Motivational Monday

I know that last week we were all challenged to "forget motivation" and "work the plan", but for the sake of alliteration, I am going to start to call my Monday posts, "Motivational Mondays" because Monday is always a great time to refocus and remember why we are on this journey of health, why we are choosing to deprive ourselves of things that we once loved, and choose to exercise instead of sitting on the couch eating Nutty Bars!



The Season of Denying Ourselves

Many of us feel that we deny ourselves all year long, so what on earth does the title of this post mean? Well, we have recently entered the season of Lent, the season where for 40 days we set aside something in our lives which hinder us from becoming more like Christ. In doing this, we begin to understand, just slightly, the pain and suffering Christ went through on the cross.

You see, when we deprive ourselves of something that we take great pleasure in, rely on, find comfort in, we begin to realize just how much we need Christ to be able to survive without it. Somehow, in denying ourselves that "thing", we see our extreme need for someone greater than ourselves.

Did you give up something for Lent? Would you like to share?

As I have said before, I realized that negative talk had become a crutch in my life and it definitely wasn't getting me any closer to knowing Jesus. In fact, I was spending a lot of time telling other people about negative things that were happening rather than telling God. He is the only one who can do anything about the problem anyway! I might as well tell Him about the problem rather than choosing to gossip and tell other people.

I have been reading in the Old Testament lately and all about the groaning and complaining that the Israelites did in the desert. Here, God had just done some AMAZING things in their lives, like totally awesome, unreal things, and they were complaining about EVERYTHING. Not even five verses after God parted the Red Sea, they start whining about how hungry they were! It was making me so irritated, those ungrateful jerks, and I realized that I can often be just like this! I see God's hand at work in my life, in others' lives, then comes a set back and I think, "All is lost!" And, instead of praying about it and singing God's praises because I know He can work things out, I grumble and complain to someone else.

Denying myself of negative talk, has really changed my thinking! God can and will answer my prayers, He just wants me to ask. And it is so fun talking to Him, too! He knows me better than anyone else and He loves me more than anyone else. I am His child, He loves me like Jesus...even though I mess up a lot! Wow! What an amazing thought! (He loves you just as much, by the way, but I am not jealous!)

So, in this season of denying yourself, remember why you're doing it, you're doing it to experience just a super small sliver of what Jesus experienced on the cross. He went through so much pain and agony, lonliness, despair and injustice, for our sake, so that we would be able to live victorious lives here on earth and live eternity in heaven!

The next time you're tempted to eat that cookie or whatever it is you've given up, run to Him because He knows what you're going through and He's so proud of you!

I love you all and believe in you immensely!!