I lost a ton of weight in 2009. Sixty pounds to be exact. It was not easy. It took hard work and lots of discipline. And time. And I kept it off…..until last year when I gained back over 10 pounds of it.
And to be honest, I’ve been kind of blah about losing it. I’m not happy about it. But I’m a little haphazard about getting it off. In fact since December, I’ve started a 28 day squat challenge 4 or 5 times and I’ve never really gotten past day 3. Until now.
It’s so easy to get blah about things. Even our Christian walk. Even our relationship with God. But we don’t have to…we can change that.
Now…I’ve made it all the way to day 6, and I’m excited about that. And it’s because I changed a couple things.
What’s Love Got to Do with It?
When it was only about how I looked, I could be kind of blah about eating healthy and getting exercise. But when I focus more on how I feel…how I feel after I exercise and how I feel eating healthy things….it’s easier to keep at it. Because I feel good! More energy and all that…
It’s easy to get the Blah’s about what we do for God too. When our works are motivated by the wrong thing, they get tiring and old real fast. When we’re just working in the nursery or doing a Bible Study because we feel we have to or to earn points…..blah blah blah!
But when what we do is motivated by love, it makes all the difference. That’s why it’s important to keep ourselves in the love of God. Abide in Him. Let His love continually flow into us. And through us. When what we do is motivated by grateful love, there’s no way it gets blah.
So let’s keep our love hot to keep away the blahs!
Where’d My Dream Go?
Some days when my hormones are just right and I’ve had enough sleep and all is well, my goal stays fixed on feeling good. What I look like doesn’t matter. But there are those days where I get frustrated with how I look. Or how my clothes fit. And frustration and discouragement set in. I go back and forth and back and forth. And it gets old.
I’ve had plenty of dreams over the years. Some I’ve gotten to walk in. Some that are still cooking a little bit longer. And it’s easy in the thick of it, when you’re stuck in the day-to-day of life, to get tired and lose sight of the dream and let go of it.
To get frustrated with how far you still have to go to get there. To get discouraged. “Ugh. This is never going to happen. Why do I even bother?”
When the dream is the goal, it can get old. It gets blah. And it’s easy to back off and quit. To not finish. To lose sight of it and say, “Where’d my dream go anyway?”
[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly] (Philippians 3:10a amp)
That I may know Him. If that’s my dream. If that’s my goal. If that’s my whole purpose in life, there’s no way it gets blah. No frustration. No discouragement or depression.
Because when I seek Him, I find Him. And I’ll run right into my dream.
I’d rather chase the Dream-Giver than the dream He gave. He’s the only one who knows the end before it starts. He’s got it mapped out. He will complete the work He started in us.
It’s good to dream big dreams.Don’t stop dreaming! Just don’t make them your goal. Don’t make them your God. Don’t chase them. Chase Him.
Losing weight is a by-product of a healthy lifestyle. It’s a by-product of eating healthy and exercise. And it’s so much easier to keep at it and stay consistent with the right focus. The right motive. The right goal.
And life is the same way. It’s even easier to persevere in the hard times, in the storms, in the blah days, with a focus.
And when that’s Him….loving Him and knowing Him and chasing Him – it’s not just easier. It’s a whole lot sweeter too.
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. (Matthew 6:33)