Well. 2013 is in full swing now. It is February 1st and it seems like January just flew by. The Lord starting talking to me about 2013 at the first of December about continuing the restoration process He begun in me so many years ago. I told Him absolutely. What do I need to do? I wasn't excited about His response....just sayin'... In a nutshell, here is what I am to do in 2013:
To get into physical shape and become healthy and strong. God wants my physical body to be restored to health just as my spritual life has been, continues to be, restored to Him.
I am going to need strength this year and I am going to be in good shape with endurance and a strong will to handle whatever He has in store for me this year. Getting into shape and becoming healthy and strong seemed like a daunting task for me. I don't have much a support system for weight loss or healthy examples in my life.
My 15 year old daughter is my inspiration and I admire her for what she has done. She has lost nearly 25 pounds since the summertime, continues to lose, tries to eat right, and is becoming more and more nutrition conscious as she works with the High School softball coaching staff and trainers to improve her agility, athleticism and overall game. But she is 15.
She is a youngster...How was I supposed to workout? I don't have time. The kids have after school activities. My husband doesn't want to workout with me. These and a thousand other excuses started flying around inside my head. But I made a commitment to the Lord in December. I told Him I would need Him to be my support, my encouragement, my motivation, my fitness instructor, and my nutrionist. I would commit to working out and changing my eating habits, finding what supplements a 40 year old woman should be taking to promote health and well-being, and give Him my all. Finally having made my decision, I felt such a joy and excitement well up inside me...over sweaty exercise! ha.
So...I joined a 24 hour gym on January 14 and began my workouts on January 15. The only time I have to workout is early in the morning before getting the kids up for school. SO...I get up at 4:45am, get dressed, and head to the gym. I am approaching the end of my 3rd week of working out and I physically feel so much better already. However...I am getting tons of "advice" from everyone about how to go about working out. Work different muscles groups on different days. Let my legs rest at least 48 hours before working them out again. 3 days a week is the most I shoud go to the gym as a "newbie." I should do that for 2months on the lightest weights before I consider advancing. I listen politely, and take what I hear to the Lord in prayer and ask Him if that is the workout plan...after all He is my fitness instructor and I have completely given this process over to Him.
He quietly brought something to mind when considering the muscle groups to work on which days. Prior to elecricity, and power tools, and tractors, and tillers, and all the other heavy farm equipment, farmers hand plowed, hand tilled, wielded hand tools to carve and to build, etc. They were outdoorsmen that didn't only do work with their arms from the wagon one day, and they didn't put the yoke of their oxen/mules around their waists and not use their arms when they plowed a field. So...why should I be concerned about letting my muscles rest and recover? I believe God set aside 1 day of the week already for rest. Why should I let my muscles "recover" when the farmers did not let their fields go a day without tending to them?
SO...with the Lord as my fitness instructor I came to the conclusion that I would listen to Him and not to the world, so I could ensure my success and fulfill to the commitment I have made. I did start slowly week 1 and only went 3 days the first week. I went 4 days the second week. And by the time this week is over, I will have worked out for 5 days. My goal is 6 days a week, with my rest day on Sundays.
I understand this is unconventional, but I am not here to please man. I am here to be obedient to the Word of God and the Voice of the Lord. I pray I may be well pleasing to Him.
What about you? What are you doing to go against public opinion in your walk with Christ?
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