Weigh loss & The Glory Gals.

Since my first bub I have had a bit of excess baggage. (Hmm she is now 13...) My dear big sister gave me a nudge and I have started a journey to loose the excess weight and get more energy.

I started this journey and I realised that I was spending a good bit of time reading labels, reading recipes, adding foods to my journal and weighing in. I had a plan but one very essential component was missing. God.


I had left Him out of my diet plans.

I was relying on myself, my wisdom and my will power just like I have many times before.


Nudge, Nudge.

God is my stregnth, apart from Him I can do nothing, yet in the area of weight loss I somehow exclude God.

I have thought about this and I think it is because I feel a bit ashamed of how little self control I have.



I have been teaching my 3yo DD a song about the "Fruit of The Spirit" and wowsers - there it is- God knows we need self control and He also knows we lack it - so He gives it to us and develops it in our lives when we push into Him.

What Grace.

What love.



I dont want to open the door for the enemy to whisper condemnation and guilt in and to rub my nose in my failures. I want to run to God, seek His truth and ask for His support on this journey.


I want invite you too. I have read many other gals stories who are on this weight loss journey over the last while and it seems like alot of us have similar feelings of inadequacy, guilt, failure.


I think that it is time to say "Enough of that"

I have started a separate blog in which we can walk this journey together. Come by and visit me at "The Glory Gals" because its not about us, our lives are for His glory. Lets walk with The Lord and live how He made us to- with our image of ourselves lining up with His word.

Each week I will be putting up a post addressing just this- Who we are in Christ, what He says about us and including Scriptures and thoughts. Lets get some discussion going and make some important discoveries about who we are as Daughters of The King. Let's give Him Glory on our journey. If you would like to write a post that would be wonderful, or link up on the blog roll, pop on over to The Glory Gals

If you would like to do an online study together on specific issues then post your ideas and we can get a group together and dig into The Word.
If you would like to join me lets read and encourage each other along this journey, today is a good day to start but most of all lets invite God in.

In His Grace,

C

How deep, how wide, how much indeed!

I have really enjoyed reading today:

"That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be strong to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled unto all the fulness of God."
Ephesians 3:16-20

I have so enjoyed spending time with God digging into this verse.  Every word is such a rich promise and pouring of love, what hunger this stirs in my heart to ask God where He wants to use the strength & love that He abundantly has poured into my inner being- I can never say I have nothing, that I am empty- I have all of God poured in- filled in fullness- and dwelling deep in me- this is so beyond my  understanding that I can't help but praise Him. 

What are you reading that challenges you to press deeply into Him??

Morning Coffee

Come sit awhile and have a coffee, Im glad you stopped by.
I sat and had my morning coffee with my King this morning, I thought over what some of my greatest needs are and I also thought over what some of my greatest answers to prayer are and they are almost the same.

I remember the days of waiting on God for answers, miraculous answers to prayer- struggling through hardship in a season of IVF and feelings of hopelessness, inadequacy and desperation, to be blessed so miraculously with this lil baby- a lil baby that I should have never been able to have, a lil baby that showed me God cares about the desires of my heart, she is indeed a pure gift of God.

Today I still struggle and pray for her- the prayers are different- now they focus on managing illness and hope and aches of a mumma's heart. Again I see  the Mighy Hand of God on our life. A lil toddler being restored by His Grace. The daily provision of energy and health that is building her lil body everyday. Healing that is stregnthening her lil mind everyday. We are having more good days with bad patches and slowly and gently God is leading me in lessons of patience and love.

In my prayers for healing for my sweet lil one, God has gently bought healing for me too. He has taken this time of suffering and drawn me gently and lovingly to Himself. I have felt comfort and security coming through the darkest times, a reassurance and a safety that I cant explain.

How can good come from hardship?- in the natural it cant.
But "In Christ all things work for good for those who love the Lord and are called for His purpose" (Romans 8.28)

How is God sustaining you in your current season? I would love to pray for you as we stop for a quiet coffee with the King.

Monday, Monday

Today the sun is shining and there is definately a promise of spring in the air.


My DH came home from his week away from work and when I met him at the door:

Such a sweetie!

It has been a lovely weekend and I feel refreshed and full of hope.




I have for months been missing the fresh veggies we usually always have from our garden but with all the hospital trips and things the garden has fallen by the way. I really miss this place of harvest and abundance- of seeing things grow and watching God transform tiny little seeds into crops, I miss popping out and grabbing some fresh peas or some spinach and the wee ones used to eat so much more fresh veg as often they would just eat t raw from the garden.



Well I spent some time out in the sun in my veggie garden yesterday afternoon, I have been inspired by many of the pics of everyones gardens and with winter drawing to a close for us here in Australia I really am itching to get back out into the beds.



Everyone had a great time- Lil 3yo, DD was in there- not a care in her lil heart about medical reports or the events of last week- after all there was dirt to be played with! So refreshing and so lovely to hear and watch some much needed giggling. My heart was lifted.



We did lots of digging and there was weeds to get rid of and rocks to throw out and then when everything was nearly ready for planting we spread ALOT of manure over the garden- this manure made the garden rich with everything it needed to support the coming growth and harvest, then in went the seeds & seedlings and we put back the little protective netting to keep our ducks out and let the veggies grow in peace.



This is so like what is happening all around at the moment- the turning over and breaking up is difficult and hard, then stuff is added to life that just seems wrong and dreadful, but with the things of God, protection, sunshine and a little rain the garden will grow & grow and the harvest will come. Thank you Lord for the lessons you teach me in my garden.



Have a great Monday,

Hugs

C

Wham!!

One punch- and another, then wham- here's another. Do you have days or weeks like that too? When you feel your soul can not take another blow- another problem, another conflict, not an ounce left in you for any hardship.
That's exactly how I felt last week- what changing medicine? What is that going to do? 
Then  WHAM! 
In the mail is the specialist report- WHAM! Metabolic disorder WHAM! Genetic Disorder WHAM! WHAM ! The thud that goes into your guts & heart when you get unexpected bad medical reports.
This may be a medical report or illness but for you the stress of a big bill, the pain of broken relationship, the hurt of conflict but I'm sure you know exactly how I felt when I opened the letter. Thud, WHAM. When your head and heart start spinning-
No!  
What does this mean? 
And even harder -Why?
Then the tears- the waves of sobs that come from the depths of the mumma heart that wants different things for your toddler, for no more pain and no sickness.
I didn't see this coming- but God did- He knew. 

I don't know what this means  for the future- He does. (Jeremiah 29.11)

I am filled with fear and anxiety- He has invited me to give the worry to Him (psalm 55.22) and He will get me through.

The hardest and most overwhelming times are when my faith is tested, refined and deepened. I have a mumma's heart and it feels like it is going to break, I have a Saviour and He says He has us in the palm of His mighty hand.

Today I was reading a wonderful passage:
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest."

Matthew 11:28 NIV

———————————————–
I was watching my toddler sleep and was thinking how relaxed & contented she was curled up in her bed- she wasn't listening for anything, her total trust was in us being there and keeping her safe. 
If she does wake in the night - there is a lil soft call "mum..." she does NOT lie there and reason- "should I call," " will she hear me,"  "does she even want to hear me,"  "is she trying to teach me a lesson?" -she just calls: for her that is who I am- I am mum and she is 3 & C  has her simple childlike faith & trust in me to meet her needs. 
I need to re-kindle that simple faith in my heart. That child like dependence that stops reasoning, stops doing all "on my own" and whisper out or even shout out- as the case may be "Father" and give my fears, troubles, worrys and weakness to Him- He
has even written it down to remind us that He WANTS us to come to Him when we are burdened and troubled!
Most times my lil C doesn't even always explain- she calls. I come and I see & know what she needs- So does the Father- I just need to call a little more often. 
Have an awesome day!! 
Hugs
C

Absolutely

I found this a great truth today,

God didn’t promise
days without pain,
laughter without sorrow,
sun without rain,

but He did promise
strength for the day,
comfort for the tears,
and light for the way.


Read this very slowly and let it sink in…

If God brings you to it,
He will bring you through it.

Hugs for you today

In the water

Today I read this an it really touched my heart: "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. Isaiah 43:2 NIV"



God says the storms they will come but He will be with me when I am IN them. So WHEN the storm passes, I might be soaked but I won’t be swept away.

I will be supernaturally protected by Him and what everyone thinks should happen/ the natural or expected outcomes are not the rule. There is evidence of this everyday in my life- children with senso-neural hearing loss never in the natural regain their hearing- but my yo DD has been without her hearing aides for 6 months now & her hearing & speech is developing everyday.

I do fear and I need to remember the promises that God has spoken to us through His word and not get into reaoning and the natural outcomes.

Thank you Lord for the history I have in my life of how you have brought me through the storms. Help me trust You more and lay my worries down and stop trying to pick them up again and try to work them out in the natural world. Amen.

Check out steadymom’s 30 min. blog challenge:

http://www.steadymom.com/moms-30minute-blog-challenge.html

How are you dressed today?

Today I am praising God for the beautiful weather. It is a gorgeous sunny day with a lovely breeze. My plan was to get some washing done. Then came a lesson from The Lord in my washday.

We all give a fair bit of attention to our clothes. After all, we pay good money for them or have taken our time to measure, cut and sew them.
Today my verse was Colossians 3.12-14
So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it. (The Message)

"Put on" is an instruction to do something on purpose. To make a decision ahead of time on how we are going to act. God is instructing us to on purpose put on mercy, put on peace, gentle ways, humility and most of all put on love. I have to do these things on purpose- giving them my attention.

Every morning I get dressed. When I get dressed- I give my attention to making sure that my clothes match, that the colours and textures go together. I check that the clothes that I am putting on are clean, properly fitting and appropriate. I also take care when I select the clothes by giving consideration to outside influences, such as the weather, to make sure I am protected. The conditions that I wear my clothes in will effect what I put on that day. If the day is very cold and rainy I put on more clothes.

We know that we live in an age of wickedness, just take a look at any news stand or news bulletin. The Word tells us: Matt 24.. 7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains.

We know we live in dark times. We don’t even have to look globally. We just have to drive to our local store: on the way we see road rage, rude attitudes of people, swearing, lazy attitudes of thoughtless people, some days these people are even ourselves!- I am ashamed to say just how mad I can get when someone cuts me off or the cashier is talking on the phone when I’m in a hurry to pay and get going, my attitude alone is evidence enough!

It is really important that we take care and attention in our spiritual dressing each morning before we start our day and prepare to meet its pressures and headaches and frustrations. We need to accurately assess the climate in which we live. We know that in our daily lives the enemy makes it his business to mess around stealing our peace and joy. John 10.10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; Every day we see evidence of this in anger, frustrations and resentments invading our homes, our marriages, our attitudes. We need to purposefully dress for these conditions so that we are well protected and prepared.

I take care doing my buttons & tying my shoe laces, I usually check in the mirror that I haven’t missed anything and that I am ready for the day. In the same way I need to check my preparation against the Word of God- held up against the Scriptures- does the “end result” of how I appear reflect Godliness. Am I showing and living in an attitude of love, peace and joy? Am I walking in love? I may want to show off my beautiful designer jacket but if it has a big stain on it I will have to do some serious work to get it presentable again. So it is with my life, when I fall into sins such as pride, selfishness and anger, I am showing a stain which is an area that needs some pre- treating to get it cleaned and right. If I simply ignore my bad attitudes they will set and remain spoiling the whole garment.

Some days I get up and get dressed quickly and don’t get it right and my dear 13yo says "lovingly" that I don’t match- I haven’t done a good job of preparing and I need to adjust my choices to be well dressed. Similarly some days my circumstances tell me that I haven’t done a good job of getting spiritually dressed too. I don’t put on enough "mercy"- I scream at my kids when they are clumsy or slow. I get frustrated if I am waiting and the checkout line is long. I need to take time in those times to make the effort to go back and put on "mercy" on purpose. I can be self controlled with my kids. I can correct them gently and lovingly without yelling- I need to prepare my heart to do that EVERY day. It is not an easy thing for an over tired, busy mum to be gentle. I find it is not a character quality that I naturally have. I need to spend extra time giving attention to this area.

A considerable part of my chore time as a mum is spent on clothes. We make such preparations for getting dressed even before the actual act of getting dressed begins-we sort, spray (treating spots and stains that left unchecked would ruin a garment) we wash, dry, iron and fold clothes, so that the family has all that we need to get dressed each morning. I really want to make a priority to spend time IN each day soaking in the Word. Not to grab a hurried minutes but to really treasure the time as a priority.
I wonder what my days would look like if I spend time- even 5 minutes every morning- getting spiritually dressed on purpose, before I start my day.

How are you dressed today?

News

NEWS!!
Last monday DH had to go back to work- He has been off since January and just as I was wondering how I was going to manage alone I got a phone call from my sister in the blue mountains and my aunt & uncle who are retired and on a 3 month road trip wanted to know if they could come & help.They came here last tuesday and stayed a full week til this morning- talk about praying for practical help to come- just when I thought I would be alone a live in helper that loves cuddling & reading to the toddler & pegging out washing arrives as my first houseguest in the 7 years we have lived here!!!!

I had a MRI & angiogram on Saturday and was fitted into a cancellation with the Neurologist Professor yesterday. He assessed me for 70 minutes (usually you are in and out and have no idea.) He explained everything I can expect and He even had a huge interest in what had happened and following our toddler up as she recovers from the encephalitis so we can save some big trips to sydney.

He said that I have not had a complete stroke and that the MRI shows that there is no permanent damage at all in my brain. He says that I am to take 100mg asprin for the rest of my life and that will prevent it from ever happening again. He says that it will take between 2-6weeks and I will have full use of my arm & my face & my sight in the left eye will be back to normal and that I will then be able to drive again! ( I live on a farm 30 minutes out of town and DH travels away for work every other week so that was a HUGE concern.

The problem can be big- but God IS INDEED BIGGER

Have a great day,

Still on hold??

I am so challenged by what I read this am over in "the Quiet Corner" & I'm glad I have the whole day (including many hours in the car) to think on it. Seemingly simple enough but in practice God is going to have to do a mighty work!!!

 "Respond out of mind set rather than mood." (Col. 3:2)

 "When we trust our lives to the hand and pen of an unseen but ever present God, He will write our lives into His story and every last one of them will turn out to be a great read. With a grand ending. And not just in spite of catastrophes. Often because of them. Don't just wait and see. Live and see." this is a quote from Beth Moore's study on Esther and is good words for me as we face more medical appointments. 

My life & our family  life is for living & rejoicing-always despite circumstances- God doesn't want to put us on "hold" til life settles down but He wants us to live in His peace & grace during these tough times. 
I know He gives me strength- mine ran out months ago.

((hugs))  

Who's in control?

Again so late but this is the first quiet minutes I have had all day & it will soon be tomorrow & the madness will all start again.
A friend has been reading in Second Samuel, and she has been sharing such wisdom and has blessed me by what she has been reflecting on in her studies. After her thoughts I was really interested in looking into this part of  the OT. I  was really challenged to think on how  I act/ react in difficult situations.- and we have had ALOT of difficult situations recently that have sent my emotions flying. My friend pointed out that David did not have to take down his opponents - he trusted in God and God was very much in control.
I like most women, like to be in charge and fix things or "make it right" - I am definately self-reliant and I know this has come from my history. I need to open mself to the Holy Spirit's direction in this area.
My lesson today is maybe I need to read the message that DH bought me & hung above my coffee machine "good morning this is God, today I will be handling all your problems & I won't be needing your help so relax & have a good day"
I pray you are having a good day too!
Thanks for stopping by.