Over the last year God has really been working on me. He has been tugging on my heart and revealing some exciting, yet out of my comfort zone kinda stuff! I believe God is strategic though, showing small pieces at a time to what I call "the pieces of my puzzle". You see I tend to overwhelm easy and God is gracious to give us only what we can handle. Isn't that right? The pieces are all there, and only He knows the full picture (or the purpose He has for us), but sometimes to us those pieces look just a little jumbled and not quite all put together. He began to lay out some of those new puzzle pieces when I began my training one year ago. You see my journey to the stage wasn't just about a physical transformation or winning a trophy. It was about so much more! I knew He was preparing me for something bigger and this is what got me through my training for sure. I could have never gone through this experience in my own strength. My "natural" personality has never been a bold one! But, in my adult years God has continually nudged me (or sometimes it felt like a shove) out of my comfort zone to be more bold! Some may argue that getting on stage in front of an audience to show your physical transformation is not what GOD has in mind for moving out of your comfort zone for His purpose. But I assure you modesty was a huge concern for me and I DID NOT want to get on that stage! Lets just say one thing I have learned in my life is, when I feel a pull to do something but inside I feel like a two year old throwing a tantrum, God has a plan for me. While training for this competition He put me in a position where I had to completely rely on him. He surrounded me with people to encourage me in my journey, blessed me with an amazing experience and answered my prayers for confidence to step into that spotlight. From the time I began my training, on through the last year, I have seen God put the pieces together one by one! .I discovered that the desire to take care of the body through fitness and nutrition had nothing to do with vanity or wanting to draw attention for myself. This was more of an act of worship to my creator, celebrating the body he gave me and taking care of His creation! God then began to show me that true confidence and strength is found through Him alone not through weight training or competing.. I think of the Parable of the Bags of Gold (Talents) in Matthew 25:14-30. The master entrusted his servants with his gold then he went away on his journey. 14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,[a] each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. Prior to my transformation I was burying myself in anxiety, stress, and self doubt, not to mention my lack of physical activity and unhealthy food choices. I was certainly NOT investing in the body that he gave me. So what does it say about the servant that did not invest his masters gold. 24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ 26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. Who wants to be called wicked and lazy, especially by our Lord! Not me, my friend! But look what it says in verse 25, "So I was afraid...". Fear kept this servant from investing the gold he was entrusted with. Fear and lack of wisdom held me back and maybe many of you! But here is Gods truth my dear friends! Proverbs 3:13-16 says: 13 Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, 14 for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. 15 She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. My sweet friends, facing my fears was just the beginning. God doesn't expect us to do it alone! God's word is truth! Why would he say that we would be blessed by finding wisdom an understanding if HE did not provide it first? Why was the man who didn't invest his masters money called wicked and lazy? Not because of the "fear" he had said, but because he allowed that fear to debilitate him in doing what his master entrusted him to do. So really it comes down to trusting God! When I began to invest, seeking wisdom and understanding, in this case learning how to take care of myself/ my body (which ended up being a form of worship to him anyways), God blessed me with the confidence I needed! I could then begin to see more clearly the bigger picture of the purpose he had for me. Do you see how it all works together, my friends? Lets go back to Matthew 25 verse 29: 29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ Yikes! I would rather trust God and invest in the life that He gave me and live a life of abundance than be cast in outer darkness, wouldn't you? Remember folks, this looks different for everyone! Even the master in Matthew 25 gave each man a different amount of gold. So here is what I learned:
This doesn't mean we will always make the right choices. We will continue to have fears, challenges, and setbacks......goodness knows that there are days (even weeks) that I feel like a complete mess. But, good news is as long as we focus on His strength and not our own He might even make us into bodybuilders (or writers, or {you fill in the blank}). My picture (puzzle) is not even close to being finished but through my journey I am seeing more pieces come together. And as more are added I'll be sharing them with you! I encourage you to go out there and work on your puzzle, sort out those pieces, ask God to help you see the framework of your "big picture". You just might see some silver, gold or even....... rubies! Blessings Friends, Melissa
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