A couple of weeks ago I noticed that my jeans were fitting differently.

And not in a good way.

The jeans that had previously required a belt in order to stay in place were now staying in place quite nicely all by themselves.

Not good.

If there is one thing my over-the-years battle with weight has taught me, it’s that if you want to stop a run-away-train from running away, you have to do something.

You have to act.

And act quickly.

Because the train. will. run. away.

Truth is I wish I were more disciplined.

I wish I was more consistent over the long term.

I wish I was one of those people for whom eating “clean” was a no-brainer because I so highly value a “mean-bod”.

And while I do sometimes, I don’t sometimes too.

This is my battle.

Well… one of them anyway.

But I do want to do better.  I do want to fight the #fatdemon well and do so to maintain this house, my body, that I’ve been given to walk around in and in which to live the only life I’ve got.

But I can’t just wish.

I can’t just hope.

I have to act.

Acting is passing McDonald’s when I’ve waited too long to eat and all I want are those doggone salty fries.

Acting is ordering water with lemon when I’m out to eat even when I know good and well the establishment offers a suberb, freshly-brewed sweet tea.

Acting is choosing not to slather butter on my bread, pushing the bread basket away from my end of the table, or asking the server not to bring it it all.

Acting is not just about my food life either.

If I hope for a marriage made in heaven. I have to act.

I have to prioritize time with my man.

I have to hold his confidences close and be the woman in whom he can trust.

I have to talk to him with respect and honor him with my actions.

If I hope for no regrets in my motherhood journey, I have to act.

I have to give my children quality time but quantity time as well.

I have to smile at my kids when they enter my space, even if they are driving me crazy.

Even though, I don’t know everything about Jesus, I have to teach them what I do know so that hopefully they will want a relationship with Him for themselves one day.

If I hope for a life filled with passionate and purposeful pursuits, I have to act.

I have to work with excellence at every job I am given, no matter how small or how menial.

I have to believe that I have what it takes to get where I want to go, then be willing to pay the price with time, education, training, and experience to get there.

I have to allow myself to dream, to think big, and to believe beyond what I can see…  then be disciplined to do what it takes to move beyond my current borders.

If I hope to be a confident woman, I have to act.

I have to speak well of myself and stop using my own words out of my own mouth to tear myself down.

I have to deal with my weaknesses, but understand my strengths… and utilize them.

Most of all, I have to believe that because God lives in me, I can conquer the world and, in that world, I can also climb and overcome whatever mountain He has allowed in my path.

Bottom line?…

My actions matter.

Everything thing I put in my mouth today will affect the jean size that I wear five years from now.

Everything I do today affects my my every tomorrow.

This is simply the truth…

 

HopeAct

 

What do you hope for?

What are you actually doing today to bring to life those hopes and dreams?

Act.

Everyone I know hopes.

Everyone I know wants to do better or be better in some facet of their experiences.

Everyone I know struggles with an area of their life where their actions don’t quite match up with what they say they desire.

It’s OK to admit it.

It’s OK to pray about it.

So let’s pray.

For ourselves.

For each other.

For that which we hope.

For that which we dream.

For those places or situations in which we need to act.

We serve a God who not only wants us to hope but he helps us to act.

We just have to ask.

kw400x600font2 

God is the one who enables you both to want and to actually live out his good purposes.
Philippians 2:13 (CEB)

 

It’s a beautiful thing to see women praying for each other.

So here we go…

As always, feel free to pray about A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G

But if you are helped by having a topic to focus on for prayer…

Act.

Again… feel free to pray about anything that concerns you.

But if today’s prayer focus resonates with you, pray in that direction.

So how exactly does this work do you ask? Keep scrolling for the details…


So excited about prayer this weekend!


Help spread the word!

 

If you are new to our prayer on Fridays or need a little refresher here are the details…

 

1) Post YOUR prayer.
First, scroll to the end of the post to find the section for comments.  Keep scrolling to the end of the comments to find the empty box where you can leave your prayer request. Click “Post Comment”.

2) Pray for someone else.
Then, look above you in the comment thread for the person who posted just before of you.  Hit “reply” and pray for them.  That way we make sure that everyone gets covered!

Please don’t feel insecure about your ability to pray for another sister or feel that her request is above your spiritual “pay grade.” Just pray with your heart.  God hears. He works with the words that we have and then He takes care of the rest.

3) Post your pic!
Make sure we can “see” you! Go to Gravatar.com so that others can see your face in the comments! (It’s easy! Just click on the green button labeled “Get your gravatar today” )

4) Pray more
Once you have left your prayer request and prayed for the person above you, if you have a few minutes feel free to reply and pray for any other comment/prayer you see in the thread.