I'm the Queen, my panty hose say so!

On the heels of the last post, I will tell you about something that God is currently working on in my heart. I have let my mind be consumed with negative thoughts about my physical appearance, more specifically, my weight. Before I go forward, let me go back a little.

Before children, I didn't struggle with my weight. I wasn't a chunky child, thick teen, ample adult, or a bulky bride. (How'd ya like that alliteration?) Now, I don't say all of this to say that because I didn't have a weight issue growing up, I am better than people who did. Not by any means. I say it, because as our circumstances in life change, so does our focus. When I married, I was the "ideal" weight for my height and build, and almost never thought about my size. I was still wearing jeans from high school. Shortly after I got married, I had surgery to correct some female type problems, ahem, and was given medicine to shut everything down. This was in hopes that I would be able to conceive in the future. (Thanks be to God, we have three beautiful children.)The problem is, the stupid stuff shut everything down, alright, including my metabolism! I gained 20 pounds in 4 weeks. (I jumped the whole alphabet in panty hose in one month) I believe I must have developed an unhealthy physical attachment with those pounds, because they are still with me today. Hmph. Not only that, they invited a few friends to come and live with them, a few after the first child, a few more after the second, and a few more still after the third. You get the idea.

Since the birth of my first child, I have not been able to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight, or even within 20 pounds of it. Okay, who am I kidding? I'm not within 50 pounds of it :( It's so hard. I don't think a day goes by without me; wishing I could lose weight, thinking about how to fit more time in to exercise, looking for that new thing to try, or calculating how much money I would save if I didn't have to put foundation on 6 chins. The point is, my thoughts are sinful. I have traded contentment with Christ for conviction by culture. I have allowed advertisements and society to dictate what is of value and acceptable, instead of looking to God and His word to place the value. "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:1-2 Somewhere between Richard Simmons and Weight Watchers, I lost my discernment. You see, I forgot that man only sees the external, but the God sees the heart. "For the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." I Samuel 16:12 I forgot that be beautiful than look "beautiful."

Now, don't hear all of this and think, "Yipee, I don't have to do anything with myself, and I can eat Little Debbies all day long." On the contrary, we should take care of these precious bodies that were bought with a very dear price. We need to understand that no facial cream, organically grown vegetable, or multi vitamin will lengthen our lives, even by one day. However, our stewardship of our body is an offering of thanks back to God. We need to take care of ourselves, physically, mentally, and spiritually. But if we are seeking after the Lord's will, and being "transformed by the renewing of our minds," we won't be neglecting our bodies, minds, and souls.

So whether it is your weight, your complexion, your hair style, or some other insignificant, outward entity, don't let your focus on the external let you neglect your internal relationship with God. In the end, there is only one thing God wants you to be consumed with, and that's Him!

Idol Time

I love watching Food Network, and on the Food Network, I love watching challenges and competitions the best. While I was watching The Next Food Network Star last night, I couldn't help but wonder, "Do these people live, eat, and breathe food? (OK, ummmm, live and breathe food, ahem)" But seriously, not just the contestants, but the judges too. Take Bobby Flay for instance; he owns four or so restaurants, has his own line of cooking products, stars on Boy Meets Grill and Throwdown with Bobby Flay, he's an Iron Chef on Iron Chef America, AND he's a judge on Next Food Network Star. This isn't even counting all the guest appearances, photo shoots, etc. The man lives for food! When does he have time to be in the Word? When does he have time to minister to his wife, serve in the church, or just meditate? That's just ONE person on Food Network. I was looking at all of the contestants, too. It's just sad to me. These people are worshipping an idol.

Idols come in many shapes and sizes. They don't have to be guilded in gold and placed in a prominent place. An idol is defined as; a representation or symbol of an object of worship, or an object of extreme devotion. I teach my children that it is anything that consumes your time, energy and resources, in short, anything that takes a higher priority than God and His Word. When we pour ourselves into something, we better make sure it is to further the kingdom of Christ, and to bring honor and glory to Him.

Idols can change for us, too. This month it may be a special gardening project we are working on, or a scrapbook for a Christmas present. Next month may be re-decorating the guest bathroom or planning your daughter's slumber party. These things in and of themselves are not bad, but don't let them steal your time from God. When the projects and plans pull us away from our time with God, both physically and mentally, they become an idol.

One of the biggest idols we Americans have is money. We work to earn it, plan to spend it, and stress for lack of it. If we are not careful, it can consume our thoughts, daily. God's word is very clear when it comes the way we should handle our money. "Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' " Hebrews 13:5

So, enjoy the gifts God has given you in this world; food, entertainment, home decor, gardening, etc. But keep them in their proper place with a clear perspective. "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." I John 5:21

First Things First

Have ya missed me? :) I took a huge hiatus to take care of stuff, stuff, stuff! Let's see, I've had the home school curriculum fair, my nephew's wedding, the end of the home school year, and moving into my parents house while they are away for two months. Whew......it's a good thing they have a pool. The kids and I are finally starting our vacation. I'm continuing math and Abby's phonics through the summer, but all other subjects have halted until September. I think I'll start lesson planning in Late July or August, that way I can take a little break to be with the kids.

We recently found a new church home, and we began attending Sunday school, Sunday morning service, Sunday evening service, and Wednesday evening services. This may not seem like a big deal to you, but for us it has been a big change, but a welcome one. Lemme splain-for about 4 years, we have been members of a wonderful, Bible teaching, God-centered church........in McDonough (that's about 80 miles away). Our church had one main service on Sunday, and Bible study on Wednesdays. (The men and women would alternate weeks to meet on Wednesdays.) Our services were AWESOME!! Everything from the music to the message was centered around the Word of God and very meat filled. However, due to the distance and schedule issues, we were only able to attend on Sundays. With the sermons alone lasting approximately 1 1/2 hours, we were definitely loaded for the week. I digress, back to the point. You would think that with attending church 4 times more than I was before, my tank would stay "full." Not so much. It seems that no amount of attending church, going to Bible study, and listening to sermons replace actual individual time in the Word.

Lately I have been convicted that my individual time should be first thing in the morning. I know what you're thinking, "I can't first thing, the kids need breakfast, the dog needs to go out, etc..." I'm right there with you. I'm not saying sit down for an in-depth Bible study while your two year old is helping himself to last year's Christmas candy and chasing it down with Hershey's syrup. I'm just saying the first thing we feed ourselves should be the honey of the Scriptures. Something as simple as the Proverb of the day (there are 31 Proverbs, just read the one corresponding with the current date) will make a profound difference on the way you view the rest of your day. There's something special about our "firsts" we have to offer. God spoke several times about the first fruits. Why do you think those fruits were more special? Why do you think it's important to write your offering check before writing any others? When we give God the "firsts," we are trusting Him for the seconds, and thirds, etc. By giving our time, resources, and offerings right away to Him, we exhibit faith. We don't know if we will have anymore time in the day to study, but we are trusting God to use what we have offered Him to bring glory to Himself.

Bottom line, don't let all the distractions of "doing" your day keep you from being obedient to what God commands of His children. Topping off your tank in the morning will allow you to fill all the other ones in the house. ;) Col. 2:2-3