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Throughout the Bible there is a common theme I read over and over again. When we love the Lord and obey Him, we will be blessed abundantly. It seems like such a simple thing, but we tend to complicate it. Whether it is our worldly priorities or "spiritual" priorities, we are the ones who complicate it. Once again, our humanity gets in the way of God's true purpose for our lives. Live life fully, holy and pure, set apart, a vessel to be used for His purposes. We complicate it by developing unhealthy habits, addicitions, excuses of every kind. At some point our guilt and deep conviction snap us abruptly back to reality. As the Lent season has begun, I am considering deeply what I need to release from my life to be more pure, more of a clean and empty vessel truly ready for His purpose. My greatest struggle has always been with control. I like being in control, feeling like I know exactly what is going on, what to expect, plan everything out to the last detail and if it doesn't go the way I need it to, the effects can be disastrous. In addition to that, I deal with stress by eating. I don't binge, but I definitely reach for something sweet and chocolatey. As I am approaching 40 (yes, I know I have four years left but still!) and I examine closely my family's health history, I have for several years been working on getting myself into a healthier place. I have tried every diet you can imagine, read every book there is, and some of worked while others have not. I have a wonderful new friend who has become an accountability partner for me and this week we are starting a new journey into being healthier. So, my goals are to be more active, reach for healthier choices when I do need to eat and healthier outlets for my stress when I don't need to eat. I know I am not alone in this struggle so I hope others will join me in this effort. When we love the Lord and we are obedient, He will bless us abundantly. I know my physical well being as well as my spiritual well being are equally covered by that promise. So, the journey begins! I am going to start keeping track of my weight on my blog so this will truly be an exposure for me to a lot of people in my life. Here goes nothing--or everything, depending on how you look at it!

The journey begins:
Day 1--weight: 205
As of 11:11 am I have not had any sweets or sinful treats today. Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to report the same. My goal is to watch my calorie count, intake of fiber/carbs/fat/sugar and no eating after 8 pm. Also, I am cutting all carbonated drinks out of my diet and artificial sweeteners.

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