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Trying Improvement; A New Way to Life

Constantly thinking about food is not a good way to live. It causes me to think about the next meal as I am ending the present one. While acknowledging I am getting older, eating at restaurants made me realize that my salt intake had increased over the years. The way I existed was a way I did not like. Sleeping problems, pants feeling tighter, ankles swelling, aches and pains, and on and on. Something needs to change. So why hadn’t I implemented change?

While I saw others lose weight, I did not think I was up to the challenge, and felt like an endless failure. Foods I liked weren’t good for me. Not wanting to cook for myself was replaced with eating out, because that was the quick way to get something to eat. The problem was I had to realize I was not satisfied, and because of that lack of satisfaction it made me want to eat more. I had no reward system, and I felt like I was driving myself deeper into an abyss that frankly made no sense.

Something truly needed to change.

I felt guilty going to the doctor. Constantly being told to lose weight and change my eating habits was the mantra of each appointment. And that mantra has been stated for well over a decade. Either my weight stayed the same, lost two or three pounds after six months, or increased by five or more pounds. If I am being honest, it was not that God was telling me I was a failure or losing weight was not going to work for me; I admitted that my mantra was that I didn’t think I could be successful.

But with God all things are possible, right? If I only believe it can happen right? With God’s help what seems impossible is indeed possible. The bottom line was this: God was waiting on me to implement change. And when the time comes to try improvement, He would be more than ready to help.

After much thought, I decided to try improving myself. I prayed to God to give me the power to say no to myself: no to eating out so much, no to eating candy, reviewing when I eat and making changes. For example, many times I am not hungry and don’t eat. But I believe my glucose dips too much, and I don’t feel well. So, the change has been to eat every two to three hours as my research has shown this is helpful for those with type 2 diabetes. I am learning that a full meal is not necessary, but eat something like some fruit, a salad, soup, or a small sandwich. I have experienced an improvement just by doing that.

Next is what I am eating. Fast food (my opinion) is like fake food. Something is missing from it, and/or so many other non-natural items are added that does not agree with my system, making me feel bloated and gassy, and wanting to quickly go to sleep within minutes of eating it. Change was needed. I noticed when I ate real food like roast beef with vegetables, having yogurt as a quick dessert, chia pudding with strawberries, not only did I not get immediately sleepy after eating, I did not think about food as much as I used to. Wow, what an improvement that has been!

And the power I asked God for? He has provided. I am saying no to myself when a thought comes to mind to get some candy or go to a restaurant. For example, my usual Sunday restaurant meal I did not have this past Sunday. That made me feel good about myself for a change.

I am encouraged to continue this. I know I am not the type to go on a strict diet, but I can make changes regarding food intake, get back in the habit of exercising at the gym and doing exercises my physical therapists recommended, all helping to establish something new: an improvement to life. I am giving myself to the end of October to see if I can lose the weight and get out of the 200s while I experience being strengthenized…

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Fear Has to Flee

How do you react when you think about change? Does it make you feel all giddy and bubbly inside? Or does it make you fearful? My last post spoke of being fearful of change. Weeks later, I am still grappling with the issue.

One evening earlier this week, my mind kept circling around a lot of questions.

*What if I don’t have enough funds for moving expenses?

*What if I can’t sell my car?

*What if the apartment complex doesn’t have a unit available on the date I need?

*What if…what if…what if???

Then it hit me. What if you just give all this over to God for Him to handle? So I did. As I lay in my bed, tired of my mind spinning about this, I gave over what I could think of that dealt with fear:

The fear of funds. The fear of making the right decision. The fear of choosing the right moving company to move my things. The fear of it getting to Texas in the time I was told it would arrive. The fear of having a place to live. The fear of getting my school assignments completed on time. The fear of anything and everything.

One by one I gave it over. And as I did that, there was peace. My mind stopped circling as fear left.

1 Peter 5:7 – Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Philippians 4:6,7 – Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present you requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

John 14:27 – Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. l I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

What God asks of me is simple. Whatever is twirling around in our heads is needless worry, and that is not what he wants us to experience. It is spinning in my head is not needed when I have a God who cares, who is willing to listen and act on my behalf, and guard my mind in the process.

Fear has to flee, and when the Living Word of God is applied to the situation, fear has to go. This is a challenge and whenever fear rears its ugly head, I have to remember what God says about it and go to Him.

Psalm 34:4 – I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.

Be strengthenized.

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Don’t be Fearful of Change

I got a text from my son telling me he is moving and asked when my apartment lease was up (which is December). He wants me to move. Actually, it was last discussed about a couple of years ago, but I decided not to do it. This time may be the right time to take the plunge. But…

As I usually do, I keep thinking and thinking and thinking if it is a good idea. This is a big change, pulling up roots and moving to a place I have only visited a few times. Nice place to visit, but would I really want to live there? Then I thought of why I wanted to move versus why I want to stay in Philadelphia. The reason to stay was to be the caregiver for my mother who was in advanced stages of dementia. But she passed away, and as of this month (June) it will be three years. It was a very challenging time caring for her, and during those seven or eight years, my life felt stuck, wishing I could move. There is no reason for me to now continue to live in Philadelphia. I have the freedom to bust a move. But the buts keep mentally getting in my way. Which brings me to this past Sunday.

If I am honest, I admit I did not want to go to church. I had been in a rut lately, and I just wanted to stay home and mope around. But I decided to go, asking God to give me something I could sink my mental teeth into…please God! Well, when you ask, look forward to receiving!

Pastor Andre Jones of Discover Church gave me the words I needed, talking about

  • calling (the work or purpose a person feels uniquely drawn to pursue and contribute to the world),
  • that God is the one doing the calling and you can arm wrestle all you want, He will win
  • your calling is the assignment God gives you, and your gift is the grace God gives you to carry it out, so walk worthy of the calling (Ephesians 4:1)

And this was the one that I needed to hear and put my fears at ease:

God will bring you into new boundaries as he brings new relationships.

He will equip you for the assignment.

Calling begins when God names what He has placed in you, separates it for His purpose, and assigns it to serve the world.

And so I will look at apartment complexes, get rid of a lot of stuff, talk to moving companies and so on and so on, to see what new boundaries and new relationships will be presented. No more arm wrestling, no more fearful thinking. Just do it and see what God has in store in a new environment. When you look at it that way, a new perspective is created.

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” Isaiah 43:19 NIV

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Same Thing = The Same Results (ST = SR)

Imagine purchasing a spin bike. You like its design and bright colors, take the time to put it together, and give it a place in your home. Weeks go by with you continuing to look at it, just as you looked at the picture on the internet when you were considering which model to buy. Making the decision to purchase was big for you, knowing that making the purchase meant you were ready to make a change...or were you?

You went online to purchase a gym membership. It was a good price, and the location was about three minutes away; perfect for traveling. You could quickly get there, get your class done, and quickly get back home. But there’s a problem: you never started.

And then your frustrated mind is hit with the same thought you usually get: If you keep doing the same thing, you’ll keep getting the same results.

“Nothing changes until you change. Everything changes once you change.” – Julian Lennon

There was a woman in the New Testament (don’t know her name) who was sick and had been for some twelve years. She was bleeding constantly, and though she went to doctors (some tried to help while others just took her money) she got worse as the years went by. She was financially ruined, using the usual solutions for getting well, but getting the same results, which for her came to zero. She heard about Jesus and that he was healing people and decided to make a change. She thought that if she could get to him and touch him, she would get well. Why not give it a try since nothing else was working after all these years? Long story short, she eventually got to Jesus, touched him, and he knew someone touched him though he did not know who. So, he asked the question. “Who touched me?” She was afraid to answer but eventually came forward, telling him her plight. Not only did he call her daughter but told her it was her faith that made her well. It is interesting Jesus did not say it was him that healed her, but her faith is what did it. And by the way, the bleeding stopped and she experienced healing.

Making the change to get on the bike and pedal is faith in action. Having the faith to get that wide rear end on that seat acknowledges you are willing to cause change in your life, though you may not instantly see a difference at first. Going to the gym and lifting weights proclaims you want to be stronger and leaner and doing something for your overall health. It is the faith you have in your abilities to bust a move by doing something different. It is replacing complacency (looking at the bike) with determination (riding the bike). It is getting in the car and driving to the gym and taking a class that starts the shift from never going to scheduling to go and actually doing it. I suppose the title of this post should be

Changes Yield Different Results

Why not try THAT for a change? For those what want to read about the woman with the issue of blood, it’s in the bible: Mark 5: 25-34.

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This Might Just Work Out

School has begun, and I admit it did not begin on a positive note. While I looked forward to the Phoenix trip to visit my counselor and tour Grand Canyon University (Why not? The school provided this all-expense paid adventure!), I knew that Saturday would be packed with going here and there, receiving a lot of information, hoping my mind would process it all. In a way it did, but it mentally tired me out. Class would start the following Thursday, trying to understand the format of online learning (and not really understanding it at all), wondering if my school loans were approved and then feeling more overwhelmed when I was told they were. My counselor told me all the paperwork was done, and I was good to go. Falling into bed that evening with my mind not being able to shut off, then making sure everything was packed to be outside for my ride to the airport at 5am the next morning to board a packed airplane with my tired head still spinning, wondering if I was going to be successful.
It took about three days for me to mentally allow myself to calm down and get some rest. Tuesday, I met my professor who supplied me and my classmates with encouraging words that enabled me to trust myself in taking the time to read everything in the online classroom, and it was full of information, from resources to read, to setting up zoom for meetings, to how to read the assignments, due dates of assignments, how to submit the words that formed my responses to the questions, and on and on it went.

But then something happened.

I allowed myself to submit an assignment. Then another. And before I knew it, I had submitted four assignments; I surprised myself. But more importantly, I recognized that as I pressed the submit button, I was starting to calm down, get sleep at night, as I started to understand what I needed to do. I thought of how to be productive by staying on top of the reading, purchasing a digital planner I truly love (once I learned how to use it), and following my inkling not to purchase the expensive ones but one that was under $40 and included everything I need for all aspects my life.

Now if I can just stay on top of everything. School in the AM, work in the PM, eat dinner and then back to school work. I vowed not to overwhelm myself with each day, and how to accomplish tasks and not allow time to pass without doing anything, map out a plan that would utilize my time efficiently (not just for school, but for doing laundry, paying bills, etc.), which would eliminate any actions that would make me feel like I wasted precious time. Then positive thoughts infiltrated my mind.

Maybe I can do this. I think I can get into this learning thing. I think I will be successful. And that made me feel better about this journey. This might just work out after all.

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Change is a Good Thing; Go for It!

I have been thinking about making big changes, from moving to another city to going to grad school to complete another master’s degree. And while I finally came to the decision to follow my dream of being a counselor (paperwork is almost done), I mentally put on the back burner moving to another city. I kept coming up with excuses for not doing it: the costs involved, going to a new atmosphere with new people, packing up all my stuff (You never know how much stuff you have accumulated over the years until you start packing!), and I thought why not just stay where you are. True, you are not happy being where you are, but at least you are used to the surroundings.

Then I thought, Would God have you continue to experience being in a non-contented state? Then some thoughts seemed to appear to come out of the blue.

Being involved with your grandkids. I miss the twins, as I haven’t spoken to them in months, and haven’t visited them in over a year. I started thinking about wanting to be involved in their lives, and the way to do that is to first facetime them often and eventually move to where they are and do all I could to be their grandmother. I have been thinking about that a lot this week.

When you make the move, do it for you, not depending on anyone’s decisions about their life. I have been thinking that I don’t want to move to be with my loved ones, only to have them move. But what if that did happen? What would you do? Whether they stay in the city I move to or whether they move somewhere else after I settle there, I have to determine why I made the decision to move in the first place. And that would be to experience something new and refreshing: a city that is for the most part warm (actually hot and humid), but I would not have to worry about boots and winter coats to shield me from the snow, because there wouldn’t be any (for the most part). My decision to move would be for me, doing something new instead of being in a city I have lived in for years, and feeling like I am in a rut, stuck in my ways. No, if I am going to do it, it has to be for me.

And then, as God always does, He showed me something that brought me to tears. And the way He does it with me is through a tv show, looking at the life of another, and seeing myself.

On this show was a senior woman who just 18 months prior lost her husband. They lived in the house they purchased back in the ’70’s for $75,000, and down through the years they often talked about renovating the house. Some projects were done, but not everything. Then he got sick, and the renovations were not fully accomplished. But in the show, she now had the funds to do a full renovation that would take months to finish, from building an addition to gives her a large ensuite, a larger kitchen as she loved to cook, a two-car garage, and sprucing up the front yard and the brick on the outside of the house.

As the plans were described to her, the woman turned and started to cry, as she realized her decades-long dream was about to become a reality. She knew her husband would have loved it, but at the same time she wished he was there with her. Well, at that point, I started crying. Not about the renovation, but about her making a big change. Change so she would not have to climb the stairs and experience her knees hurting. Change to experience her home being transformed into a place she could enjoy, and all because she took the leap to embrace change.

The tears kept coming and I started praying.

God, these ideas I’ve been having. Are they from You? Please tell me because I need to know. I don’t want to do something, and it is not from You. So please, tell me something!“

At the end of the show as she was shown her house overwhelmed her. Her answer, when asked if her renovated house was what she thought it would be, was that it was much more than she thought. Tears again started flowing down my face (Really, God? Must this keep happening?) Maybe this experience answered the question I asked God. It is time to pack up and move to Houston, TX, regardless of what happens, regardless of who stays or who goes, I need to bust a move and do something new.

Will it be this year? No, it will not. I want to get out of debt, graduate from school, and pass the test to be a licensed counselor and then make the move. But then again, who knows, I may bust a move before I finish school, as I can continue my online classes anywhere.

I am trying not to be afraid of change, but to embrace it. The way to embrace is to go for it!

“Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it? There it is! I’m making a road through the desert, rivers int he badlands…. Isaiah 43:19 MSG

“Do not remember the former things, Or ponder the things of the past. Listen carefully, I am about to do a new thing, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even put a road in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43: 18,19 AMP

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Architectural Design of Life

I watched a British renovation show. It was about transforming ugly houses to lovely, beautiful ones. The interior did not work well for the family, and though extensions had been built years ago, they needed to be demolished and redone, oftentimes in a new modern aesthetic. An architect was brought in, to create the plans to make the needed changes, and many times the family was not sure such a drastic change would work. Nevertheless, as the transformation took anywhere from weeks to months to complete, the end result presented itself as a fresh new environment for the family to enjoy, and the house was no longer called ugly, but lovely.

I think we need to draw up architectural plans for our lives, and what better time to think about doing something new than at the end of one year and the soon-to-start beginning of a new one.

How long are we to continue to think about change yet do nothing to implement it? Like the families of the television show who knew change was needed for their home but didn’t know how to go about it, we as individuals tend to do the same regarding life.

  • Wanting to get out of debt, but not sure how to construct a solution
  • Knowing change is needed for how to live life, but not sure how to make those changes
  • After continued failures of starting something yet not confident to continue, an internal power of boldness is needed to be successful, from starting a business to going back to school, to finding a different job

Dictionary meanings:

Architecturethe art of construction resulting from a conscious act
ReconstructRe-create or reimaging something
Renovateto restore to a former better state; to restore to life, revive
Designto conceive and plan out in the mind;
to have a purpose; intend
to devise for a specific function or end
BoldnessShowing or requiring a fearless daring spirit
adventurous
free

  • The family on the show hired an architect who drafted plans to make the needed changes, and the family had to approve it before moving on
  • The family had to step out of their comfort zone, because the architect’s design was modern, which changed the original design of the house
  • Many parts of the house were demolished and rebuilt as it was being revived, giving it newness in the design

What do you want to build, and how do you want to build it? What renovations do you want to make in your life? As we are about to embark on a new year, what would you like to reconstruct? What needs to be renovated and restored to a better state? Perhaps many of us need to get out pen and paper, writing down what went well in 2024, and what needs to be repurposed and redone in 2025, having an intention to couple it with a boldness that lacks fear, being daring in the process. How can we do that and be successful? I can only speak for myself, but I know there were times in 2024 that I admit I could have been bold but chose not to be. But with each new year I can say I’m blessed to have more time, but I also realize I am getting older, and I need to step out and bust a move through designing a better way of life.

How can I be successful this time? Consider the following:

Isaiah 43:19“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”
Isaiah 41:10“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Hebrews 3:4For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.

There is nothing wrong with having a restorative plan for change, but God must be involved.

Proverbs 16:3Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.
Proverbs 19:21Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’S purpose that prevails.
Proverbs 16:9In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.

The family in the television show were excited and happy with the results of their home renovations.They relied on the creative advice of the architect, the builders, and all the workers. As we begin 2025, making plans is great, but get God’s approval. Look at what did and did not work before, and give it all over to God, the author and finisher of our faith, who (if we allow this to happen) will make the necessary revisions to make your life renovation successful. Through His power, you will obtain the boldness to implement what is needed, experience reconstruction revival, as you without fear begin your adventurous redesign of what we call the architectural design of your life.

Happy new year!

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Focusing on Who Matters

Everyone has gifts and talents, those things that give us a spark from within. I look at it as how it is not something I have developed, but it is something gifted by God. You know you have that “it” that you want to do, that you know you can do. But at the same time, there seems to be a problem with it. By that I mean the timing may be off for doing it, or it may be that others do not believe you have what it takes to be successful in doing it. But those same people have no problem believing in others and encouraging them. For me, this leads to frustration, particularly when being passed over keeps happening. Though I have volunteered or asked to do something, saying I am available for doing something, I am not asked. But here is the crazy thing about it all.

For example, I may do something, and I feel God’s presence through it all, and whatever it is I am doing goes over well. Those who are present are pleased with the efforts made. But there is no one there from my team who comes and experiences what happened. They decide to go to another site and not mine. When this happened recently, it made me feel alone. But after thinking, I have come up with some conclusions.

When it doesn’t appear that others are involved or would rather be somewhere else, there is someone who is involved and does care. That person is the one who is the most important. And He is not human, but He does approve of the effort. And because of that,

  1. I had to acknowledge who my focus should be on. If it is people, I have had enough experience to know that people let you down. If people are the focus, I will continue to be disappointed. But what if the focus came in the form of a question? God, were You pleased? When the focus shifts from people to God, and I ask Him the question, and His response is that He is happy, shouldn’t that be all I need to know at that point?
  2. I thought of all the ideas I had, getting them on paper, and presenting them. But God included more thoughts and helped me say them. When I did that, the responses from those who listened to those ideas were happy to hear them. Many said they were happy they came to hear what I had to say, it made them feel better. This in turn made me feel better, like all my effort was not in vain. I said things to the people who came to the bible study that were not written down. Thoughts linked up to bible verses I did not think of as they popped in my head and flowed through my speech, surprising me in the process. The flow of it all was great, and I thanked God for His involvement.
  3. As I sat in my car, I thought of all that happened in the past sixty minutes. I was in awe of how well the lesson I created went. But at the same time, I knew this was not me; I could not take credit for what occurred. I was happy God was pleased.

So, what does all this mean? I already know there will come another situation where something similar to this one will occur again. But when it happens, I must remember who is with me, and who is okay with me. It doesn’t matter that humans don’t approve or acknowledge what I have done. God knows, and He is all that matters in the scheme of things.

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Wasteful Subtlety

Subtleness can be delicate, like the light fragrance of perfume. Subtleness can take on a form not known to many, to possess something cunning, ingenious, clever and direct, its purpose disguised and moving one away from something.

Subtleness can have a motive you may not have been aware of until it is too late. Let me give you an example.

Once my day begins, I try to have a plan; clean the litter boxes, make sure the cat has enough food and water, get my exercises done, and other goals I want to accomplish. I do some of the jobs, and then before venturing into the next thing, I decide (not part of the plan) to play a game. Not a big deal, right? Won’t take long to do, and then I will get to my other goals. The game takes over, and it is a couple of hours later, the goals I planned to do have not been completed, and I noticed something that crept into my mind to do has cunningly imposed itself on my day in a way I was not expecting. It was cleaver and direct, and it had purpose: to get me off my planned schedule and threw off my day.

It is interesting how involved subtleness can be, how cunning it can intertwine with your mind. Like the subtleness of sleeping in taking up the time of exercising which, had it been done, my body would feel better. The subtle pleasure of eating too much, which overloads the stomach, which may create gas pain and multiple trips to the bathroom. The subtle game playing which replaces the time for spending time with God. Such time is essential to include Him in your day who can assist you with achieving your goals.

But instead, I started playing games. Not just for one block of time in one day, but multiple blocks of time in one day which led to many days of the week. Oh, wretched one that I am! But there is a solution.

  1. Stay on the alert!

Subtleness does not have to continue to cloak itself in a disguised purpose to overthrow your planned day. You don’t have to allow it to have its way. If you know where the subtleness is and what it is doing to you, it can be stopped. You may need help however, the power to tell subtleness it will not have its way with you today. Instead summon the power of the Holy Spirit to infiltrate the thought patterns of your mind and resist the subtleness of the enemy.

2. Resist the devil’s subtleness, which hopes you will be open to receive its purpose.

3. Ask the Lord for help; he will not only hear you but will help you.

So, my goal for today is to start weening myself off playing games, as for now it is a weakness that devours my time, and instead focusing on getting my goals completed. I think it is working. I got this post done, didn’t I? Thanks God!

(visuals from bible.com)