I stopped by my Mom's house last evening to visit her. She made some delicious chicken breasts, mashed potatoes, sweet peas, and the fluffiest fresh baked dinner rolls I've seen in a while. I chatted with her and ate way too much. I was so stuffed by the time I was finished. Actually, I think the third dinner roll took me over the edge.
Anyway, after I finished gorging myself and chatting with Mom and my sisters, Mom said, as she was walking away, "Oh! Dianna, come here. I wanna show you this book I have." So, I followed Mom into her bedroom, eager to see what she was talking about. Then, she headed over toward her bed and picked up this huge yellow book. It was so thick, it reminded me of one of my college textbooks. I cracked it open and saw that it was full of great exercises and recipes for healthier living.
A twinge of guilt swept over me for the "sin" I had just committed with those dinner rolls.
As I thumbed through the pages, gawking at the difficult exercise positions being modeled by the petite woman in a black leotard who looked as though contorting your body into a pretzel actually felt good, I thought of a time when I used to successfully perform those exact same exercises... only with lots more grimacing. Now, however, I've gotten away from some of the highly effective floor workouts I saw in the pages of the book Mom said I could borrow.
Though I do still exercise, I don't do that stuff, not anymore at least.
But I'd like to get back into doing some serious strength training. I just don't look forward to the pain! You know how it is. When you don't utilize certain muscles, they will atrophy over time, becoming weak and feeble. If this ever happens, provided there's no major injury that prevents usage, once you engage those same muscles with consistency, although it can be pretty painful, you have the power and ability to build strength in those weakened areas.
Still, it's not easy to challenge yourself and shake yourself out of a state of complacency. Who wants to abandon their comfort zone, right?
You know, I think that, in some form or another, we all have experienced those times when we slacked off in a specific area. If we're really and truly honest, we can see how we were once more disciplined, diligent, and determined; and then, somewhere along the way, we relaxed our standards. Yet and still, we have the power to find that place we need to be again.
Maybe for you, it has nothing to do with reaching certain fitness goals, or perhaps, it does. It's quite possible that you've lost your way and now you're longing to snatch back control. Maybe it's a relationship, your emotions, finances, career, health, spiritual life, or some other area.
If that's the case, I'm here to let you know that "You still got it." No matter how far away from your goals you seem to be today, God has given you the power to master any area that seems out of control.
Who knows? Maybe you allowed your muscles to atrophy because of fear, frustration, or distractions. It could be that you just grew tired of pressing forward in the midst of your trials, tribulations, and painful circumstances. But, whatever the cause, you don't have to remain weak. You can get back in the swing of things and begin doing what you know you need to do with consistency. As I said yesterday, consistency is the key to forward progress.
You have what it takes to be productive and to thrive.
Today, I encourage you to identify those areas of your life that may be a bit off track. Ask God to help you realize that, you do indeed have the power to reclaim and reorder your life.
Despite how far you've fallen or how much time has passed, I always say, it's never too late to begin again.
I pray that God will give you the courage and fortitude you need to get back up in the saddle and try again. That doesn't mean the road will always be easy, or that things will snap back into place overnight. But as the saying goes, "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time."
Take things one day at a time and as you take one step, God will take two.
You still got it.
Just use what you've got.
God will do the rest.
As always, thanks for reading, and until next time... may you be empowered to prosper!
Dianna Hobbs
www.eewmagazine.com
