Praise Him... No Matter What

A lesson that I'm truly learning lately is to praise God in every circumstance- good or bad. Growing up as a Christian, in my head, I've known I should do this regardless. However, my heart mostly told a different story.

I don't know about you, but for me, it's easier to praise God when things are going according to our plans--when we're 'rising above'.  However, when things aren't going my way, I tend to get angry, pout, cry, question, or perhaps even blame God. Lately, God has been showing me that I need to praise Him regardless..

It all started a few weeks ago, I was on my way to work and was listening to KLRC (the local Christian radio station). A song came on that I've heard a million and one times, and I started singing along. In the middle of the chorus, I started thinking about what I was singing- "I will praise you in this storm, and I will lift my hands. You are who You are, no matter where I am..." I felt God was saying, "Will you really praise me in the storm?" "Of course I will," I thought, and then I continued singing the song.

Within a few days, a "storm" started brewing in my life. It was one of those "when it rains, it pours" weeks. I became frustrated and disheartened. I was venting to a co-worker/friend of mine about the trials in my life. He gave me a pep talk, and started walking off when he said, "Praise Him in the storm." That one hit me like a ton of bricks. My friend, who had no knowledge of the lesson God had started showing me a few days prior, delivered a message that hit my heart hard: I, who had told God that I would praise Him in the storm, had failed miserably.

At that moment, God really started working on my heart about sincerely praising Him in everything. Not just saying I do, and not really doing it.

Again, tonight, I was reminded of this. I was watching the movie Facing the Giants. For those of you who haven't seen it, it's a Christian movie about trusting God, praising Him regardless of the outcome, and some good ol' football. In the movie, the main character is a high school football coach. His team is failing miserably and everyone is stacked against him. Also, his car constantly breaks down and his house is falling apart, and he can't afford to fix everything. Finally, his wife and him have been trying unsucessfully to conceive a child for four years. With all of this things going on, he determines that He's going to press forward, trusting God no matter what. Throughout the movie, he constantly says, "And if we win, we praise Him; and if we lose, we praise Him". After he has adapted his new way of thinking, lots of good things happen, as well as some bad things. However, throughout the movie, the coach still determines that he will praise God no matter what. He also tries to instill this thinking into his collegues, his team, and his wife. At one point, he asks his wife, "If the Lord never gives us children, will you still love Him?

The whole movie as a whole struck my heart, but the question the coach asked his wife really got to me. Think about it.. There's something we want more than anything.. For me, it's a Godly husband and children. Now, insert your deepest heart's desire in the blank: "If the Lord never gives you ____, will you still love Him?" It's so easy to say yes, but take a moment to actually think about it. If God never gives you that house, that child, that career, that spouse, etc. that you so desperately want, will you still love Him? And will you still praise Him or will you blame Him or even turn your back on Him if you don't get your way?

By the constant grace of God, I'm trying to change my attitude about all the "storms" or disappointments in my life- no matter how big, or how small. This is far from an easy lesson to learn- this lesson has come with many trials so far, and I'm sure it's a lifelong lesson. However, I am determined to praise Him whether I win or lose, no matter what storms may come. I urge you to do the same. Learn along with me to give God the glory in all things. Even though it may be so hard, I'm sure it will be well worth it.

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

DIY Decorative Hoops

Another easy, inexpensive craft:

Decorative Hoops

Supplies:

*Cross Stitch Hoops*

(you can buy really, really cheap ones at thrift stores!)

*Fabric of your choice*

*Wood stain pen*

(optional; can be found at most craft stores)

*Scissors*

Directions:

*Iron fabric and cut out fabric to about 1"-2" bigger than your hoop.

*Stain your hoop with the marker, allow it to dry completely (It dries within minutes)

*Loosen the outer hoop, and pull the fabric around smaller hoop

*Fit and tighten the outer hoop over the inner hoop, pulling the fabric

*Make sure your fabric is pulled tightly

*Hang it on the wall for a cute decoration!

DIY Dry Erase Board

Like most American women my age, I'm addicted to Pinterest.

I can spend hours at a time finding all sorts of wonderful things and pinning them to my board.

Today was my day off, and I decided instead of pinning to my hearts content, that I would actually make one of the 100+ things I have on my board:

A Dry Erase Board

It was super easy to make, and thanks to Hobby Lobby's amazing sales, I spent less than $20 for all my supplies.

All you need is:

*A collage picture frame*

*Patterned scrapbook paper*

*Stickers*

Since there were 8 frames and only 7 days, I put one of my favorite sayings in the last slot:



Weight Loss Chart

Today I made a weight loss chart to keep me motivated on my journey..

Here it is:

This masterpiece took me 4 back-breaking hours to complete, but I'm so proud of it!

So, my plan of action is to weigh myself every Sunday and record it here.

The last column is designated for amount of weight I lost during that month.

This may sound childish, but for every 10 lbs I drop, I'm going to add a fancy little gem to my chart.

 (I thought a gold star was too cliche'.)

Also, I decided I wanted to reward myself somehow for every 10 lbs I lost. So, I've decided that I'm going to put $50 into a vacation fund every time I recieve a little gem.

I have so many things I want to do and places I want to go, so I thought this would be the perfect way to reward myself and keep myself motivated. 

So far on Weight Watchers I've lost 12.5 lbs. 

That makes 34.5 lbs total since my heaviest.

I'm so excited!!

Finding Hope

I began this Journey two years ago.

Two years ago, I vowed to lose 100 lbs in 9 months..

Two years later, I'm only 30 lbs lighter.

Grant it, so much has happened in the last two years, but still. That's a lot of time wasted, which frustrates the fire out of me. I can't believe I wasted another few years of my life being miserably fat. Had I stayed true to my word, I would have a body like Catherine Zeta-Jones... But instead, I'm still medically classified as "morbidly obese". (Gosh, I hate that term...)

Until recently, I had basically given up hope that I would ever have a normal life as a healthy, thin person. I had accepted the fact that I was going to be forever a fattie. It sucked, but that's life, right?

I didn't have much motivation to go exercise (I would say, "it's too much effort.."), and diets were "of the devil". I mean, how dare someone tell me I couldn't have a brownie! I've tried many diets, but I could never get past 3 days (sad, I know). Truth be told, most of the time, it only lasted a day.

Recently, I had a couple friends join Weight Watchers. I thought, "Good for them, but it would never work for me." Then, one of my friends told me she had lost 6 lbs the first week. She assured me that it was by far the easiest diet she'd ever been on. So I decided to take a look into it. That day, I decided to join, not fully knowing what I was getting into. I figured it was better than doing nothing at all.

So, the first day was alright.. Then came the second day. That day, I did an awful job. I failed a little bit, which led to a lot of guilt.. Then that led to me failing a lot. I was about to throw in the towel, when I consulted friends that were doing Weight Watchers as well. They reminded me that I am human, and I'm going to fail from time to time. They encouraged me to keep going and to be honest with myself along the way.
To tell you the truth the whole, 'being honest with myself' was the hardest part of the deal. I knew I had done a poor job that day, but I wasn't allowing myself to see how badly I did, and how much I really needed help.

The truth is this:

I am severely obese.

I CAN'T do this on my own.

Truth be told, I lost a battle, but that doesn't mean I lost the war.

I CAN do this diet.

That night, after I had finally been honest with myself, I decided to take this weight loss journey seriously. From there, I researched things and came up with a plan on how to make this a success. When day three came, I was prepared. When Day four came, I was estatic. Not only did I make it through the 'three day' mark, but my outlook on everything was starting to change. I wasn't making excuses for myself like I had always done. I was choosing to eat healthier. It became a game for me.. All of the sudden, dieting was fun.. (If you know me, that just doesn't happen.)

As cheesy as this sounds, Weight Watchers has been a miracle for me. As far as diets go, I don't like a challenge, and Weight Watchers is easy. Quite honestly, I'd rather eat a brownie than a vegetable.. Already, I've stopped craving a lot of unhealthy foods, and I'm eating cabbage with dinner--what the heck?! Also, I use to hate stepping on the scale, but now I enjoy it. Although the number on it is still outstanding, it's actually going down! This program has given me hope for a better tomorrow.

Now, I don't feel like I'll forever be limited to shopping at Lane Bryant. With each pound I lose, I gain confidence and self-worth. I actually feel like I can accomplish things-both great and small.. By the end of the year, I will be able to ride a roller coaster comfortably. One day, I'll be a stunning bride, and I'll look back at those wedding photos with joy and gladness instead of utter disgust in badly how I looked. Who knows, maybe I'll even climb a mountain! (lol)

I Have Confidence in Me

I've always known I've absolutely no self-confidence, but lately I've really been thinking about why I don't have any and how ridiculous it is. I believe my lack of confidence comes from my low self-esteem, which stems my weight issues. When you're overweight, people treat you different, and you feel absolutely terrible about yourself. It becomes your life.

You constantly think about how fat you are because it affects everything you do. You can't sit in normal seats without wondering if you'll fit or break it. You can't go shopping in normal stores. You can't breathe right. You avoid full length mirrors because they don't lie. Your whole life changes, and not for the better.

Because people treat you differently, and this world really wasn't made for fat people, you start to view yourself in a different light. You feel unloved, unpretty, like a joke, and out of place. Being fat steals your joy because life is so different. You're limited. You start telling yourself how ugly and gross you are. You believe the lies and they consume you.

I've come to the realization lately that I don't look people in the eyes generally or even talk to them because I don't feel good enough, or unworthy to do so. How stupid is that? Even though I may not be drop dead gorgeous and I don't have a fantastic body, I am a person, and I deserve to hold my head up high. I'm NOT unworthy of anything based on how I look.

My lack of self-confidence has sabatoged my weight loss all of these years because I didn't believe that I could do it. I believed all the lies I told myself.. "I can't do it", "I don't have the willpower", "I'm too tired" ,"I don't want anyone to see me running" ,"I'm not good enough".

blah, blah, blah...

So lately, I've been trying to turn this thing around. Instead of telling myself "I can't because (insert reason here)" I'm telling myself "I can and I will". I have also given myself little assignments (ie, look everyone in the eye, don't look down, keep your head held high, etc.) Believe me, this is hard.. but so worth it!

In the last few weeks, I've seen such a dramatic change in my behavior. Because I'm starting to view myself in a different light, I'm acting differently. I'm much more happy and content with life.. Not only that- I'm striving for the best because I know I'm worthy of it and I believe I can attain it.

It's been such a welcome and neccessary change in my life.