(pictured is chicory coffee, vanilla milk and choc chip cookie with a beater of dough, peanut butter hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows and grilled drum with cubed fried grits.)
Happy New Year friends.
After a month of Christmas goodies and feasts, plus a week of eating my way through the French Quarter, upon returning, my first thought whispered obnoxious, “Boot Camp for you this week Missy.” Lucky for me, my daughter-in-love does personal training, so a quick phone call and I was all set for an eight week session.
The saying is, “No pain, no gain.” But for me it’s more like, I “gained” so now I have to experience the “pain” of working out so I can “gain” the ability to wear my pants comfortably once again. Excuse my silliness.
The smells of the gumbo, the jambalaya, the shrimp and grits, the beignets, and the dark roast coffee made for an aromatic stroll down the streets. How anyone resists lies beyond my comprehension. One restaurant after another calls you with their deliciousness, and the pralines shops are impossible to pass up as that sugary aroma wafts around you like a ribbon entwining your body and pulling you toward bliss.
So I didn’t.
Resist.
At all.
And I gave in to my heart’s delight, justifying my indulgences. “But I can’t get these spectacular dishes at home.”
And stretchy leggings became my best friend.
So I’m searching for that discipline I threw out the airplane window somewhere at 30,000 feet above Baton Rouge.
(The Gumbo Shop-The preacher’s fav)
It’s time to kick my Christmas overindulgence habit and get serious about eating healthy and living healthy with these lifestyle habits:
1.Cut down the sugar and eat more green veggies,
2. Exercise three times a week,
3. Get back in my pants.
That about covers my physical objectives in a nutshell.
Those goals are important, but the ones that really matter deal with the spiritual realm. So I’m sharing my list and hope you will share yours:
1. Memorize 2 Timothy—Thanks a lot new Beth Moore study for pushing me way farther than I would normally go.
2. Search the scriptures daily even if it’s only five minutes some days.
3. Continue to write daily and blog weekly.
4. Work on putting all this into a book.
If I fall off the wagon and eat my weight in pralines which could happen because I have the recipe from the cooking school I attended. Or I find continual excuses to skip boot camp, my world won’t be in jeopardy. I just won’t be the healthy person I envisioned.
But if I stick like gum to my spiritual disciplines, I will develop habits to forever change my life.
When I view hardships through the viewfinder of scripture, I am equipped to handle whatever is thrown my way. And the longer you live, the more you have to deal with junk and pain.
Being a student of his word is the secret sauce. We live busy to distraction, but we can all carve out five minutes in our day. Be consistent and write it on your calendar. 7:00 every morning, before bed, in the pick up line at school. It matters not when, in the immortal words of Nike, “Just do it.”
So I challenge you.
Start with the Psalms.
Read daily. One verse, or one chapter or whatever you make time for. But do it every day.
It will change your life forever.
He hovers close to you and wants you to draw near to him, to scour over his words and discover a relationship beyond what you have imagined.
I promise because he promises.
Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
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-What are your goals for the New Year?
-What will be most difficult and why?