The Care and Keeping of ME

I've been focusing on myself a lot lately.  

As a homeschooling mom it is all too easy to put myself last.  In the long run that is the worst thing I could be doing for my family.  Sure, we give up a lot when we become a parent, especially when we decide to home educate, but one of the most loving things we can do for our family is to be the best that we can be.  That certainly cannot happen if we allow ourselves to get lost in the mire.  Unfortunately, I am 100% guilty of doing just that.  I've allowed myself to disappear.

"Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you

and that you may be in good health,

as it goes well with your soul."

~ I John 1:2

We are not meant to sacrifice ourselves; our health, our soul, our very being.  Sure, we are here to serve our family and our community, but how do we best do these things?  First we must be in good health, both physically and spiritually.  When things get out of balance that is when we start to fall apart.  We lose touch with ourselves and things begin to suffer.  If we allow it to go too far unchecked then those around us begin to suffer as well.

How patient can we be when we are exhausted and stressed?  How much of a spiritual guide can we be if we've not fed our soul in days, weeks, or even months?  How much fun can we be if we never indulge our passions and interests?  How can we give of ourselves to anyone if we've allowed all the things that make us who we are to be swept away in the current of a busy and demanding life?

Just how important are you anyway?

"For by grace you have been saved by faith.

And this is not your own doing; 

it is the gift of God,

not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

~ Ephesians 2:8-9

Go gives us grace.  Freely he gives it to us.  It is a gift.  We have done nothing to earn, or even deserve, this gift.  Yet, it is freely given.  

I wonder...

Have we accepted the gift of grace?

What does it look like to accept the gift of grace from God?

What exactly is grace, anyway?

Grace - the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners, and the bestowal of blessings.

The favor of God?

"For you bless the righteous, oh Lord;

you cover him with favor as with a shield."

~ Psalm 5:12

For many years I thought going on a mission trip overseas, feeding and clothing the impoverished, building churches in third world countries, helping those outside of my family - those were the only ways to serve God.  I thought that I had to do BIG things away from home.  Little did I know that the big things are at home.  I am a big deal.  My family is a big deal.  

I accept God's grace by doing the things before me with a dedicated and willing heart.  I am actually honoring God by putting myself first.  Let me say that again.

I am actually honoring God by putting myself first!

How can I put myself first?

For me, right now, it boils down to making time for the things that I enjoy; maybe even learning all over again what it is that I enjoy.  Recently I found this cute sheet:  50 Ways to Take a Break.  There are 50 fun and simple ways to just take some time for joy.  If you are visual person like I am this is the perfect thing to print out and hang where you can see it.  Heck, it's good for the whole family!  Personally, I think it's way better than those 'I'm Bored' lists for kids.  Everyone can find something to do here.

If you've been reading around here lately you know that I've been struggling with focusing on the task at hand, whatever that may be.  It was suggested that I use this sheet as a means for transitioning into something I need to do.  The idea is to find something on this sheet, do it, and then work on what I need to get done.  I have to admit this is a new idea that I've not tried, but I like it a lot and this picture is getting hung right by my desk in my office.

I have decided to accept the grace fully given to me and embrace my life just as it is, glaring flaws and all.  I have decided to put myself first.  You have heard me mention the oxygen mask a time or two, right?  Well, I'm grabbing the mask and putting it on.  Each and every day I will spend time putting myself first; taking care of my health, feeding my soul, indulging my passions.

"For the word of God is living and active,

sharper than any two-edged sword, 

piercing to the division of soul and of spirit,

of joints and of marrow,

and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

~ Hebrews 4:12

I'd love to hear from you!

Do you struggle to put yourself first?

Are you in the process of a similar mission?

Have you learned this lesson already?

How do you care for your body?

How do you feed your soul?

What passions do you indulge?

Let's talk in the comments below!

Take the Challenge...I Dare You!

If you've been paying attention for any length of time you may remember that I did a fast back in June to kick start a new approach to eating and health.  As I shared previously it was a great success.  I have continued on to lose nearly 25 pounds, which I am thrilled about.  It's especially noteworthy for me, as I did not slip back into old habits despite tremendous stress over the past couple of months.  There were times when I did allow myself to sway from my plan of no wheat and no sugar.  Fortunately, the times were few and far between, and one time of eating a sandwich on wheat bread instead of lettuce did not result in me throwing the baby out with the bathwater and just diving back into consuming bread on a regular basis.  I was able to have a sandwich, be okay with it, and continue on my journey.  If you know me at all you know this is totally awesome since my normal M.O. is to completely disregard diet in times of extreme stress and pressure.  I guess I must be serious since it didn't happen this time.  I'm attributing most of my success to my constant pleas to God to help me stay on track and keep me focused on the end goal; a healthy lifestyle.

The other day I was tooling around online and happened upon this challenge.  Apparently the challenge began back in 2009 with an idea.  It has grown in success, participation, and coverage over the past couple years.  I read through the website, and thought to myself, "Why not?  I've already made such drastic changes in my diet.  How hard could it be?"  Well, I guess we'll find out.  I signed up for the challenge yesterday.  The commitment is to eat no processed foods for the entire month of October.  What is unprocessed food, you might ask.  Well, the simple definition from Eating Rules is this:

"Unprocessed food is any food that could be made by a person 

with reasonable skill in a home kitchen 

with readily available, whole-food ingredients"

If you'd like a more elaborate example of what exactly is considered 'readily available' or 'whole-food' then you can read about it in much greater detail on their website under Defining Unprocessed.  To me it seems quite simple.  If it doesn't come in a package with a label full of unrecognizable ingredients than odds are its suitable for a month of eating only unprocessed foods.  In my line of thinking a bag of frozen corn would work, as would a container of fresh peanut butter that only contains ground peanuts or a jar of pure honey.  If there are flavorings or additives on the ingredient list, then it's a no go.  So, I guess there will be some label reading going on if anything other than fresh produce is to be consumed.

So?  What do you think?  Are you up for the challenge?