1 Peter 5:7-8

1 Peter 5:7-8 says "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.  Be self-controlled and alert."

I've read this verse before.  In fact, I've read it over and over when I was feeling anxious.  But, I don't know that I've ever tried to take it deeper than the words that are written.  What does it mean to me?

I took some time with this one!   The very first word, cast, gave me a lot of insight.  That doesn't simply mean give.  I means to hurl - throw it away from you towards God.  LOSE it!  Lose that anxiety!

And not just some of it - give it all away!

The definition of anxiety says it is caused by fear.  And 2 Timothy 1:7 says that God does not give us a spirit of fear.  That anxiety was never meant to be ours in the first place!

Why do we need to give him our fear?  Because he cares about us!  He loves us and has great plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11).

Once we give our anxieties to him, we are off the hook, right?  Nope!  he wants us to do our part - to work for it with his help.  It won't be easy, but we can do it without fear and doubt.

So, if I were to re-write 1 Peter 5:7-8, it would look like this:

Lose my fear and doubt to God, throw it at Him!  He's got this!  He loves me and has better plans for me than I can make for myself.  But I'm not off the hook.  I must focus on the goal and make good choices. I need to stay aware of fear and doubt when they try to creep back.  

How do you see these verses working in your own life?

10,000 Reasons

I have a little friend we will call OM.  His favorite song is O My Soul, as he calls it.  The real name of the song is 10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord) by Matt Redman.
Since OM loves this song, and a lot of other people do, I've heard it about 10,000 times!  And I have always loved it.
Today, we sang it at church and one certain part just really spoke to me.  More on that in a minute.

We all have things that we ask God for. And wait.  And ask some more.
And wait…
And beg God for…
And wait…
And wait some more.
Those deepest desires of our hearts that we hope and hope for.  Those things that would make you feel whole and complete.
I can think of a few of those things.  One of them being, my journey through conquering food and my weight.
This Made to Crave study has already opened my eyes to what I really need to crave - that's God.  No matter what else happens in my life; no matter the struggles I face in striving towards my earthly goals; no matter how my own plans turn out; I should always crave God first.

Back to the song…

Did you hear this part:

 In my words: No matter what, my focus needs to be on Praising God!  I can have these hopes and these plans, but I will always be disappointed and want more unless I'm looking at Him as my reward and my goal!

Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name.
Sing like never before,
O my soul.
I'll worship Your holy name!

Made to Crave - Week 1 of the Proverbs 31 Online Bible Study

I thought I'd share my reflections from my first week this fabulous Bible study.
But I've got about 7 pages of notes and too much to say about all of it!
So I will share some of my thoughts from the week.

Introduction:

"My weight is a direct reflection of my choices and the state of my health." pg 16
Well, that hurt my feelings.  It's true.  I'm not only self-conscious about my appearance and size, but more about what it says about me. I'm a walking billboard that shows people that I have no self-control.  I, in fact, do not have it all together.
SHAME
This is a mental/spiritual/emotional battle even more than it is a physical one.

Chapter 1:

I am made for more than this!  How can I possibly do what God is calling me to do if I am constantly nagged by how lethargic I feel, or how I look in my clothes, or how uncomfortable I am because my jeans are digging in?  I'm made to be a warrior for God!  Warriors can get up off the couch quickly - without adjusting the waistband of their pants!
"Truth is powerful.  The more saturated we are with truth, the more powerful we'll be in resisting our temptations." pg 24
Getting into the Word is essential.  In order to replace my thoughts of self-doubt and self-defeat, I have to KNOW what the Word says about me. What does God say about my health? my body? my habits?

Reflections: You know the WW commercials with the orange monster?  He represents cravings, chasing you around with sweets and unhealthy treats - jerk!  The question presented asked what my monster looks like. I was shocked at my own answer.
I don't see a little hyper monster.  I see a giant dark figure blocking my way to anything healthy and bullying me toward the wrong foods.  It's like the Grimm Reaper!
Then the question asks what conversation I'd have with my cravings monster.  And I couldn't think of anything.  I can't imagine it talking to me. I can only imagine over-powering it and making it shrink bit-by-bit by harnessing the power of the Holy Spirit.

Now - who want to analyze that?

Chapter 2:

CRAVING IS A PROMPT TO PRAY!  That was the biggest thing I got out of this week. Every time I craving strikes - pray!  At first, I prayed about my craving and about my desire to lose weight and eat healthy foods.  But now I take try prompt as a time to pray for others.  I've already grown in my prayer life!

Reflections: I had to reflect on my reasons for eating over the last week.  After listing all the times I've eaten when it wasn't just about nutrition, I would say my biggest weakness with food is INDULGENCE.  I eat to make myself feel better, to celebrate, or just to really enjoy way too much of the wrong foods!  I'm being indulgent - time to get in the Word about over-indulgence!
I welcome your input on verses I can look at for that!

After reading chapter 2, there was a Facebook event with several questions and activities.  I am working on memorizing this verse.  I used the unpacking method on this one too!

Chapter 3:

Gardens bloom into beautiful flowers because the gardener has invested time and energy.  Same with my own outer beauty - it will take time and energy.  There's no magic fix.

Time to make my plan.  One that I can stick to. One that I will invest in.

Reflections: I was asked if having a plan in other areas of my life works well for me.  My initial reaction was no.  I'm more of a spontaneous, let's see what tomorrow brings, kind of person.  I see plans as rigid, difficult, restrictive.  I do know that structure and preparation usually help me.  

As I wrote more and more about this question, I realize that I CAN do a plan!

Planning is actually more empowering than restrictive!

I am thankful to God for revealing that to me.

I also made my plan: Back to basically clean eating - no white sugars or starches.  Limited whole grains.  A lean protein, fruits, veggies, and whole-grain plan.

So…I have a plan about food.

I have a plan to pray more.

I have a plan to read and LEARN more about the Word.

Unpacking Psalm 82:4

If this is your first visit, you need to know that I am part of a Proverbs31 Ministries online bible study.  We are studying Lysa Terkeurst's book Made to Crave.

If you have been here before, you know I've had a journey of total commitment to healthy eating and fitness to (now) wishing I had stuck with it.

Enter, this Bible study!

There are daily readings, challenges, and encouragements.  Today is Blog Hop Day!  It's my favorite way to share.  There were 4 options for blog topics.  Three of them gave me immediate ideas.  Option 2 was the most intimidating.

So I chose #2.

Unpack the verse Psalm 82:4.

I have read this verse several times this week and said to myself, "Yup.  I need to crave God more."  I'm not very good at digging into scripture. It takes me several times of hearing the same verse over and over to get deep into it. And usually it's because a Biblical scholar (or somebody I perceive as way more spiritual than I am) tells me what the deeper meaning is.

I am NO Biblical scholar.

But I have decided that I am just as entitled to the Spirit helping me understand as anyone else.

So I dove into it.

I want to let this settle with me for a while, but I do love how this verse unpacked for me!  I did discover more in this verse!

Not only do I need to crave Him, I need a strong and tender desire that comes from deep within me for his presence.  And from his presence, my fleshly desires and the desires of my heart will become tuned to His desires for me.

Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."

The more I crave Him, the more delight I will find IN Him.
The more delight in Him, the more my heart will be in tune with Him.
The more in-tune my heart is, the more I will desire His will for me.
The more desire for His will, the more desires will be granted.

I'm glad I chose option 2!  What a gift this morning :)

Join the blog hop and see what everyone else is talking about! There's a link on the side ~~~>

See how week 1 went for me by clicking here!

Fleur de Love

I now have 2 blogs with the title "Fleur de Love."
There's this one (formerly Mrs. McD Did That) and then the one that I started as a blog specifically for my business.

Over time, I've let the other one go and half-focused on this one.
Over that time, I've come to realize that my crafting isn't separate from the rest of my life.  It is a big part of who I am.  It's a big chunk of what I like to share about myself.
So, over the next couple of weeks (months, know me), I will be merging the two blogs and sharing more about my "brand."
I hope to be able to share a little of my life and a little of my business and hopefully encourage and inspire somebody along the way!

You Are Invited

I've been quiet for a while.
Again.
Because I've gotten busy and let a lot of things go.  A lot of things that had become important…that required discipline and planning…have gone undone.
Including my health/weight/fitness.
So it's time to start over…AGAIN!
This time, I'm asking about 33,000 of my closest friends to help me.  And, most importantly, I'm asking GOD to take over again!

"I know how to get healthy - I just can't get motivated!"

Ever said that?

Want to join me?

You know how much the book Reshaping It All meant to me in the beginning of my "better me" journey.  I still plan to revisit that one, but I'm starting a new book.

Its called Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst.

I have heard her speak twice a the Extraordinary Women Conference.
She is hilarious.  More importantly, she has battled to be healthy and shares her experiences.  Most importantly, she is filled with the Spirit of God.

I cannot wait for this study to begin!  I've already been receiving emails from the host, Proverbs 31 Ministries, preparing me for what is to come.  I believe this study is really going to help me get my head on straight AGAIN!  And, let's face it, getting your head in the game is really what makes a difference!

I've already been encouraged in unexpected ways by the Facebook posts from P31!  They have obviously followed God's promptings because it has changed my attitude a few times already!

Here's a my own journey in a nutshell:

• Got super-motivated and started eating well and exercising
• Weight started coming off slowly, but was moving
• Started running - weight came off faster
• Lost about 25 lbs
• Went to Disney World, ate too much, enjoyed holiday after holiday
• Been trying to get back on track for about a year!
• Gained about 15 lbs back.
• Still down 10, but only 10

So…will you join me?  There's a button over there ~~~~~>

While I am committing to this study, I am also committing to share my thoughts, feelings, and experiences with you here.  I value your feedback and your own honesty too!