Your Past Does Not Dictate Your Future

READ and/or LISTEN to the readings for today and let's dive in!

Our Gospel today starts with the genealogy of Jesus. This is something I would always skim or skip because it was "just a bunch of names" that I couldn't pronounce and didn't need to read. As I got older and I started learning and reading more of my bible, I started to slow down and look at those names!

Jesus didn't come from a great line of upstanding citizens. He didn't come from some special pedigree with no ghosts in the family closet. His genealogy is messy and complicated! Yes, there is more to the way the genealogy is written and the 3 stages of history it is broken down in, but if you want to read more on that, I am not your girl!

I love looking at the genealogy and being able to say that our past does not have to dictate our future. Too many people use their past, or their families to hold them back and not pursue great things. People allow their past to dictate who they are instead of making a change and moving forward.

We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. ~ Romans 8:28

God can take the messes and the trials of this life and turn them to good! He can use our past to make us stronger, not hold us back if we allow him to! Listen to His call, follow His lead, don't allow your past to dictate your future!

Persevere through the trials

Be sure you READ and/or LISTEN to the Mass readings for today! There is no better way to get your day going, or pick you up in the middle of the day than being in The Word!

In todays Gospel reading, Luke starts us out with a 4 of the Beatitudes...."blessed are you" and ends with 4 "woes."

I don't know why only 4 are chosen, but it makes them more bite size and manageable for me to really think and meditate on.

This gospel immediately makes me think of James 1:2-4 "Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

We will absolutely have hard times in this world! It is in the hard times, when we are struggling, that we can truly cling to and find Jesus. It is through trials and challenges that our faith can grow and we can be complete. This idea of being complete can only come from Jesus.

Luke 6:23 begins "Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!"

We are being told to rejoice and leap for joy right after we are told we are blessed for suffering! We can rejoice and leap for joy because we are promised that after all the suffering and pain in this life we will find total and complete fulfillment in Heaven.

1 Peter 1:6-9 has a similar message. "In this you rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even through tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Although you have not seen him you love him; even though you do not see him now yet believe in him, you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, as you attain the goal of [your] faith, the salvation of your souls."

All of these passages are telling us that there is hope and joy in struggle. We have our hope because we know that our struggle is not in vain and we know our struggle is strengthening us and drawing us closer to God.

We have hope because of the promise that this pain is temporary and we will be rewarded for having to suffer it.

This is so hard because even though we may intellectually understand this, living it is a challenge! It helps me to focus on and remember those challenging times in my life that I came out a better person. It helps when I reflect on how much greater the reward was when it was worked for and that I had to suffer to attain it. These small moments can give me strength and keep me pointed in the right direction. They are also encouraging because the rewards we will receive when we are done on this Earth will far surpass anything our hearts and minds could ever dream up!

Living Example

Alright, let's do this! First, READ and/or LISTEN to our readings today!

Today's Gospel seems so simple and so straight forward, yet there are some very important parts we must not miss!

Luke starts us off by telling us that "Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God."

I love reading about when Jesus goes off to be by himself with God. If Jesus needs to spend time praying, and he is the Son of God, how much more do we need to do this? We are also told he spent the night praying. Jesus is about to fully begin his ministry and mission. This is a critical time where he is about to choose the 12 men to join him. He is about to call the 12 whom he will be spending most of his time and will be working closely with! This is not something to be taken lightly and Luke shows us that Jesus spent all night in prayer.

When he called the 12, they were ordinary men! He didn't call the best scholars, the wealthy, the professionals, or anyone with any visible special qualities. He chose regular men who did regular, every day things. He didn't see them as the men they were at the time, he saw who and what they had the potential to become.

Jesus is the greatest example of leadership we could ever ask for. He took men willing to follow and willing to work and he shared his vision. He got them to buy into that vision and they literally changed the world!

How often do you genuinely go to God in prayer before big decisions? How often do you spend time away form everyone else to be with him before you are doing something new? Jesus shows us that we need to spend time in prayer before doing new things and making big decisions. He shows us the importance of seeing the potential in people and not just seeing them for who and what they are at the time.

The final thought on this reading is that people flocked to Jesus to be healed. This is not the only place in scripture we see this. People heard of the power he had. Even the demons knew what he was capable of. We need to approach Jesus this way. We need to stop hoping he can heal us or help us when we need it, we need to KNOW he can! We need to go to him expecting great things and stop hoping for them to happen!

Is the Law Always Right?

It's that time...time to sit down and READ and/or LISTEN to today's readings!

The scribes and Pharisees are at it again in today's Gospel reading. They are continually trying to catch Jesus doing something wrong or breaking the law so they can take him down!

The law called for the people to do no work at all on the Sabbath and to keep that day holy and set apart for God. It seems like just about anything and everything was considered work!

When Jesus was faced with a man who had a very deformed hand, he had to decide to break the law or heal the man. Jesus, the ultimate teacher didn't just act, he explained his actions very clearly!

“I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath

rather than to do evil,

to save life rather than to destroy it?” 

(LUKE 6:9 NABRE)

Throughout the Gospels we see Jesus challenging the law over and over again. He is not suggesting that the law is not good or right, but that sometimes it isn't cut and dry. If you aren't following the spirit and intent of the law, you are missing out. 

The Sabbath is a day to rest, but most importantly, to rest in God. It is less about not doing anything and more about actively being in God's presence. The Sabbath is to be set aside and given to God. It is a way to show honor to God and to thank and reflect Him for his creation. 

With that understanding, it doesn't negate that we are to still love our neighbor, honor our mother and father, and follow the other commandments, right? 

If Jesus was to leave the man because He wasn't allowed to heal on the Sabbath, how is that honoring God and keeping His day Holy? If Jesus turned his back on a sick person, how would that be showing God's love? 

On the Sabbath we should not do unnecessary work or anything that distracts us from worshiping and honoring God and it doesn't mean mean shouldn't be doing good and sharing God's love!

As we are faced with decisions that may not seem clear cut, we need to really look a the heart of the matter! We need to really look and see if what we are doing or not doing is in line with God's will. There will be times we are faced with decisions that may go agains a law or rule, but we must carefully weigh the consequences of doing or not doing an act and be sure we are in listening to God with our eyes, ears and heart! 

Thriving once you have hit your weight loss goal

I have discovered over the last 2 years that my pursuit of better health and fitness has actually become more challenging since I hit my "goal weight." I put that in quotes because I actually didn't start my journey with a number in mind, but I know I am there because of how I feel at this weight verses being up or down a few more pounds.

In Made to Crave by Lysa Terkeurst, she states "Hitting your goal weight is a blessing entangled with a curse." She further explains that the curse is that false sense of freedom that we can just go back to all those things we gave up and turn back on the sacrifices we have made. We allow ourselves to "live it up" and celebrate our "victory" but it just ends up sending us back on the path to bad habits.

Why do we do this? What is it about hitting that goal that sets us back? As I was really trying to figure this out and while I was having many discussions with my best friend on this very topic, Lysa discussed it in Made to Crave (which we happened to be reading together at the time).

Once we hit our goal weight, we don't have that scale as in indication of how we are doing anymore. We don't have the excitement and gratification or reward of watching the numbers go down anymore. It isn't as fun to us once we get to that goal! When we stop having fun, we start to slip back!

Prior to becoming a Team Beachbody Coach, I would go through many cycles of doing a program, losing weight, getting stronger, feeling good, and then cycling back around to unhealthy habits, weight gain and feeling crummy.

I believe I have finally cracked the code on how to maintain AND continue to thrive once hitting my goals and I want to share it with you. My guess is you are either right there with me on this, or you will be if you keep at your journey long enough!

1. A Clear Why

You need to have a clear "why." You need to know why it is you want to lose weight and why it is you really want to get healthy. If you just want to lose weight to look good in a bikini, you might get there, but is that a strong enough reason to keep you there when temptations come flying at you?

You may initially start your journey because you know you need to lose a little weight, but you must really dig deep and peel back the layers to discover what you are really doing it for. If you why and want to are strong enough, you will have a far greater chance for success!

2. The Proper Support System

You need to have the right support system in place. You need to surround yourself with people who want to see you succeed and who will cheer you on when you need it, and help get you through the tough times when you are struggling.

I have the most amazing success partner and work with some amazing ladies in my groups. My success partner is there for me when I begin to struggle. She knows my "why and my want to" and is able to remind me of that when I struggle. She is able to speak to me and to my heart about what it is like if I give into temptation. She is there to help keep me motivated and moving forward on those days I just don't want to work out, eat right, or spend time in prayer. She, along with my groups are the accountability I need to keep pushing!

3. Changing things up and finding new goals

After I hit my initial goal and didn't have the satisfaction of watching the scale move anymore, I needed to set new goals to measure progress and change. I started looking at the weights I could use in my workouts, I started to count the increased number of repetitions and began measuring my flexibility.

I also mixed things up. I would complete a program and then throw a totally different kind of workout at myself to keep my body and mind challenged. I would go from a program that was almost entirely cardio in nature to one that was mostly lifting, to one that was mostly yoga/pilates, to ones that were combinations of all of the. I even threw in Dance type workouts to keep my body guessing and to challenge my mind and keep me humble!

Constantly doing different programs keeps me from getting bored and into "the same old routine," which keeps me looking forward to most days!

4. Finding the Spiritual Balance in the Journey

The most important part of my journey has been keeping Jesus right at the heart of it! I have found that without him, I don't have balance. Without Him, I don't have the discipline or the right want to. Without Him, I fall too easily into temptations and laziness.

Apart from Christ we can't be successful at anything that is truly important. Likewise, If we want to be strong in Christ, we MUST take our fitness and nutrition seriously. God cares about our health and wellness. He cares about our portion sizes and the foods we eat. He cares about our relationship with food and how we treat it.

If we want to be strong in Christ, we must work to be strong physically and nutritionally, and if we want to be strong physically and nutritionally, we must be strong in Christ!

Once this connection became crystal clear to me and became something I was very intentional with, EVERYTHING changed for me.

Is it time for you to get started? Is it time for you to find the right support system and group of people. I would love to CONNECT with you and chat more! Hit me up and let's CONNECT! 

New Wine, Old Skin

Be sure to READ and/or LISTEN to todays readings. What better way to wind out your work week and head into the weekend?

Jesus begins our Gospel today answering questions about why his disciples don't pray and fast the way the disciples of John and the Pharisees do.

Jesus points out that there is a time and season for everything, and this is not the time for them to be fasting. At a wedding we would be celebrating while the bride and groom are there, wouldn't we? He is saying that while he is amongst them, they should celebrate! There will be plenty of time to mourn and pray when He is not with them.

Ecclesiastes 3:1,4 (NABRE)

There is an appointed time for everything,and a time for every affair under the heavens.A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.

Then Jesus shifts gears in the second half of the Gospel and addresses some of the thinking of the past. He demonstrates that although, prayer and fasting are important, they need to be seen in different context. He doesn't diminish the importance of prayer and fasting, but shows they must be seen in new light.

Do you ever find yourself just glossing over a portion of scripture because you don't understand it or it doesn't feel relevant to you at the time?

I have done this many many times with the second part of today's gospel. I think this is partly because I didn't really relate to or understand the analogies that were being used in the parable, so I would just move on.

Jesus begins talking about patching a torn cloak. He tells us that we wouldn't tear cloth from a new one to patch the old because then both would basically be ruined. The new one would now be torn and the old one wouldn't match. The new cloth hasn't shrunk yet, so when you add it to the old that already has, it will ruin it.

He next makes the same point by telling us that we wouldn't pour new wine into old wineskins because it will make the old skin burst. I am not a wine drinker, but have been told that old wineskins would become hard and not expand, and new wine is still expanding because of its gasses, so when you put the new in, the old one wouldn't be able to contain it.

I don't think Jesus is telling us the old is bad and wrong, but that it must be willing to adapt and change or it will be ruined. We know that we must look at the old testament in light of the new and the new in light of the old. Without the old testament, the new wouldn't be nearly as rich and meaningful.

Prayer and fasting are important, but if we miss the celebration, the point of prayer and fasting would be lost! We need to see prayer and fasting in light of celebration and celebration in light of prayer and fasting.

We can't look Jesus coming to fulfill the law if we don't know and understand the old law and how and why it was in place. It wasn't bad, but it needs to grow. Jesus didn't come to destroy it, he came to fulfill it!

I look at myself and how I have grown and changed so much over the years. If you took the new me and placed me where and how the old way was living, it wouldn't work! Like that new wine, I feel myself constantly expanding and growing. I don't fit in where I use to. I can't be this new creation and live my old life, it just won't work. I also can't just forget my old life or the new wouldn't have the same meaning.

The old isn't bad, but if it remains rigid and unwilling to see new light, it will burst!

Are you ready to drop your net?

Beginning your day in The Word of God is so important. I love that our Church has readings every day to take the guess work out of where to begin! Be sure you READ and/or LISTEN to todays readings.

I absolutely love today's Gospel. I know very little about fishing, but I can see and picture the scene so well. I couldn't imagine what I would have thought or said if I had been working so hard all night and then Jesus comes along and says to throw the nets in again.

There is so much we can learn in this short section from Peter!

1. Humility

Peter was a fisherman by trade, yet when he was told to lower his nets again, into a place he had already worked, he did it anyway. He didn't get all proud and "puffed" up about knowing more about fishing, he humbled himself and did it anyway.

2. Faith

As this story ends we see Peter literally leave everything and go follow Jesus. He leaves behind his boats and nets, but he also leaves behind family and friends. It tells us "When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him."

I would love to think that if Jesus showed up at my door and asked me to follow him that I would just walk out and do it, however, I don't know that I could! I certainly could leave my "stuff" behind, but I would minimally want to have some closure here. I would want to make sure the dogs were set and taken care of, I would want to go say good bye to my family and friends and tell them what was happening. Peter did NOT, he simply left EVERYTHING behind!

3. Obedience

Peter didn't think there was going to be any different outcome by throwing the nets in the water one more time, but he did it anyway. He showed incredible obedience. How often does God ask us to do something that we have tried over and over again without success? How many times are we asked to do something when we are just exhausted after a long day of work? How many times are we asked to do something we just don't understand? Are we obedient? Do we listen to God and do it anyway?

4. God can use anyone to to big and powerful things!

Jesus comes into the picture, has an encounter with a fisherman that doesn't have any schooling or any special knowledge or background in religion and calls him to be a disciple and be a fisher of men. Jesus calls this sinner with no special or seemingly significant talents to ultimately become our first Pope and leader of the Church!

God does not call the equipped, he equips the called! If we respond to God with true humility, faith and obedience, he can use us in mighty and powerful ways. We need to stop diminishing our value and our worth! Through Christ we can do anything! It is time to open our eyes, ears and heart and be on the lookout for God's call! We must stay humble so we don't miss it and we must ACT with obedience.