Me Month: Day 8

The last time I was on a date with my husband… without children… was June 29^th. I like to date my husband! He is a fun guy! I especially enjoy time away from my children (I love my children, I really do… I just need a break from them every now and again to appreciate them in all of their lovely wonderfulness). Eric has been super busy and gone a lot lately… so a break was very much in order! We got not only one, but TWO awesome opportunities for some alone time this weekend! Friday night was dinner, go-karts, and putt-putt (which I won…I might add … and he was even trying:)). It was super fun and has been a really long time since we did something other than dinner and a movie!

We got a chance to run together today too! This hardly ever happens! Usually one of us is watching the kids while the other one runs, so when we get to run together it is a real treat! At the end of the run he said, “let’s always do this… stay active together I mean… until we are really, really old.” And then put his hand up for a high-five.  Ok then… “until we die!” (high-five smack).

Mcfun run route... apparently it is a "thing". :)

Saturday we spent the morning at rainy soccer games and the afternoon at the Fall Festival at school. I spent some time volunteering in concessions… let’s just say it probably was not the best thing in the area of temptation for “no sweets”. I managed to refrain… but I am amazed at how that still has such a strong hold on me.

concession stand candy, why do you taunt me?

I did get to treat myself today for “Sweet Sunday” and there was a Happy Apple (covered in chocolate chips I might add) and a can of Sundrop that have been waiting for me all week. They were very much enjoyed!

We had a great sermon this morning at church. Dave touched on doing everything for the Lord. That when we try to do things by ourselves, or our way… it just doesn’t work. Remarkable! God does this great thing for me… when it is something that I am thinking about or on my heart (or just wrote about it last week in the blog), He reiterates it, or emphasizes it in another area of my life to say, “yes… you are on the right track… this is what I am trying to tell you.” He is really awesome like that! Simple things, like taking your medicine and flossing your teeth every night… why can I not do these things consistently? Why do I always find an excuse? It is because I don’t care enough when it is “just for me”. I have not had a problem doing these things every single night thus far. Am I tired and don’t always want to put forth the effort? Absolutely. Do I love doing it after I have fallen asleep on the couch and wake up at 1am… not at all. But I am doing it! Why? Because as silly and insignificant as these little things are… I have made a promise that I will do them to honor God for these 28 days… so I do them. Why can I not do this in every single area of my life, all of the time?

I had a super great 7 day devotional on Fasting this week (Authentic Fasting from James Macdonald). Here is a small excerpt from one of the days that made me say, “yes! My thoughts exactly!” :

I can say in my life that, by far, the most satisfying things that have happened to me are those moments when I sensed I had done as the Lord wanted me to do. When I attempt to satisfy self apart from doing the will of God it is inevitably not just a frustrating and empty thing, but even a very discouraging thing.

This entire fasting experience (all 6 months and 1 week of it) have been such an AMAZING, difficult, life altering, relationship with the Lord changing experience that I would trade for absolutely nothing! My question is… how do I have this all of the time? So I don’t have that empty, frustrating, discouraging feeling. It is as simple and as difficult as this… do ALL things for the Lord. Whether it is as difficult as giving away all your possessions or as simple as brushing your teeth… it should all be done to please the Lord. Why is that so hard?

Dave also said something this morning that I have never heard a preacher/speaker say this morning that I very much appreciated. He said (and I am paraphrasing… sorry Dave if I mess it up) “We are not perfect.  We are human and Jesus Christ was the only person that was human and perfect. But as Christians, we are not “just human”. We have the Holy Spirit living in us!” I LOVE this!!! I have heard sooo many Christian speakers/authors over the years basically give us an out…. “We are ONLY human and we can not be perfect. Jesus Christ was the only perfect and sinless man”. That is true… but shouldn’t we strive to be that? Not just give ourselves the ol’ “well, I can’t be perfect” excuse. We have the HOLY SPIRIT living within us… that is pretty dang amazing… and I feel downplayed way too much! Sometimes it just takes us not trying to run the show, and listening to that inner voice to discover something amazing and wonderful about ourselves that God is just waiting to show us!

I can not say how much this experience has changed my life. I know I say it a lot, but it has just been amazing! It has come with its challenges… believe me, Satan attacks when he sees you trying to grow closer to God. But I am so incredibly thankful for it! I can’t wait to see what the month has in store!

Thanks for joining me on the journey!