When it comes to working on our health and wellness, we sometimes feel like it’s going to be overwhelming, take a lot of time in our day, and cost a lot of money. We see the fitness gurus on instagram that promise results, but it often comes at a steep price tag, both physically and monetarily.
As a widow, my wellness has always been important, but I didn’t realize that what I was doing was actually stressing my body, not helping it. I burned the candle at both ends and pushed too hard in my workouts. I thought I needed to exercise longer, to run faster and to get up earlier to be healthy. But I have learned that wellness doesn’t mean working harder. Nor does it mean spending a lot of time or money. There are simple things you can include in your everyday life that will boost your health, are gentle to your body and mind, and are completely free.
Read more...“It’s a funny thing about life, once you begin to take note of the things you are grateful for, you begin to lose sight of the things you lack” (Germany Kent).
It’s easy to be thankful when things are going good or when a prayer is answered in the way you desired. Gratitude comes naturally when the sun is shining, the kids are obedient, and things seem to be going well.
But what about when you’ve begged God for healing, or a job, or wisdom in a situation, and the prayer goes unanswered. Or God chooses to answer differently than you expect - your spouse dies, you continue to be unemployed, or you’re at a loss to handle a difficult situation. What then? How can we be thankful for something that causes us pain or disappointment?
Read more...Fall...
lt’s the time of the year of beautiful foliage, stunning sunrises and sunsets and cooler temperatures. We swap out shorts and t-shirts for sweaters and jeans. We rake leaves, pack up the yard stuff, and get ready to hunker down for the winter. While I LOVE summer and live for warm weather and sunshine, I also enjoy snow days, cozy sweaters, hot tea, and snuggling on the couch under a blanket with a good book.
Simple winter pest prevention tips
Camping and boating are two of our favorite things to do in the summer, but there’s a long stretch of time when these things have to sit in the yard over the winter. We ensure they get winterized, so nothing freezes that shouldn’t freeze, but a big concern while they are being stored is small pests looking for a warm, dry place to live and taking up residence in one or both of these. So how do we keep these creatures from deciding to make a home in our belongings?
Read more...I also learned that trials do not define us.
The trial of losing my husband and losing my hope did not define me - I am His child; that is what defines me.
- Yes, I was a widow and single mom
- Yes, I was deep in grief
- But that is not my identity
- My identity is in Christ
Gal. 5:5 says, and I’m paraphrasing, “we eagerly await the hope of righteousness” when we are made into the image of Christ.
When there is conflict and struggle going on - cling to that hope. God promises that the struggle will not last forever. It will end. We can have hope that it is temporary.
I Cor. 15:19 - if we only have a human hope, we are to be pitied. If our hope is only in this life, then we’ve lost sight of our real reason for hope.
We are never without hope as believers!
Read more...In v. 3 Paul points out “we give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”. Giving thanks is a foundational discipline in the believer’s life, and I had forgotten that. I had stopped giving thanks. I wasn’t choosing gratitude for what I had, instead I was in despair because I was focused on what I had lost, how hard things were, and all the difficulties I was experiencing.
That didn’t mean that my grief would suddenly disappear because I started being thankful. Gratitude and grief can exist together - God’s grace can handle both at the same time.
In v. 5 is where the word hope shows up, and the first glimmer of healing began.
As believers, we are thankful because of the hope we have in Christ. When we lose hope we become depressed and anxious, which is exactly what happened to me. But we have a secure hope in something that we can depend on, which is the hope of Heaven.
He went on to talk about Rom. 5:3-5 - where it say: “...we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
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