Since I have given birth to my two beautiful daughters I have been trying to loose the "baby weight", Charlee is four and Jo is two. So for four years I've had this inward struggle of I really want to loose weight but I love cupcakes, nachos, potatoes, etc. What the reality of it was, is that I wanted the weight to come off but not do any work for it. It just doesn't work that way, does it?
So right before summer started I had somewhat of a revelation. I don't have to loose it all at once and if I really want to feel better and feel better about myself I have to work for it.
So I started simple, counting calories and just moving more. At first I was surprised how easy it was, I mean I missed my daily 2-4 pepsi's (don't hate), but eating under my calorie goal wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I loved doing more active things with my family, going for runs and bike rides just playing outside with them.
Slowly some pounds started to fall off, I've lost 10lbs since May, which is awesome to me. I'm no longer looking for a quick fix, I'm looking for a lifestyle change, so I'm okay with slow progress.
This weekend I went with my church and some of my closet friends to Women of Faith. I look forward to this weekend all year. This is a time of worship, laughter, a few tears, and just renewal. I love that I get to spend it with women that I love, women who can make me laugh until my stomach hurts.
But who wants to worry about a diet on a girls weekend??? Not me, and I didn't so all weekend I ate what I wanted and didn't worry about it, and I don't regret it.
All weekend I told myself that on Monday I would go back into beast mode. Beast mode being that I would jump back into my lifestyle change with vigor and enthusiasm.
I get home and I'm ready, all day yesterday I make out my plan of attack. I'm going to get up at this time to work out with Jillian, and then this is my menu for the day. Tuesday I'm going to get back into my couch to 5k, I'm going to throw out this, and that etc. I've made a plan and I have every intention on following through with them.
Then last night I was sitting in church, singing our usual hymns waiting for the preacher to give his devotion, and my mind wanders. I miss the intimate worship I had just the day before, I miss the intensity of it.
And then I start to feel conviction, I feel the Holy Spirit saying "is this what I intended for you? To sit on this pew and to sing half heartily about the King of Kings? To feel good about yourself sitting on that pew, happy with yourself that you come to church?" I remembered the verse "even the demons believe and tremble."
And then I got angry, angry with myself for becoming so complacent, so comfortable.
I remember seeing this on facebook a while back and thinking it was pretty funny,
until I replace candy crush with pinterest, or tv or crocheting, or just wasting time in general.
I like to think I'm so busy being a peacher's wife, mother of two little ones, photographer, sunday school teacher, etc. But when it comes down to it, I have time for what I want to do. I can make time to "research" on pinterest or make a new hat for a baby that I don't have. Why don't I make time for Christ?
Sitting in that pew my anger grew into an energy, an energy that I need and want to go into a beast mode for Christ.
Now I know that probably sounds pretty cheezy, something you'd see on an awful christian t-shirt. But I kept telling myself beast mode on monday, back into the getting healthy and loosing weight lifestyle, why couldn't I do that with my walk with Christ? Why not get excited and make a plan? Why not attack it like I would my fat?
So what does a beast mode for Christ look like? Honestly? I can't answer that for you, it's something you need to search for. But for me it's being more intentional with my time. More intentional with my husband and my girls, my friends, people I come in contact with daily.
In sunday school a few weeks ago we talked about this verse:
"Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you." 1 Thessalonians 4:1
This is my plan of attack, every day to live a life that is pleasing to God. With all that I do I want to please God. But not in a small way, in a big beast mode kind of way. I want to live in such a way that everything I do matters,. Being a Godly wife and mother matters, teaching my girls to live the same way. Mundane things are no more, when I do the dishes (or laundry or whatever chore it may be) it's out of love for my God and my family that He has given me. Everything I do pleasing to my King.
Who will join me? Who else will go into beast mode?
Let us do this together instead of alone.
Let us get excited instead of complacent.
Let us encourage one another instead of always looking for the negative.
Beast Mode. It's On.
