Waiting and Jewels of Learning

Good morning all.  Yes I am back!  Thank you all for being so patient with me during my absence.  God Bless you.

 

This morning as I was working out, I read a short story from a book that my sister let me borrow called “Cold Tangerines.”  “Waiting” was the title of this particular story and since this extra ten pounds seems to be “waiting” to leave me (smile), I thought that I read onl and boy, was I glad that I did!

 

The writer speaks about her many years of waiting for her arrival,  her destination,  her goals of being a college graduate, a wife and a mom.  She even talks about how great her life will be when she is the perfect size and what she would do when these events came about. 

 

So many times, I have lived my  life like that. It’s like living in fast forward until that ”perfect moment” in time, and then wanting to make that ”perfect moment” last for ever!

 

Don’t get me wrong,  we should have goals and dreams for our future, but I don’t believe that they should be at the expense of today’s jewels of learning. 

 

During our weight loss journey’s, we must begin to focus on our “short term” goals in order to achieve the “long term” goal of weight loss.  For example,  if we focus on working out, eating right, and enjoying our healthy lifestyle today. Before we know it, the days turn into weeks and then months and then, BAMM!  we have achieved our long term goals!

 

Furthermore,  if we were only supposed to live for those “great moments” in life,  how would we ever determine whether they were great without having had those jewels of learning in between?

 

This week,  ask God to help you to focus on each day’s little blessings.  Begin to to think in terms of living in the moment.  As you do,  you will have plenty of days that are jewels of learning, and you’ll be adding up days, that will allow you to reach that “great moment” of success — in God’s time.

 

May God our Father help you to slow down and enjoy each day on your journey.  May He show you that you are learning something today that will help you for your lifetime. 

 

In Him,

 

Cicely

Why Me Lord?

This morning as I was seeking God , I was gently reminded of a beautiful writing I read recently called “Lord Why Me?”  The author (a beautiful woman that now resides in our care facility) goes on to make the point that we cannot accomplish the things that God has called us to do without His Spirit.  Boy isn’t that the truth! 

 

2 Cor 12:9 (NLT) says:   Each time He said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.  So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” 

 

Many times during our weight loss journey we start to waiver, and we don’t really understand why there are some of us who can seemingly eat anything and not gain a pound; while the rest of us just look at something delightful and we wear the evidence for weeks.  “Why Me, Lord?,” you ask!  Well, the scripture above says that God’s Grace is all that we need to bring us through those though times.  Furthermore, He can work His wonderful power through us, if we completely depend on Him when we are having a challenging time with our eating. 

 

You see, God wants us to be dependent upon Him for our every need, including our weight loss journey.  When we look at the journey ahead, we sometimes become discouraged and give up.   However,  when those times come, and they will, just tell the Father about it and ask for Him to help you stay on track.  Its okay.  He chose you because He wants to show Himself strong on your behalf.  So go ahead, cast all of your cares upon Him; lean on Him when you get tired of walking out this journey.  If you do, I promise you won’t be disappointed!

 

May God continue to carry you through when you feel like you just can’t go any further.  May He show you that as you lean on Him, all things are possible, even your weight loss goal. 

 

In Him,

Cicely

Celebrate Mother’s Day Without Sabotaging

Mother’s day is this Sunday and you have plans to spend a lovely time with your loved ones I am sure.  However,  do you have a plan when your appetite calls for that extra box of chocolates you were just gifted?  Yes, your son meant well when he bought them, but in order to be successful on our weight loss journey we must be assertive and let our loved ones know what we need. 

 

This past week I was listening to K-Love on the radio, and the broadcaster had been given a task by His pastor.  You see, His pastor (before service) taped a $5.00 bill to the bottom of his chair.  The broadcaster’s assignment was to impact as many lives as possible with this 5 dollars.  The broadcaster had quite a challenge on his hands because he also had to give report on what he did with the money and how he believed it helped others.

 

Now I pass on a challenge to you!  Weather you are a Mom, celebrating your Mom or both, be creative!  Instead of the beautifully wrapped box of chocolates that you get every year, challenge your family to participate in a  ”challenge of creativity.”  Maybe provide them a few rules likeL  it can’t be edible, or you can only spend $20.00 or less.  Whatever rules you decide on, be sure that they will help you, not hinder you on your weight loss journey.  Some examples are:  ask your kids for a new workout game for your WII fit or a plant to add to your garden.  Children, maybe you can treat your Mom to a day at the spa. 

 

After-all,  we can celebrate the ones we love without sabotaging their efforts.  You may not realize it but you are loving them all the more when you listen to their desires and you do everything within your power to help them be successful. 

 

May God bless you with wonderfully creative ways to bless your Mom this Mother’s Day and always.

 

In Him

 

Cicely

Insecurity Hinders What God Wants To Do

Not long ago, I had the privilege of attending a simulcast at church.  The speaker, Beth Moore spoke on insecurity and how prevalent it is among women, and how damaging it can be to the callings that we have in Christ.  Until now, I didn’t realize how much my own insecurities had hindered what God wanted to do in the lives of others through me.   

 

You see, I do believe that God has given me the heart to help others on their weight loss journey.   However, if I am too focused on why my hips and waist line don’t look like that of my neighbor’s, I am ineffective.  I am then too over consumed by what I see rather than what I know to be true.  The truth is that we are Fearfully and Wonderfully made (Psalms 139:14), no matter what we see in the mirror. 

 

During our weight loss journeys,  let’s begin to focus on the truths of God’s word, rather than our reflections in the mirror.  I have found that some of the plateaus that have been the hardest for me to overcome are the ones where I was so closely glued to what the scale would say.   Instead, let’s focus on what God’s word says ” We can do all things through Christ whom gives us strength.”  

 

Furthermore,  commit to help someone along the way, don’t just focus on what you need.  Help others by sharing the talents and gifts that God has given you!  In doing so, we obtain healing and strength for our own needs.  For example,  if you can help a friend by walking with them in the evening, or sharing a low calorie cookbook when things get a bit boring, do it!   Together we can succeed.

 

Remember, you are NOT what you weigh!  You can walk out this journey by placing your trust in the in truth of God’s word which makes us secure in Him.

 

May God continue to lead you into ALL truth as you depend upon His word to transform your insecurities to being secure in Him!

 

In Him,

Cicely

FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE

This weekend was exceptionally exciting for me.  I had my cousin and her new husband down for a visit and we had a blast.  During that visit, I received revelation knowledge on a scripture I knew for so many years, but the scripture dropped from my head into my heart (so to speak.)

 For so many years, I have gone through seasons of being insecure, shameful, and guilty when it came to my appearance. However,  Psalms 139:14 says, “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;  Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.” 

 

You see, we have been created by the very finger tips of our Father.  He didn’t make any mistakes when He made some of us with fuller hips, or more curves, but He gave us great thought.  He planned our appearance, our likes, dislikes, and personalities. 

 

This weekend I discovered that yes, God wants us to take good care of the bodies He has given us, and He wants us to be wise with what we eat and drink.  However,  during our journey to lose weight, He doesn’t want us to hate the features that He created that make us HIS WONDERFUL CREATIONS. 

 

So, if you struggle sometimes with the sight of your thighs, or your hips which seem to be larger than life no matter how much weight you have lost, just remember that you are fearfully and wonderfully made.  You have been created in His image, and you are sooooo beautiful in His sight, because you are His creation. 

 

This week on your journey to become a healthier you, begin to praise the Lord for those areas of your figure which seem to bother you most.  When you praise,  begin to thank the Lord for creating you just the way He did, and ask Him to help you to see yourself through His eyes and not the numbers on your scale. 

 

Finally, I will pass along to you something my dear friend Dawn reminds me of often, “the scale is just a measure of your progress and it doesn’t measure your self-worth,”  BECAUSE YOU ARE FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE!

 

As you walk out your weight loss journey, may you cling to the Father for your value, and worth.  May God continue to show you His fingerprint in your life; and as He does, may you become more comfortable with who He has created you to be — hips and all.

 

In Him, 

 

Cicely

Resolve!

The time has come for us to talk about “RESOLVE.”  So many of us (including me) get complacent and lose our drive.  We often times fall back into bad habits that we promised we wouldn’t.  When it comes down to it, we must ask ourselves the question,  “How bad do we really want it?”

 

The definition of Resolve is: to come to a definite or earnest decision about; or to determine (to do something).  Have we come to a definite decision of what we want out of the journey that we have set before us?  Have you decided what you would like to weigh, what size you would like to be in, what activities you would like to do? 

 

You see I find that I lose my enthusiasm when I fail to set those goals that propel me towards success.  For example, I know that I want to lose 10 pounds, but why?   Do I want to be a certain size,  feel more comfortable in my clothes, or finally feel good in a bathing suit this summer?  All very good reasons, but when I have a purpose attached to my journey, I find that my resolve doesn’t waiver.

 

This week, let’s write down two reasons why we are in this journey together.  Let’s focus on what we want, rather than what we don’t want.  For example;  “I want to make good choices that help my blood sugar to remain stable”; rather than,  “I have to do this in order to keep my diabetes in control.”  Once you write down your reasons for walking out your journey,  periodically remind yourself if you start to fall back on some of your healthy commitments. 

 

Remember, you can’t give up on yourself! God wants the best for you and so do I.  Just resolve to make it happen!

 

May God bless your efforts and may those efforts to do whats best for His temple (your body) become life long changes. 

 

In Him,

 

Cicely

Make Your Plan Specific

I hope and pray that everyone had a wonderful Easter! The Easter season is a wonderful time to renew our goals, or perhaps focus on new ones.  Jesus made it possible for us to be “more than a conqueror” by hanging on that cross, giving His life as a sacrifice and rising again three days later.  Only because of His death and resurrection can we experience God’s true freedom from sin.

With so many holidays before us like Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, Father’s Day, and Fourth of July (just about one holiday per month), we must refocus, and/or set some new goals.  Maybe your goal is ‘not to eat so much during the 4th of July BBQ this year’, or just to make it through Mother’s Day without eating the entire box of See’s chocolates. Whatever it may be, you must first plan how you will accomplish your goals and make that plan specific.  Remember, your goals are just wishes unless you set a plan for execution. Instead of just saying that you ‘don’t want to eat so much at that BBQ on the 4th of July’, make a list of three things you can do to ensure your success. Your list may look a bit like this:  

1. I will prepare a smaller breakfast so that I can have one special treat at the BBQ.

2. I am going to go for an extra walk during my lunch hour this week so that I can earn extra points or calories.

3. Once I am successful, I am going to treat myself to a pedicure.

The truth is that holidays can present us with legitimate challenges when it comes to our weight loss journey; but with some prayer, careful planning, and goal setting, we can and will be successful. Just remember, obstacles are the things we see when we take our eyes off of our goal. You CAN do this, because God through His Son provided you a way to freedom!

May God continue to enrich your life with the truth of His great love for you, and may that truth set you free!

In Him, Cicely

Make No Provision for the Flesh

Pound cake, cookies, Rice Krispy™ treats, Doritos™ and cream cheese, these are a few of my favorite things.  I find that not only are these foods “red light foods” for me, but that they are things that I crave when I want to be comforted. 

 The truth is, God wants to be the one who offers us comfort.  He doesn’t want us to run to a substance; whether it’s food, smoking, drugs, etc.  He wants us to run to Him in our time of need.  You see, substances only provide temporary relief from our pain.  God wants to have the opportunity to heal us from the inside out.  However, He can only do this if we let Him. 

 ^{Romans 3:13-14 says} Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. ¹⁴ But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

The scripture above says that we should not make provisions for our flesh.  So why do we bring our “red light foods” home from the grocery store?  Yeah I know, sometimes they seem to do a long jump from the shelf into our shopping carts, but we must take a stand!  DON’T MAKE ANY PROVISIONS FOR YOUR FLESH TO OVERINDULGE.  Though it may seem like it, your children and spouse won’t die if they don’t have those Oreos™ in their lunch box.

This week, focus on de-cluttering your pantry.  Get rid of those items that seem to hinder your success; it’s okay if the package is still half full!  Remember, it’s better to waste it now, instead of wearing it later on your waist.  Before you go to the grocery store, make a list of just the items you need and don’t purchase any extras.  Finally, before you go shopping ask yourself if the items on your list are healthy choices; if not, cross them off your list. 

When we depend on God for comfort rather than substances, only then can we truly experience God’s healing.  Furthermore, let’s not tempt ourselves by bringing items in our homes that would cause us to sin.  After all, just as we wouldn’t allow a ouija board in our homes,  we shouldn’t allow foods that would cause us to sin in either.

May you continually run to God’s open arms for comfort rather than food.  May you experience His healing touch as you bring your pain to His feet and not the fridge.

 In Him,  Cicely 

Inch by Inch

I had a teacher in high school who use to say to us over and over again “inch by inch life is a cinch!”  My teacher used her favorite quote in so many of our conversations.  Whether I complained that I had too much home work; or that there weren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish everything that I had set my mind to complete, it was always the same answer:  “Cicely, inch by inch life is a cinch.”

 

It wasn’t until I became an adult that I truly understood the deepest part of what my sweet teacher was trying to teach me.  Really what she was saying is to concentrate on one project at a time until I was  done, then focus on the next.  Furthermore,  she was trying to train me to de-stress my life by helping me to see the opportunities, and not the obstacles, that seemed to clutter my path.  Focus and take each day “one day at a time”  she would say.

 

As I was running this morning, I was trying to apply my teacher’s saying.  I tried to drum up every excuse I could to convince myself not to run but to walk instead.  However, I remembered those sayings and took that first step.   As I did,  I could feel the excuses fade, the confidence come and the laziness – well, it went too.

 

Some days  I find that I must really focus not on this week or even tomorrow’s workouts but on today’s.  I must focus and plan on the day that I am in, so that I don’t get overwhelmed and discouraged.  By putting this into practice, my run was a bit easier today.   It was easier because I could put all of my attention on the workout in front of me, and not focus on the fact that I would have to workout for the rest of my life.

 

Matthew 6:34 says, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  During our weight loss journeys, remember that at times it won’t be easy.  During those days when your fight seems like an uphill battle, stay focused on the prize (a healthier you) and don’t give up!  Take each day one day at a time and inch along toward your goals.  Come-on you can do it, just focus on doing your best today!

 

Remember, you can do this.  The  Holy Spirit will help you because really, with His help, “inch by inch life is a cinch!”

 

May our Father bless each of your days — being filled with the peace that you are doing all that you can do today to ensure your weight loss success in the near future!

 

In Him,

 Cicely

 

Let Women, Weight and God know how God is helping you with your weight struggles, “inch by inch.”  Leave a comment!

Identify Red Light Foods For Sweet Success

Is that slice of cake worth your success?

 

So many times I have asked myself that question.  Is the cake really worth all of the progress I have made so far?  Since sweets tend to be one of my “Red Light Foods,”  I have to be careful that I have some every now and then to feel satisfied, but not too much.

 

The truth is that it is OK to have a tasty treat, but we have to choose.  We must realize that we may always have the desire to eat one thing or another.  For some its bread, or pasta and for those like me,  it’s the sweet things in life that tickle our fancies. 

 

Once we figure out what our “Red Light Foods” are we must put parameters on how may times per week we will allow ourselves to eat these foods.  For example,  I may have the points or calories to have that piece of See’s Chocolate everyday.  But would it be a healthy choice? Furthermore,  I have discovered that the more I have,  the more I want it. 

 

The solution?   I only allow myself to have  See’s candy 2 times per month, and I can only buy one!  Yes, including the taster! ONLY ONE.  This means that I can still go to my favorite candy shop, have one candy, satisfy my sweet tooth all while  staying on my track. 

 

This week, try to identify your “Red Light Foods”.  Once you do, be sure to set a parameter . For example: “I can have pasta once per week and it must be whole wheat;” or, “I can have a slice of cheese cake once a month, but I will not bring a whole cheese cake to my home.” 

 

I believe every freedom must also have its parameters.  If not, we tend to get out of balance and freedom we once had can take a turn to bondage (like being over weight).  Remember, God gave Adam and Eve full freedom in the garden of Eden, but with that freedom, He also set a parameter by instructing them to ”not partake of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.”  

 

May God help you set  healthy parameters as you walk out your weight loss journey, and may you always know that He will give you the “Will to Wanta” if you ask. 

 

In Him,

 

Cicely