Anything worth doing is worth doing fun!

I do a lot of boring things that I don’t want to do. Laundry. Dishes. Making dinner. Grocery shopping. Paying bills. And most recently, eating healthy.

I recently got to spend some time helping a friend of mine do something that she hates doing, a yard sale. She was stuck somewhere between just getting rid of her stuff in any way possible, or being a good steward of what she and her husband had worked for and trying to salvage some of the money spent on no longer needed baby equipment, sports equipment, and lamps.

This is where I think Providence shines its’ brightest in my life. You see, I love yard sales. I love having them and I love shopping them. Every Saturday in summer is like waking up to my birthday. I love looking for clothes for my kids, finding antique furniture, the cup of coffee that I nurse while driving around, having the radio to myself, and meeting the people that always love giving you a piece of their history as you look through their lives poured out onto a driveway. So, naturally, I offered to help make my friend’s yard sale something fun instead of something she would dread and hate.

The morning was great and I walked away with a beautiful lawn chair that I am currently using to catch some amazing rays while watching my kids play with each other in the back yard, and my friend was able to bless a few people with items that they really needed at a price that they could afford (and some was even free). We laughed and talked, and the morning flew by a little easier instead of being a long and dragging 3 hours.

Anything worth doing is worth doing fun.

Some of the most mundane tasks can be made a whole lot more fun with a little support from a friend, especially when it’s an area that they excel. Can’t handle your finances very well? Get a trusted friend to give you some creative tips and help to keep you accountable. Hate spring cleaning? Have a great friend come along side you and do it together, switching places so that both homes are cleaned.

Creativity is key to any successful change. Mundane? Never. Together, we can make better choices. I hate missing out on doughnuts, but I love when my healthy friends give me fun and slimming recipes because they are just as excited about my success as I am. If you don’t have someone, you have one now. We can do this together. Some of my fastest walks have been on the cell phone with a friend when we are both panting because we are working out and laughing.

Creativity.

Peace in good choices.

Growing relationships.

God’s best.

I'm starving!

How many times have you heard that come out of your very own mouth?

"I'm STARVING!"

Definition of starving:

"Starvation is a severe reduction in vitamin, nutrient, and energy intake. It is the most extreme form of malnutrition. Prolonged starvation can cause permanent organ damage, and eventually death."

Boy. That puts it in perspective, doesn't it? You want another sobering thought? Type in "pictures of starving" in your search bar. It's painful.

I say it all the time.

I am not starving. It's very rare that I even know "hungry." I cannot even recall last time I even felt my stomach rumble for more than a few minutes? I know that there is a snack somewhere in the house, and if it's not here, then the store is a mile away. Even when there is nothing in the checking account, I can get some kind of junky food to shovel into my face with change that I find in my car.

We are not starving. We are craving.

Definition of craving:

"an intense desire for some particular thing"

That is more of what I struggle with. Cravings. I have intense desires, but I have never been starving. I want the Lord to direct my cravings. Praying about God's best choices for me has made me really focus on what His intentions are for me and my body. If I want to be used by Him, then I need to hear Him. If I need to hear Him, then I need to be near Him.

If I am starving, meaning, missing everything that I need to be whole, then let me be starving for God's Word and presence in my life, and that it would fill me and nourish me. Please, let it begin with a craving.

The hardest things

I know that I didn't get here in a day. No. It took four children and many doughnuts to get me this far. If you are what you eat, then I am 50% vanilla creme filled. I love my cake and I definitely eat it, too.

However, I have heard it said that anything worth doing is generally difficult. I mean, think about it. All of the decisions that I have had to make that have made the biggest impact on my life have been made through some of the most difficult times in my life.

Wanting to go to college? ...easy. Wanting to study to pass finals? ....hard.

Wanting to marry the love of my life? ...easy. Staying married? ...hard.

Wanting to have children? ...easy. Pushing? ...hard. Raising them? ...hard.

Wanting to go to heaven? ...easy. Living for Christ in this world? ....hard.

Wanting another doughnut? ....easy. Living healthy for my children? ...hard.

Beginning something is very easy. Most of us have the best of intentions when we start something, but then we become like water and flow wherever the lands bends and bows. Stopping that flow is hard.

But you know what? My God parted the Red Sea. He's that big. The flow of my life does not have to continue down a path of self destruction. I know that there are people out there that don't struggle with turning away that second helping of mac n cheese. I know that there are people out there that never touch a soda or struggle with whether or not to open up those chips. I am not one of them. These are difficult decisions for me.

Today I resolve to make the difficult decision. Today I will chose to give all of my food choices over to the Lord and allow him to walk me through the difficult decisions.

Running on the treadmill? ...easy because it's God's best for me.

Drinking water all day instead of coffee? ...easy because it's God's best for me.

Eating a salad for lunch instead of snacking on junk food? ...easy because it's God's best for me.

Praying about my choices? ...easy because it's God's best for me.