Day Fourteen: Going Back for Seconds and Thirds

“His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’”   Lamentations 3:22-24

Those that know me, know that when I blog I just want to write about random incidents that happen when Jesus and I get together; and there are lots of them. I am not great at reading a suggested set of scriptures and then told “Okay… go write about that.” My style is storytelling and sharing what Jesus has put on my heart but I wanted to do something different when I started the “Made to Crave” bible study. I wanted to use the tools given to me and make this habit one that would “stick” and one that I could stick to. So I ordered the book, the participant’s guide, and Kathy picked up the DVD. We were set. But wait…. Then I find out there is a 21 Day Challenge available to me via email. I HAD to have that too.

I have been getting A LOT out of Lysa’s 21 Day “Made to Crave” Challenge (separate from the bible study and completely free by going to www.madetocrave.org).... And now that THAT infomercial is over; I digress. Following her daily devotions as inspiration for my daily blog entries has been trying some days and completely “spot on” other days. Today is one of those “spot on” kinda days. She speaks of portion control and God being more than enough to satisfy us.

 “As Israelites traveled through the desert, each morning God would rain down exactly what they needed for nourishment – a provision called “manna,” which I imagine was something like little, sweet, potato flakes. They were to collect just enough manna for the day. They couldn’t gather extra, except before the Sabbath day of rest, or it would rot. This daily process was intended to put them in the habit of dependence on God, and only God.”

I am sure that many of you have heard that a habit can be formed by doing anything 21 days in a row; just a coincidence for this Challenge?  I don’t think so. Research has proven that it takes 21 days to form a habit. Habits are an essential part of our life, and without them, we would fail in most things we try to accomplish. They help us reach specific goals; stay focused along the way, and keep pushing when the going gets tough. At the same time, non-supportive habits can keep us from moving forward or even hurt our well-being. I can’t remember how many times I have tried to lose weight in the past. The problem was me simply trying and not doing. (James would love that part… “Yep. Told ya so. It is one thing to want to do something and even talk about it, but let’s see if you actually do anything about it.” (Me… paraphrasing of course).

My Cardboard Jesus and I were poking around on the internet and found out that there are six things we can do to help facilitate a habit being made into practice. (Finding the list wasn’t enough so we followed each with the conversation we had afterwards.)

1.    First of all, you will need to be clear on your intentions. Do you really want to buy that car or move into that house? or do you just want to be like everyone else and they have those things. “Jesus, you know that I have had the best of intentions before; some clear and some not so clear. Honestly, most were things I wanted because someone else had it and I didn’t want to be left out. I wanted things because they would benefit me; make me look better than I was or make me appear to be someone I wasn’t. My intentions this time are genuine, and although I will benefit greatly from being thinner, this journey I am on is about you and your plan for me; and me trying to do some of the footwork to get “us” there. I honestly believe that I am doing it THIS time, for all the right reasons.”

2.    Once you are absolutely certain you want to follow through with this, write down your intentions to use as positive affirmations; making them your goals. “Jesus, my goals have changed dramatically since before you came into the picture. I truly am putting your needs for me first and wanting to reach these goals not just for myself but to fulfill the plan you have for me. I don’t want you to be disappointed that you brought me this far and then I just “stopped.” I know that my goals are yours that you have for me and I will continue writing them down in hopes that others will see their own goals in what you share through me as well.”

3.    Identify your “why.” Why do you want to want to lose weight, walk 60Miles, or become a motivational speaker? “Jesus, I’m tired. I’m tired of just writing and talking of our relationship. I want to show people from the outside just what you and I are capable of when we work together. You have changed me from the inside out. I know people that are of the world and not following you, may or may not see those changes but how can they miss the changes that we can make physically? I want to be a walking testament of your grace without even opening my mouth. Just my actions and my love for you spilling into my every day. I want to see success in this part of my journey with you because I want my physical fitness to match the spiritual fitness I am growing with you daily.”

4.    Create diversions to help you stay on track. If there is a specific weakness you battle that stops you from progressing and practicing every day, try to find ways to distract you from the negativity. Total honesty with yourself goes a long way here. “Jesus, you know my weaknesses and my sins and you love me anyway. You know that I can be “VERY” Martha at times, busying myself with things that can wait. You know that I want you to be my biggest, most constant diversion. I don’t have a specific weakness but can be distracted easily by things I want to make important. I know that the best way to be distracted from negativity is to be in your word and in your presence no matter where I am and I promise not to stay too long at pity parties and you have my permission to say those little words to me anytime… “Be still and know that I am God;” reminding me that nothing else around me matters and I just need to keep my focus on you and not everything in this world that can so easily pull me from the path you have lighted before me.”

5.    Celebrate each step, regardless of how tiny it is. You need all the help you can get to keep motivated. It also helps to enlist the support of friends or family members; people who can motivate you to keep on going. “Jesus, I celebrate in all that you give to me; good, bad, or otherwise. I know that the last two years haven’t been easy but you were with me every step of the way. I know that I can find joy and celebrate each goal we meet together because we did it together. And I promise that no matter what the scale says each Wednesday we will celebrate that we are getting more intimate at this stage of our journey so the number is completely secondary.”

6.    Stay clear of negative people. There will be those who try to sabotage you. This doesn’t even have to be intentional. It could evolve from a negative statement aimed at you, or even a deep rooted belief you had since you can remember. Any trigger that could bring this out should be avoided. “Jesus, you and I already know that you told me to change my playground…and I did. I couldn’t be happier for you expanding my territories to get to the places you have shown me and I know that I am stronger now than I was when you pulled me from that train wreck of a life I was leading. But I promise you that I will never fool myself into thinking it was all about me and my strength. I know, more than anyone, just who is responsible for the changes I have experienced and changing my playground, leaving those negative influences behind  was more than changing my address and carrying that baggage to a new zip code.”

Doing this challenge for 21 Days is a kickstart to a better life than the one He has already brought me to. Yes, Jesus loves me just the way I am; the crazy, invisible friend conversations, crush on Paul, Betsy Johnson-like flare, and contagious personality person that he rescued from a life completely empty and devoid of any real substance. God is my portion. He is my seconds and my thirds. He is my favorite candy dessert table. He is more than enough for me and it is Him who I want to be completely dependent on, not the people, snacks, and stuff around me.

“The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’

Lord knows he waited long enough for me.