It Really is Simple

The first reading at Mass this Sunday was from Deuteronomy 30:9-14 (NABRE):

Then the Lord, your God, will generously increase your undertakings, the fruit of your womb, the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your soil; for the Lord, your God, will again take delight in your prosperity, just as he took delight in your ancestors’, because you will obey the voice of the Lord, your God, keeping the commandments and statutes that are written in this book of the law, when you return to the Lord, your God, with your whole heart and your whole being. For this command which I am giving you today is not too wondrous or remote for you. It is not in the heavens, that you should say, “Who will go up to the heavens to get it for us and tell us of it, that we may do it?” Nor is it across the sea, that you should say, “Who will cross the sea to get it for us and tell us of it, that we may do it?” No, it is something very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to do it.

As I listened to this reading I just kept thinking how simple all of this is. Not that it is easy, but it is simple! God so clearly lays out his plan for us and our salvation. He tells us to do what he says and we will prosper, and if that wasn’t enough, he sent Jesus to be our living example of what we are suppose to do!

I love how God’s Word is living and breathing and can penetrate your heart and mind to exactly what God wants you to hear at a particular moment. Yes, he was speaking to me about my salvation and following Him and listening to and obeying His commands, but he was also talking to me about other areas of my life. He spoke so clearly to me about my fitness and nutrition and my business as well. 

Getting results in a fitness and nutrition is simple, not easy, but simple! If you eat what you are suppose to, eliminate the foods you shouldn’t eat, get in some exercise, you will see results. 

The same idea and concept goes for my business. So many people have gone before me and laid out their plan to success. I know what works and what needs to be done. It isn’t complicated, yet I find it so difficult!

Anything worthwhile in this life takes effort, dedication and consistency. It’s not enough to follow God’s commands occasionally, they must be done consistently. He must be sought after, prayed to and obeyed every day!

When it comes to being healthy, it isn’t enough to just eat good and exercise a few days a week, you must do so every day. You must be consistent to see any results or changes. 

If you are in sales, you can’t just call a bunch of prospects every one in a while and follow up when you feel like it if you expect to convert those prospects to customers and then keep them as customers. 

The same concept holds true in so many areas of our life! Maybe for you it is in your marriage or other relationships. We know we must listen, communicate well, be present and show love, yet if we don’t do these things consistently, relationships suffer. 

We must stop making the simple things in this life so complicated. We must stop letting fear and insecurities stand in the way of doing what we know we should do and what God calls us to do! 

Look one more time at verse 11: 

For this command which I am giving you today is not too wondrous or remote for you.

God is not being so lofty and beyond our understanding. He is not making himself or his Word out of reach and difficult for us to understand. He is laying it out and making things simple for us! It’s time to start listening, obeying and doing what God commands and apply those commands to all areas of our life.

Satan Has Nothing On Me

Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for [someone] to devour. ~ 1 Peter 5:8 NABRE

I have seen and read this verse hundreds of times, but I have never seen it so evident than in some of the groups I run. I work with women (and some men) on their fitness and nutrition journey. I have Facebook groups where I, along with a friend, provide education, support, motivation and accountability. 

Satan is real and satan is a big fat jerk! He preys on our vulnerabilities, our fears and our insecurities. He makes us doubt ourselves and see things that aren't there. He has us focus on our areas of weakness, or an area we are not pleased with and totally discount everything else we have going for us. He twists words and thoughts into knots that end up in our stomaches making us uneasy and sometimes unable to move forward! 

We need to rise up and "Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil." ~ Ephesians 6:11 NABRE

We need to stop focusing on the lies and start focusing on God's truth. We need to stop seeing things the way the world does and start seeing them through God's eyes! He made us in His image. He made us for a purpose, and He made us perfect! God does not make mistakes! What you see as a flaw is there for a specific reason and purpose. Maybe it is there to help you learn something, maybe it is there to help you focus on God, maybe it is there to distinguish you in some way among peers, maybe it is there so you can help others overcome a struggle they are having! 

I tore my ACL and meniscus playing basketball in college. I thought my world had come to an end. I didn't understand why God would allow something like that to happen to me when things with my career were finally starting to come together. 

I totally and completely let Satan in for a while and play on my emotions. I became angry and bitter. I started drinking heavily and lashing out at friends. I wanted to be positive, but I just couldn't. I don't remember how or why I snapped out of it (maybe it was the police taking away a falsified ID at a bar while I was on crutches), but I finally did.

That injury that I hated so much has been one of my greatest blessings! That injury allowed me to learn to rely on other strengths and skills I didn't know I had. That injury allowed me to push my body in new ways that I didn't know I could. That injury helped me inspire and lead others who were going through similar struggles. That injury covered an additional year on my scholarship and placed me in exactly the right place at the right time for a graduate assistant position that paid for the remainder of my graduate school!

That injury from so many years ago is still blessing me! I had worked out on and off since college, but finally, 2 years ago I went to a doctor because I knew my knee was not right at all. I went because I wanted to start running and working out again and knew it was time to get it taken care of. Well, that injury morphed into more craziness. My ACL is loose, I have a cyst, 3 bone spurs and some crazy arthritis. Unless I want a knee replacement while I am far too young for one, it was highly recommended I not be running and jumping and doing things with impact.

That darn injury! 

Well, that darn injury may have saved my life! I have had to find new ways to take care of my body in order to get it in shape. I have had to force myself to learn better nurition in order to shed pounds. I have had to learn to stretch and strengthen it without impact. Thanks to that injury I am the healthiest I have ever been in my life, and without that injury, I would NEVER have gotten to this point!

I could not have done any of this or figured out any of it on my own. I did not do any of this on my own strength, but on God's. He knew exactly what He was doing when I suffered that injury. He stood right there by my side whether I knew he was there or not. He held me up and gave me strength when I had none of my own. He was there at the bar that night making sure I went home and got off with a warning and only had my ID confiscated. He knew that I just needed a scare and nothing far worse! 

There are days I hate looking in the mirror because of that knee. I see the scar, but I see the swelling and the quad that isn't the same size as the other because of my surgery. I hate the way it looks in bathing suits and skirts and dresses. Satan sometimes wants to creep into my mind and lie to me about it. It's at those times I must remember that "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” ~ 2 Corinthians 10:4 NIV

When I feel Satan creeping in and preying on my insecurities, I must remember that I am a child of God. He created me, perceived imperfections and all! Satan has no control over me and I can push him out whenever I want to! I don't have to do it alone, I have God on my side. Satan may fight dirty, but I have the advantage!