The graphic designer in me had to share....love this wallpaper!
Click on the picture to enlarge and download if you like.
May 23, 2011
May 3, 2011
Lessons from Leg Lifts
Leg lifts. 15 minutes. Stop when the machine goes off.
It takes a little work to make a muscle stronger. My knee was injured from running, and I've been going to physical therapy for a few weeks now. At the end of each session, I get hooked up to a machine that sends electric shock to my muscles to make them contract (it's not as bad as it sounds- trust me). Each time the pulse begins to contract my muscle, I have to lift and hold my leg for 5 seconds. 15 minutes.
"If you get tired, you can just flex your muscle and then rest, instead of lifting it up and down." Easy way out.
Well, I get there -- tired.
So, naturally, I stop lifting my leg. And about 30 seconds later, the buzzer rings and the shock stops and I sigh.
I could have kept going if I would have known it was only 30 seconds longer.
How many times have I taken that easy way out? I get a little tired, so I don't try as hard.
Isn't that what faith is for? Pushing through when it hurts, embracing the hurt, knowing it will make us stronger. Not knowing when a trial is over, and not asking, but just taking it for what it is- learning and growing in the process. It may be painful in the process, and it may be exhausting, but the muscle is strengthening. It may seem as if it will never end, but God is saying, "Just a few more lifts....come on, you can do it."
The school year's coming to an end. Classes are almost over. Time to move. New schedule. Different crowds. But I can't just quit at the end, as to-do lists get longer and days get shorter and I grow weary. I have to finish, and the Lord would have me finish well.
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing." 2 Timothy 4:7-8
It takes a little work to make a muscle stronger. My knee was injured from running, and I've been going to physical therapy for a few weeks now. At the end of each session, I get hooked up to a machine that sends electric shock to my muscles to make them contract (it's not as bad as it sounds- trust me). Each time the pulse begins to contract my muscle, I have to lift and hold my leg for 5 seconds. 15 minutes.
"If you get tired, you can just flex your muscle and then rest, instead of lifting it up and down." Easy way out.
Well, I get there -- tired.
So, naturally, I stop lifting my leg. And about 30 seconds later, the buzzer rings and the shock stops and I sigh.
I could have kept going if I would have known it was only 30 seconds longer.
How many times have I taken that easy way out? I get a little tired, so I don't try as hard.
Isn't that what faith is for? Pushing through when it hurts, embracing the hurt, knowing it will make us stronger. Not knowing when a trial is over, and not asking, but just taking it for what it is- learning and growing in the process. It may be painful in the process, and it may be exhausting, but the muscle is strengthening. It may seem as if it will never end, but God is saying, "Just a few more lifts....come on, you can do it."
The school year's coming to an end. Classes are almost over. Time to move. New schedule. Different crowds. But I can't just quit at the end, as to-do lists get longer and days get shorter and I grow weary. I have to finish, and the Lord would have me finish well.
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing." 2 Timothy 4:7-8
May 1, 2011
Decisions, Decisions.
My Mom mentioned to me a few weeks ago..."it doesn't matter what decision you make if the options are both good- just make a decision!" Now, this statement can be taken out of context and applied in all sorts of wrong ways, but I think you'll catch my drift.
My problem isn't that I act impulsively or irrationally. It's that I don't act at all. Once she pointed that out, I realized that it is one of the major stressors in my day-to-day life. I face a problem, evaluate the options, and leave the decision for later because choosing just seems too hard. Meanwhile, in the back of my mind, I contantly review my pro and con lists, never reaching a conclusion.
It's because I'm afraid to fail. I will do anything it takes to do it right. I don't want to mess up. Let's be honest. Does anyone? But, I've come to realize these past few weeks, what's worse...moving and messing up, or not moving at all? Doesn't the risk attached to the step of faith pay off in the end?
Roll with me here. I step out on faith and mess up. God redeems it and teaches me in the process, if I'm truly seeking His will. Or, I stay where I am and stress out. Nothing gets accomplished, and I'm an emotional wreck.
I can remember even as a kid, the indecision I faced with something as simple as ordering at a restaurant. When I couldn't make up my mind, I'd just give the server three options and tell her, "Surprise me!"
No one can make the daily decisions I face now. I can't just throw in the towel and say "Surprise me!" (Though God does like to do that sometimes!) The Lord has blessed me- yes, BLESSED me- with the ability to choose. Instead of seeing it as a burden, I am learning to see it as one more opportunity to lean on Him.
My problem isn't that I act impulsively or irrationally. It's that I don't act at all. Once she pointed that out, I realized that it is one of the major stressors in my day-to-day life. I face a problem, evaluate the options, and leave the decision for later because choosing just seems too hard. Meanwhile, in the back of my mind, I contantly review my pro and con lists, never reaching a conclusion.
It's because I'm afraid to fail. I will do anything it takes to do it right. I don't want to mess up. Let's be honest. Does anyone? But, I've come to realize these past few weeks, what's worse...moving and messing up, or not moving at all? Doesn't the risk attached to the step of faith pay off in the end?
Roll with me here. I step out on faith and mess up. God redeems it and teaches me in the process, if I'm truly seeking His will. Or, I stay where I am and stress out. Nothing gets accomplished, and I'm an emotional wreck.
I can remember even as a kid, the indecision I faced with something as simple as ordering at a restaurant. When I couldn't make up my mind, I'd just give the server three options and tell her, "Surprise me!"
No one can make the daily decisions I face now. I can't just throw in the towel and say "Surprise me!" (Though God does like to do that sometimes!) The Lord has blessed me- yes, BLESSED me- with the ability to choose. Instead of seeing it as a burden, I am learning to see it as one more opportunity to lean on Him.
*******
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6
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