Thought for the Day.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Weekend Fun!

I had a really fun and relaxing weekend with my husband and some good friends!

At one point on Saturday, though, I got so overwhelmed by all the things I needed to work on: cleaning the house, writing thank you notes, filing taxes, organizing the office, cooking dinner, paying bills...and the list goes on. It made me totally forget that I had had such a great first part of the day. Don't you hate when that happens? Man, it irritated Mike. He reminded me of all the fun things we had done that day.

Mike's gentle reminder helped me gain correct perspective. See, I've been dealing with this "all or nothing" mentality. "It's not a good day unless I get everything on my list finished." Or, "it's not a good competition unless I win first place." See, these things will probably not happen, but it can't discount the good things that did happen. That cognitive distortion (that's the technical term) is not helpful, and it doesn't encourage a healthy attitude on life. It makes me spiral into an undisciplined life where I eat whatever I want, act like a slob, and feel blah. Today I choose to walk with a healthy attitude and outlook on life. I've got a really great life, and a husband who loves me; I've lost 15 pounds; and my parents are visiting this weekend!

So, here's part of what made last weekend so fab. I went on a walk with a friend, and we talked about some important stuff. I'm so thankful for her! On my way home from my lovely walk, I got a phone call from Shelby, the happy bride to be. She asked if I would go with her to try on bridesmaids dresses. Such fun! Then, my amazing husband took me to lunch (with a coupon, of course). On our way home, we vacuumed the cars. Hooray...because our cars were GROSS!

A Reminder to Myself

This morning I woke up frustrated with myself. I ate in an "unfocused" way yesterday, and part of that is just because I don't believe I can lose any more weight. It stinks that I believe that. I haven't consistently weighed what I am right now since my freshman year of college.

While I do want to be focused and goal-oriented, isn't this whole change about living? I want to LIVE more than achieve. I want to experience life's goodness and wholeness more than I want to meet a goal. Today, this is my reminder. Live. Enjoy. Experience each moment. That's what I'm for.

Refocus

Today is the day to re-focus on my goal! The optimist in me loves that I can have a new beginning and refocus my determination and attitude. As most of you know, I am participating in a Biggest Loser Contest, and I've been determined to win. I found out on March 1st that I am currently fourth in the contest. Errr...

My goal is to lose 15% of my body weight. At this point, I am half-way to my goal. Unfortunately, I only lost one pound last month. One pound!! I lost focus on the bigger picture. So, this month I need to loose 13 pounds to meet my goal. That's a big goal, but doable...3 lbs/week. It's going to take so much determination and focus.

"If anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules" 2 Timothy 2:5. I can't be cheating this month. There are no short cuts or quick solutions in this contest. Why is it that my heart & mind wants...expects...that I can accomplish this end quickly?