Monday Musings...

A challenge. I've decided to do something different this month. I realized that I've been much too apathetic about my weight loss recently. I mean, I can't complain that I can't seem to get the weight to keep coming off (and stop creeping back up as it's been doing in the last few weeks) if I'm not totally committed and doing everything I can to lose the weight. I have a tendency to hold it together during the week days (eating healthy, exercising, etc.) and then "reward" myself for all of the work I'd done that week by eating more calories than usual during the weekend. It's turned into a vicious cycle, as you can imagine. And now I'm ready to break the cycle!

What I'm doing is rather simple. I've given myself a challenge to meet this month, and I purposely made it difficult and "impossible" to achieve so that I'm not tempted to slack off at all. (Knowing yourself and your tendencies to be weak in certain areas is an important aspect of weight loss!) Anyway, I've set a goal to lose 10 pounds this month. Yep, 10 pounds. Right now, it does seem impossible, especially given my slow progress these past few months. But I'm up for the challenge! And I know that it's going to keep me focused this month. I needed a goal and something to work toward. I'd gotten sluggish, and this goal is so huge that I'm going to need to focus every day, not just on the week days.

So now that you know my plans for the month, here's my challenge for you - make a huge goal for yourself! About anything....spending X amount of time in the Word....witnessing to X amount of people each week......avoiding X unhealthy foods.......keeping in touch with X friends and encouraging them.....finishing X projects that you've begun......whatever! And make it seem hard, even unrealistic. Strive for the "unachievable"! Ask the Lord to help you dream big. Because even if you do fall short, you've still made more progress than you would have otherwise. That's my hope for this month! You've all heard the saying, "Shoot for the moon and you'll at least fall into the stars". (Or something like that!)

I pray that this month we'll break out of our normal cycles. That we'll embrace Christ and walk in His freedom like never before! This has to be about more than just losing weight. Because in the light of eternity, that gains me nothing. I will be challenged to press into Christ and abide in Him this month, to put aside desires of my flesh, and to walk according to the Spirit. It's going to be a month of spiritual growth and (hopefully) physical shrinking. :-)

Yes, I have a hard month ahead. I'm going to need to persevere when I would have normally given up, and give things up that I would have normally have indulged in. So I'm trusting that "the joy of the Lord is my strength" that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" and that "I am more than a conqueror through Him who loved me".

Like I mentioned in my last post, encouragement from others is a huge key to success, especially when you make outrageous goals. So if you feel the Lord leading you to make a goal, post a comment and share it! I'd love to hold you up in prayer and be there to encourage you.

Up for the challenge! ~Bekah