NO COINCIDENCES #MorethanSilver

Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold.~Proverbs 3:13-14







I believe there are no coincidences in life.  I believe God has a plan and purpose for all encounters.  If it is something ugly, unjust, unfathomable, unbelieveable, it isn't the works of God but rather our enemy-Satan.  Oh yes, he is real but that is not what I want to share with you. 
God has great plans for all of us.  Are you willing to listen and follow His instruction? Well I sure am glad I did on a morning I wasn't feeling very good.  My body was definitely trying to fight off a cold for days prior to and now I have lost my voice.  So I started texted all my clients to let them know that I wasn't feeling very healthy and didn't have a voice; that it would be up to them if they wanted to come in for their massage.  Believe it or not all my regulars decided to stay away but two chose to come in, my very first appointment was a new client for 30 minutes.  I figured I could do 30 minutes, it isn't that bad.  I wish I had way more than 30 minutes that morning with her.  And it wasn't to do massage.  It was to pour into her all that God had intended for her to hear from the Holy Spirit through my mouth.  
I never expected a new client to start sharing such personal information but it was clear she was angry and hurt.  The minute she started talking about her failed marriage I knew God wanted her to see me that day.
You see, my marriage had been failing for many years and by the grace of God, He saved it!  I was ready to walk away and be done but I couldn't say those "words" just yet.  Something was tugging on my heart and I couldn't quite let go.  So, I moved into the other room, just as many couples do as a start.  Then out the door to my parents house.  But that only lasted a week because it had already been several months that I had been processing all this and looking at myself.  Key word being "MYSELF".  We are so quick to point the finger at the other person.  But we all know that when you point one finger at someone, there are three pointing back at you.  Yes, I had realized where I had failed as a wife according to God's Word.  I put my child first, myself, God, then my husband.  What a shot at my husband's heart.  I made him feel unworthy, disrespected and caused him to withdrawal more than he already does being an introvert.  I took his role- the leader of the house- away from him.  That is not what God intended.  I am suppose to put God first, then my husband.  I am to respect my husband and submit to him out of reverence for Christ.  Submit as in to be his helpmate, putting all my talents, resources, abilities and energy at my husband's disposal.  That's not being his slave or being inferior to him, nor does it mean being passive or not being able to give advise.  God doesn't want us disobeying His Word.  
So what did I share with my new client that day?  I shared, she needed to find out what her husband's love language is and start pouring into him that way.  Stop taking the lead and let him be the head of household.  It isn't too late to get back what you once had, all you have to do, is do it God's way!
"A wife of noble character is her husband's crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones." ~Proverbs 12:4

Jesus willingly laid down His life for the glory of God. No one took it from Him. ~John 10:17-18, 17:4

Wisdom or Folly?

"Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!" ~Proverbs 9:17

 

 

 

This world offers and entices us on a constant basis. Making us think that our sins can be hidden. But they really aren't because God sees all. The temptations are sweet, hard to resist because they look so good, like candy and cakes. Those things are hard to resist because they taste so good once you put them in your mouth. Being diabetic is much like the same thing. We are not suppose to eat the sweet stuff for our sugars will soar sky high. But the temptation is everywhere. Even in my own home with my family. How is one to resist temptation when you are surrounded by it? That is where wisdom comes in, I choose wisdom. Wisdom from the Bible will keep me grounded. It will teach me the way I should walk. Just as learning about my diabetes will keep me living longer and healthier.

 

 

So how do I apply this to my life? Keep reading the Bible, seeking out God's truth, his guidance. Just as a parent teaches a child. I must pay attention to what I am being told, not what this world or my flesh is telling me, but what God is telling me. Keeping my eyes and ears open to receiving what God has planned for me. Knowing the truth and living it out.

 

 

I will admit that sometimes that is hard to do. Just like avoiding sweets is hard to do. I give into those temptations at times, especially when it is in my face constantly. What I would really like to do is throw out all the junk food in the cupboard but then my family would complain there is nothing to eat. The "good stuff" just doesn't appeal them; it doesn't taste good they say. I tell them if they would just try eating healthier, they would find it would fill them up more. Eating foods with empty nutrition is like feeding a bottomless pit. You will never be satisfied or filled up because there is no substance, no fiber, no value. Much like not reading your Bible. You fulfill your desires with things of this world, you are going to feel empty, unsatisfied, always wanting more but never attaining much of anything. The Bible is "healthy food". It will fill you up, it has substance and value. Some may say, but is it really true? I say, you won't know until you try it. Isn't that true for food? How do you know if it is good for you or not? For me, I know right away. If it is good for me, my sugars maintain at a "good" level. If it is bad for me, my sugars shoot straight up (obviously not good). If we try reading the Bible and follow HIS instruction, we are filled with many blessings- peace, joy, love, abundance. If we choose to not follow HIS instructions we are filled with emptiness, self doubt. Some may say that is not true, my life is great, I have everything I want and desire and I got it without following HIS instruction. I did it all on my own. But are you really, truly happy?

 

"We aren't immortal. We don't last long. Like our dogs, we age and weaken. And die. This is what happens to those who live for the moment , who only look out for themselves: Death herds them like sheep straight to hell; they disappear down the gullet of the grave; They waste away to nothing- nothing left but a marker in a cemetery."

 ~Psalm 49:12-14 (The Message)

 

 

What God has in store for us is far beyond what we can even fathom. Even eating healthy, I think is it really going to pay off? The answer is YES to ALL THE ABOVE.





The Ups and Downs

I am sure many of you have had the opportunity to ride a roller coaster at some point in your life. The question is this...  How many of you enjoyed it? How many of you were scared for your life? How many of you wanted to do it again?

For me and my family, we LOVE roller coasters.  We haven't found one that we really don't like.  All we want to do is ride them over and over again. But there is one roller coaster my family doesn't like, especially me. It is the roller coaster of diabetes.  

For the past month or so, my sugars have been like a roller coaster with LOTS of Ups and Downs.  Just when I think I have figured out what is okay with my body to eat my sugars go up or come crashing down.  There is no rhyme or reason to why this happens.  I can eat the same thing all week long and get different results each day.  I do know this... eating a more vegetarian way and even raw is what my body really wants and does well, with more balanced sugars.  But my brain some days tells me differently.  I crave carbohydrates, the bad kind, especially around that dreaded time of month.  You know, the one you put on a few pounds on in the gut.  You are cranky some days, happy others, sad or just to tired to do anything.

Each color represents a different day.  The thick green bar that goes straight across represents where my sugars should stay throughout the day.  The Ups that I have are above the green bar reaching high into the 200 mark.  The Downs are below the green bar, getting as low as the 40's.  

Because I ride this "Sugar" roller coaster often, I also get to ride the "Emotional" roller coaster of frustration, depression, anger, jealousy, and sometimes resentment.  These are two roller coasters I really don't like.  Frustrated that there is no rhyme or reason to the Ups & Downs.  Depressed, angry and jealous that I can't have what I want (anymore).  Resentful that my family can eat whatever and whenever they want without having to check their sugars every time they want to eat.  On the outside everything looks fine but on the inside there are twists and turns and Ups and Downs.  It is not easy being diabetic.  And it is not easy for my family either. 

On a Journey

 Today is day 2 of the 21 Day Fix. I started Monday with a 3 Day Refresh to jump start things a little.  Did I notice a difference?  Not really.  I am a little sore from my workout yesterday but that is to be expected.  I am having a little bit of a hard time when it comes to the portions.  I am use to counting carbs not calories. Maybe that is why my middle isn't what I want to be. We shall see at the end of 21 days. Will I be transformed mind and body? Stay with me and find out.

Refresh, Reset, Get Fixed!

Some may say I don't need to lose weight, some say I eat better than anyone they know, but I don't agree.  When you are smaller in size than the average 40-45 year olds and your body starts to put on a few pounds, you (as in me) start to notice it and feel it.  My eating habits are okay, they definitely could be better. But compared to the average person, they are pretty good.  Everyone wants the easy way out.  I started with the 21 day Reset Cleanse and to be honest... I was so stressed out doing it because ALL the time spent in the kitchen preparing and cooking.  I had NO TIME for anything else.  It takes A LOT of time cutting and preparing, especially for more than 1 person.  I felt I didn't even have time to connect here on Team BeachBody.  Going through the process I kept thinking to myself, the easy way... how can I make this easier so I don't get off track?  I never really did come up with a plan and little by little I started to fall back into some of my old patterns.  So here it is just about a month has gone by and I have put on what little weight I had lost and a couple more pounds.  I am not a happy person :(  So in just a few days I am going to start the 3 Day Refresh and go right into the 21 day Fix. I have a cruise coming up so I have a little more incentive to push through this.  Because I tell you what... those colored containers... I don't know how they are going to fill me up?