Saaaattttuuuurrrrrrdaaaaaaaay

You'll have to excuse the title of this post, it was the first thing that came to my head and it is from an old Fallout Boy song by the same name.   

I thought I'd do a quick update on where my head/body is at right now.

As my last couple of blogs have indicated, I have been lacking in the motivation department lately.  I've gained back 3 pounds, but I'm hoping they will come back off quickly.  So I'm sitting at 269 right now after being at 266 and I'm not very happy with it, but it is what it is. 

I haven't been eating like crazy, but I haven't been tracking calories either.  I think I just hit a wall and I'm trying very hard to get over it.

I started reading Made to Crave last night and I'm hoping that it will help me get back on track.  I need to find my "want to" as Lysa puts it.  I know what it is deep down, but sometimes I loose focus. 

I started Week 5 of the Couch to 5K on Monday with the walking portions at 5mph and the running at 6mph.  I was about 7 minutes in and my hips decided they were done.  It is Saturday and they still hurt.  I'm hoping to get back on the treadmill tomorrow and slow it down a bit. 

I just signed up for the Polar Dash 5K.  It is on New Years Day and I'm running it with one of my good friends, so I think it will be a lot of fun.  I'm praying that it isn't ridiculously cold that day. 

I was talking to James last night and I am contemplating setting a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal), an idea Jim Collins came up with.  The 10K was a BHAG for me this year, and I did that.  My BHAG for 2013, is to run the Monster Dash Half Marathon.  It is a GINORMOUS goal, but I need to have those to keep me motivated.  I also need to publicly profess them, even if it leaves some of you saying, "yeah, that isn't going to happen".  I like big hairy audacious goals because it pushes me to grow.

I think part of the reason why I've struggled the past month or so is because I lost focus of what the main goal was here.  My main goal was to get healthy, transform my life and do it with God's help so that he could be glorified.  I haven't been partnering with Him very well in this area of my life, so it is time to get back there. 

I read something yesterday that I really enjoyed by John Piper.  I shared it with the group of volunteers that I "coach" at church and I wanted to share it with you as well.  So here it is.  (If you use You Version, his comments are from the 15 Days Days in the Word with John Piper reading plan.)

As I've been reading through the Bible lately, I've been trying to pay very close attention to how Christ wants us to interact with our neighbors. Perhaps it is because my main spiritual gift is mercy, but I've been feeling God stirring in my heart lately to make His love known to all people. I think there are so many people hurting that desperately need God, but you would never know it. So many "ones" that we can be praying for.

As I've been reading, I keep coming back to the verses that refer to the body of Christ as salt and light. I've been doing a You Version study by John Piper and he just happened to reference many of these verses today. Mark 9:50 was particularly notable for me ; "Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."

Piper goes on to suggest what he believes it means to be the salt and the light and I really enjoyed what he said: "to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world means that at root Christians are so profoundly satisfied by Christ as our eternal reward, we are freed from fear and greed for the sacrifices of love, and are able to rejoice at persecution. When the world sees this, they see the glory of Christ and taste the satisfying pleasure of who he is."

I want so desperately for others to see this in me. I have a lot of work to do, but I am thankful that we worship a God who offers us grace upon grace and keeps giving us opportunities to get it right. I pray that Christ is always enough to keep me satisfied.

So that is that.  Have a great Saturday.  Thanks for reading even though I get "stuck" sometimes.