God Loves the Man in Sweatpants and Loafers

I had a revelation today:  Blanket prayers probably aren't what God is interested in.  Hear me out.

Like with diet and exercise, sometimes we get this all or nothing mentality.  When we don't succeed with the all, we get down on ourselves and eat an entire pizza.  What's the point in trying, I'm just going to fail, right?  Maybe you eat cake or peanut M&Ms, whatever, but I bet you know what I'm talking about.  Why would we think our prayer life and Christian walk would be any different.  Let me use one that I know I'm guilty of: 'God please help me to see when I'm being judgmental and help me to stop being judgmental.  Judging isn't my job, you will do a much better job than I ever could.  Besides, who am I to cast a stone?'  Then I'm gung hoe... until the next time I see someone doing something I'm not sure they should do and the judgment kicks in, then the guilt, then the shame, then I give up because I failed.  Sound familiar?  What if, just like a healthy lifestyle, we take it in steps.  Maybe start with 'God, I know it's not my place to judge, You instruct us to love, not to judge.  Please help me to stop trying to judge people for the way they dress (or the way the speak, or the way they handle situations, etc).  Help me to love people for who they are, even if they are wearing their ragged jeans to Sunday morning service.  Help me to lovingly guide them to You though my testimony.'

Start with the thing I know I'm doing right now that He doesn't approve of , work on one thing at a time.  Eventually I'll be closer to living the life Jesus would want me to be living, right?  One step at a time.  One day at a time.  I know our days are numbered and we don't know the day or the hour when Jesus will return for us or when our time on this Earth will end.  If we spend what time we have trying to build a better relationship with God and loving His people, it will all be for the good and not wasted.  God loves His people and since he knew each of us while we were in our mother's wombs and even before, we are ALL His people.

Sin is sin is sin and God hates it all.  He doesn't hate the sinner, but he does hate the sin.  He says that over and over in the Bible.  It doesn't matter if it's murder, adultery, a lie, a lustful thought, judgement, hatefulness, or any other sin out there (trust me, we are all guilty of many every.single.day).  Each sin is equal in God's eyes and He hates them all equally.  We will never be perfect, but thankfully, we don't have to be.  God's Love and God's Mercy are good.  We are forgiven because Jesus died for us and we are washed clean.  We only have to ask forgiveness and it is given.  This is Good News!  We Christians should be sharing this with everyone we meet!  It is selfish of us to not share.  I know we are probably concerned about what people will think about us, we will be those crazy Jesus Freaks.  What we should be concerned about is what does God think?!  He is the one we should live for.  Any souls we win for God are just that, for His glory  We need to tell them the Truth.  What they do with it is up to them, but we HAVE to share it.

I'm writing this for myself more than anyone.  God has been trying to talk to me for a while.  I answer with 'God, please tell me what it is I need to know' followed by 'Oh, I better get to that thing I am supposed to do'.  I rarely stop and just be still and wait for an answer.  Always to busy doing the next thing I need to get done and never leaving time for God.  I am going to dedicate the next couple weeks of my life to getting closer to God.  I cut off the satellite television in my house (husband isn't crazy about that one).  Husband and Princess will both be gone during the week and I'll have quite time to just reflect and sit quietly with God.  I don't post as much in this blog as I should anyway, but don't be surprised if I'm M.I.A. for a little while or if I post more of my revelations with you.  This could go either way, be patient with me.  Maybe God will tell me something you need to hear too...

Side note with for this post:  1) The punctuation ?! is called an interrobang.  Now ya know.  

Inspirational advice I heard recently:  If you don't know what God wants from you, go back and do the last thing He told you to do.

What has God done in your life lately?

Sober May and Streaking

In an effort to shed the extra pounds that I found lately and to get my body in generally better health I'm going to give up booze for the whole month of May. Hubs and Curly Friend agreed to do this with me! Don't get me wrong, I'm not some raging alcoholic.  I do drink wine slightly more than occasionally, but hey, there are antioxidants in there, right?  Don't judge. I know I get a lot of extra calories this way, which is why I'm going to cut them out.

 Also, I want to work out at least 23 days in the month of May.  Who knows, maybe I'll try to make it a workout streak, we'll see.  The motivational stuff you read says to set measurable goals, 23/31 is measurable.  I don't usually work out on Friday and rarely work out on Saturday or Sunday.  Then there are the days when I have to go to the store after work and the days I need to do a little extra house cleaning and when my husband is home earlier than usual and when... well, you get the point.  I have a lot of excuses to not work out.  Those have to go out with the booze for at least one month.

Last 'rita in the house

Little Sister is forcing wants me to do a zombie run with her on Friday night.  Should be a fun start to my Friday workout routine.  I told her we should sign up for any theme runs and fun-type runs they do in our area to convince them to keep doing them.  She reminded me I said that so I'm signing us up tomorrow.  But hey, I don't mind running as much when someone makes it fun.  

Speaking of making running fun, did I show you my new running shoes?  Please excuse my unmade bed and my purse in the pic.

May Plan:  Punching the bag.  Running the races.  Avoiding the booze.  What do you have planned to ring in the warm weather?

Do the Hustle

I was very excited to get to do the first ever 5k in my tiny town.  We had to weave around a few blocks in town just to make it a whole 5k.  Yes, it's that small.  We had 175 people turn out for it and the weather was perfect, just a little chilly if you we just standing, but once we got moving we felt great!  Hubs and sister both beat me, but that is no surprise because I'm REALLY slow.  Hubs finished in 36:56.  That is amazing to me because she has never done a 5k before.  I'm super proud! 

Sister finished this race 4 minutes faster than the color run she did 2 days before.  Very proud of her, too.

One of the things I'm most proud of, though is the fact that we had four generations of women in my family complete the race.  Myself, my mother and my sister did the 5k and Princess and Grandma did the 1 mile fun run. 

Princess will tell you that the fun run wasn't much fun.  She only decided to sign up the evening before.  She doesn't like running AT.ALL.  This worked out well because Grandma isn't up for running either so they got to cross the finish line together. 

When I first started running, the women in this pic told me I was a crazy person.  They never even considered entering a race of any kind.  I'm glad to say that we all finished on Saturday.  None of us got a medal, they didn't announce our names over the speakers, but none of that mattered.  We all crossed the finish line.  Grandma, Mom, Princess and Hubs had never crossed a finish line before.  Now they can say they have finished a race.  These are the things that make me want to be a runner.

Are you signed up for any races yet?

Stop Quitting

Hi.  My name is April and I'm a quitter.

Oh it's true; ugly, but true.  I don't like being a quitter.  I want to see things to the end, but I quit, a lot.  Once I started the Brazil Butt Lift 30 day challenge and stopped doing the program on day 29.  I finished day 29 and never finished day thirty.  REALLY?!?  How ridiculous is that?  I started C25K and haven't gone to the track consistently in 3 weeks, I was only 4 weeks in. I'm not stopping, but there is always an excuse.  Usually my excuse is that I don't have anyone to go to the track with me, but it is still an excuse.  I'm terrified of being out there all alone.  You never know when a bad guy or Sasquatch may show up.  I don't want my family wondering what happened to me when I get drug away be a serial killer or wild animal.  Thing is, I have a back up plan for when I can't get anyone to go to the track with me.  There is another track in the town I work in with many more people on it on any given day.  I just need to throw a bag in the car and change at work.  Tada!  No more excuses, but I'm still using them.

Trust me.  This isn't any more frustrating to anyone but me.  When I step back and realize what I'm doing to myself I just want to scream at the mirror.  When I finish this blog post, I'm going to pack my gym bag.  I'm going to go put it on top of my purse so there is no excuse of forgetting it tomorrow.  No matter how cold it is out tomorrow night, I'm going to the track.  Hell, I may even head to the track at lunch when there is at least some daylight left.  I don't sweat that much, it's only 30 minutes on the track.  I'll take come DO for my BO and some smell good spray.

I keep thinking that I'd like to start BBL again and actually finish this time.  I've had that thought for over a week now.  I even went to get the DVDs from someone I had loaned them to, they made it to the room I would work out in and landed on a shelf to collect dust.  I had it in my head that I was going to start the program tonight, then Mom invited me and Princess over for dinner.  We had brown beans.  SOOOOOO good, but SOOOOO bad to work out after.  Excuses.  There I go again.  Who cares if I'm the stinky girl working out?  Princess is about to go to bed and hubs is out of town.  It's just me and the flat screen!  I just have to stop quitting before I ever even get started!  Any tips?

Motivating Someone?

While I can't seem to motivate myself, apparently I can motivate others once in a while.  Recently I asked my  little sister to take some family photos of Princess, hubs and myself.  Little sister takes great photos and I have a pretty cool camera, only makes since.  She got some pretty good shots, I was very pleased especially considering she didn't really know how to use my camera.  We had a good starter session and she was inspired.  I let her borrow my camera so she could get familiar with it more.  She took baby sister out and got some really great pics in that session, too.  Little sister is so excited she is talking about working hard on this and maybe making it into a business venture.  She has tons of potential, I'm sure she could do it.  I offered to help her put together a portfolio and have now been appointed Head of Marketing.  Who knows, maybe little sister will really make a go of this and she told me I was the one who motivated her to start.

Hubs and I, taken by little sister

In a conversation with curly friend earlier this week, she suggested that maybe my desire to be a runner and my Facebook ad to find running friends is God's way of using me to motivate someone else to start a running club in this area.  I purchased the book Run for God a couple years ago and started it a couple times.  I broke out the book again and I'm actually taking notes and using the book as intended, as a training program and a bible study.  I'm almost positive God doesn't want me to lead anything.  I'm not very good at sticking with stuff myself, I probably shouldn't be trying to lead others.  But maybe I can help someone else discover their ministry through running.

After having 2 conversations about me motivating someone with 2 different people in one week I've been thinking, maybe I could find motivation by being motivation.  I'm a pretty positive person and I love to see people meet their potential.  I know that God wants us to give and be generous and we will be rewarded for it in the end.  Maybe the thing I can give is pep talks and encouragement.  I know there is so much more I could be giving, but this may be something I'm good at, my talent maybe?  I named this blog 'Finding Motivation' but maybe I'm not just finding it, but providing it.This is something I am going to have to pray about and I would appreciate any prayers on my behalf. 

Have I ever posted anything that has motivated you?