A good thing to lose

I was driving home the other day flipping through a CD that I had not listened to all the way through yet.  The title of one of the songs has been resonating in my head.  The song was called: What do you have to lose?  It has me thinking about a few good things to lose.

For those of you who know me well, are probably wondering if I am going to talk about weight loss.   The answer is NO, not exactly, well maybe a little.  I am still currently not in favor of doing anything remotely like exercise or dieting.  I have said it before, I NEED TO, but I am not committed in my head.  Although I did see a picture of me today, and thought to myself, "HELLO CHUBBY!  What is up with those rolls, and who let you leave the house like that!"  It is still not enough to make me throw away the bag of M&M's I have hidden in my drawer.  Let's face it, there will be NO YOGA in my immediate future.  After all, I believe yoga to be a bunch of tree hugging hippies, standing like trees and well, I am not the type to buy recycled paper.

However, a few days after I started writing this, I believe I am coming closer to thinking weight loss is a good thing.  You see, I took my daughter to the park.  It was one of those fancy playground sets with all sorts of twisting things you can hang from and climb.  It also had a faux zip line.  I know what you are thinking: DID YOU?  Why yes, yes I did.  Here is where the change of heart comes in, MY ARMS ARE KILLING ME!  It has been two days and they are still sore.  It might as well have been yoga, because just like yoga, all I was doing was holding my own weight.  There is nothing more eye opening than two days later still hurting from carrying nothing but myself!  Need I mention, I only did it once, and not even for the whole line!

I guess the moral of the story is sometimes the weight you carry is unnecessary and you should just let it go.


Back to my point....

My original thought on this blog was inspired by a reminiscent moment.  I was thinking of things that I had lost that had in fact turned out to be really good things to loose, even if at the time they seemed to be heartbreaking.

The first thing that pops into my mind was when I swore that I would never date again.  I remember the night so well.  It was like a scene out of Bridget Jones Diary, minus the cigarettes and alcohol.  I was listening to that sad song by Ginny Owens, If you want me to....

I was feeling all alone, crying my eyes out.  I was a teary eyed mess.  When I prayed and said this,"  I give up, GOD. I am going to let you take control of my dating life.  I am done."  It was about six weeks later that I met my husband.  I gave up the control I thought I had and give it to God.  Loosing control and letting God in was one of the best decisions I ever made!

Another great loss has been fear coupled closely with guilt. Now I am not saying that I never get scared.  On the contrary I do get scared, but now my fear is different.  While I feel fear I don't feel alone, I feel secure in the arms of Jesus.  Where I had guilt before over a life lead without a walk with Jesus, I feel a blessed assurance of forgiveness.  There are times that my head wants to play back old memories and pretend that they were good, or say that I can not be forgiven.  The keeper of my heart, reminds me that I am not only forgiven but dearly loved and fear and guilt are not of God. "For God does not give us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love and self-discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7

There ARE good things to lose.  I want to keep loosing.  The Bible says:

"For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it."  Mark 8:35

I see this verse differently now.  I think I read it with a worldly eye before, but now I see it with the eye of a growing Christian.  I don't want to save a life that is full of fear, pride, selfishness, and guilt.  I want to lose that life and live the life that is forgiven and loved.  

I guess the moral of the story really is the same:  Sometimes the weight you carry is unnecessary and you should just let it go.

If the weight is physical or the weight of a burden, loosing it is in fact a good thing.  I think each type of weight can pose a difficult challenge.  So I ask, will you be willing to loose your life and give it to Jesus?  Then my next question, to diet or not?

This is my mindset, now let me hear yours!
 

From regular woman to mommy!

It was about 5 years ago when I went from young married woman to mommy.  I had no concept of just how much my life was going to change.

I would say the first thing that I had to get use to was the "poop" conversations.  I am the kinda girl who likes to keep my bathroom time private, and the thought of discussing poop on a regular basis was a real adjustment for me.  All mommy's know that when you have a baby, you are on poop patrol.  The doctor tells you how many times a baby should poop, and so as a new parent you wait and watch.  You call your spouse at work to say things like,"We have had our poops for the day!"  As my daughter has grown, the poop conversations still happen.  The potty training, "bye-bye poopie!"  Or "Mommy where does my poop come from?"  And "Mommy, where does my poop go when I flush the toilet?  In a million years, I never thought I would have to discuss poop as much as I do as a mother. 

Then there is the MOM bag.  The mom bag is the bag that comes after the diaper bag.  It is for the 3-5 possibly older kid.  While it looks like a regular purse it has been modified.  It has snacks, wipes, tissues, band aides, Neosporin, crayons, and Lysol spray or wipes.  At the bottom it also contains a thin layer of snack crumbs, used wipes, and tissues.  These items are essential for your every day on the go tasks.  It is also at this stage where you suddenly see the practicality that is a mini-van.  Let's face it, any car that you can open a door by the press of a button has value when your hands are full and you are being tugged on and "mommied" to death.

There is just something about being a mom.  I never thought I would be a mom, I wasn't sure I wanted to.  Now that I am, there are times I feel as though I have lost my mind.  I mean really, just read the previous paragraph.  (Said in a sarcastic tone)  The mini-van is cool, WHAT who am I becoming!  Before you know it I am going to want mom jeans like this:

While I think that this is funny, there is one thing that is no joke.  I love being a mother.  I love that I get to experience one of God's miracles everyday.  I am honored to watch my daughter grow, and hope that I honor God in how I raise her.  As we prepare for Mother's day, I hope that each of you mom's can laugh about the way life changes with kids.  As we celebrate mother's day, I hope we each stop and thank God for our mothers and grandmothers and the lives they changed for us!  Love to each of you moms and grandmas!

Lastly I will share this:

Now go and bust a cap on toothpaste! 
This is my mindset, now let me hear yours!