wouldn’t go back to what they were before.

What about you? The Easter celebration is over for this year. We aren’t guaranteed another. Has your encounter with the resurrected Christ changed your life? Or have you just gone back to business as usual this week…Maybe because you don’t know what else to do?

Lord Jesus, help us to recognize You. Show us what You would have us do.

Question for the Day

How do you motivate the unmotivated?

Just wondering.

Imagine someone who just doesn’t see any point in doing anything….anything at all…really. It could be clinical depression. But where do you go from here?

In Ecclesiastes, Solomon makes the point that everything is meaningless, pointless, a chasing after the wind. But he concludes with the point that we will still stand before God and give an account of what we have done. So basically we should do our best with what we have, even if it doesn’t last or if it doesn’t succeed like we hope. Live fully!

Now…you and I may have that resolve. But how do we, or can we, inspire someone who doesn’t?

Please feel free to share your ideas!

Blessings and Curses? I’ll Take the Blessings, Thank You.

Oh my goodness! Have you read Deuteronomy 28 lately? I read it this morning. Here are just a few snippets:

Now if you really obey the LORD your God’s voice, by carefully keeping all his commandments that I am giving you right now, then the LORD your God will set you high above all nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and find you if you obey the LORD your God’s voice: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the field. The LORD will establish you as his own, a holy nation, just as he swore to you, if you keep the LORD your God’s commandments and walk in his ways. All the earth’s peoples will see that you are called by the LORD’s name, and they will be in awe of you. The LORD will open up for you his own well-stocked storehouse, the heavens, providing your land with rain at just the right time and blessing all your work. You will lend to many nations, but you won’t have any need to borrow. The LORD will make you the head of things, not the tail; you will be at the top of things, not the bottom, as long as you obey the LORD your God’s commandments that I’m commanding you right now, by carefully doing them. But if you don’t obey the LORD your God’s voice by carefully doing all his commandments and his regulations that I am commanding you right now, all these curses will come upon you and find you. You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the field. The LORD will make you go crazy, make you blind, make your mind confused. You will fumble around at high noon as blind people fumble around in darkness. Your plans won’t prosper. Instead, you will be constantly oppressed and taken advantage of without any savior. They will lend to you, but you will have nothing to lend to them. They will be the head of things; you will be the tail.  That’s how all these curses will come over you, pursuing you, reaching you until you are completely wiped out, because you didn’t obey the LORD your God’s voice by keeping his commandments and his regulations that he gave you. Because you didn’t serve the LORD your God joyfully and gladly above all else, you will serve your enemies—the ones the LORD will send against you—during famine, drought, nakedness, and total depravation. God will put an iron yoke on your neck until he has wiped you out. Among those nations you will have no rest and no place to call your own. There the LORD will give you an agitated mind, failing eyes, and a depressed spirit. (Deuteronomy 28:1-3, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 16, 28, 29, 44, 45, 47, 48, 65 CEB)

You know what this makes me wonder? It makes me wonder why we, as a nation:

• Would take pride in our “separation of church and state”,
• Would allow atheistic organizations to remove all references of God from our educational, judicial, governmental, and financial entities,
• Would pride ourselves in our tolerance of immorality
• Would put up with lewd entertainment in the name of “free speech”,
• Don’t see what is happening in our country, what we are setting up for future generations, and repent!

Are we really that blind? I know in the passage quoted above Moses was speaking to a specific group of people. But I also know we’ve seen and experienced God’s blessings on our nation long enough to have learned that following God’s ways has, in fact, lead to those blessings. So it stands to reason we can expect the curses when we reject God. (When you read Deuteronomy 28, you will see the description of the curses get very graphic and horrible…definitely something to avoid).

I think our rejection of God has largely been gradual and unintentional. We are too busy to read our Bibles regularly, too tired to get really involved in church, too focused on teaching our kids important things (like sports, scouts, and homework–definitely all good things) to spend much time teaching them God’s Word (besides we don’t really know and understand it too well ourselves). Before we know it, we are more familiar with what is going on in the daily life of a friend we haven’t seen since high school (thank you, Facebook), than what the Bible actually says.

I’m not pointing fingers at others without seeing the three pointing back at me in this. I was convicted by what I read in Scripture this morning, and challenged to get my priorities straight.

T.G.I.F: Today God is First.

What about you? Have you heard from God today? Have you read and applied His Word?

Help! I’ve fallen off the blogosphere!

I just needed to post something new. I’ve been working at a new job (I got a promotion at work, yay!). There is so much to be done and so much to learn! Spending all day on the computer at work makes me not so anxious to get on the computer at home to blog…But I did want to share this thought with you:
The first “institution” created by God was the family (and by institution I mean a system or structure of a group of people who care for and take care of one another). God then extended that institution to a much larger one known as the Church. It was one family, the descendants of Jacob, a.k.a. Israel, who were the original “called out,” “set apart” ones. From their lineage, God brought forth His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. All who follow Him are part of the family of God. I said all that to say…Families are really important to God.

Now if something is really important to God, it stands to reason that God’s enemy would try to destroy it. I don’t think I would shock or surprise anyone by saying families are under attack….the institution as a whole, as well as individual families. The more I work with the victims of these attacks, the more I’m convinced we, as a Church, need to be doing more to strengthen, encourage, equip, and support individual families. We need to be experts at it. We need to do it better than the government ever dreamed. We don’t just need to be well-meaning do-gooders who step out from behind our rose-colored stained glass windows every so often to look in horror at the messed up world, then go running back to safety with our “prayer requests.” We need to be willing to get in there and get our hands dirty: praying daily with and encouraging the (humiliated) parents of the rebellious teen, providing child care for the parent needing treatment for some kind of addiction, providing professional, Godly counseling for the couple having marital difficulties, etc… And we need to do all this while displaying the pure motivation of love, not judgement. It’s not easy. It’s hard and messy. But our family is worth it.

What are some things YOU can do to help make families stronger in the Lord?

And Then There Were Three…

Six months ago, one of my best friends, Valerie Johnson, was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. It was a totally unexpected diagnosis. All she had was a nagging cough and a bit of fatigue (which wasn’t surprising considering her busy schedule). But she never smoked. Now she’s gone. This too was totally unexpected. Maybe I should have expected it, considering the diagnosis. But she was always so full of life, always smiling, always encouraging, always loving.  Her death seems like the most unlikely outcome imaginable.

There were four of us moms who have been getting together for years. We call ourselves “the margarita mommas”. We get together as often as we can to share laughter, tears, good news, bad news, food and….um…drinks . Our baby boys were tiger cubs together when we all first met. Now those boys are high school juniors. We were celebrating over 10 years of friendship. After the boys graduate from high school next year, we are going on a cruise to celebrate. Well…that was the plan. Now there are three of us. Our sweet Valerie has left us. And my heart hurts. It breaks for us, for her husband, for her children, for the rest of her family, and for all the kids she taught.

In all the sadness there are some things for which I am grateful. I am grateful that after her diagnosis the community surrounded her with love and support, showing her and her family what a blessing she was to so many people. It was beautiful and made me proud of our community. I am grateful that I know she loves Jesus and is now spending eternity in His presence. I am grateful I got to visit with her, even though I had moved to Macon, and tell her I loved her. I’m grateful we margarita mommas got together one more time before it was too late. Mostly I’m just grateful I got to know this beautiful woman AND I got to call her my friend.

We never know when life will abruptly end for us or someone we love. Make sure you love big without reserve. Valerie, give Jesus a hug for me and have some fun in paradise. You can show us around when we get there .