Over the past few weeks, in various discussions with various people, I have been asked how I’ve known then God has spoken to me. Over the past ten years, I can point to about half a dozen or so times when I very clearly heard the inaudible yet unmistakable voice of God give me a specific command. Very clearly… very articulate, “Do X” kind of things.. Other times, it’s been more of a “thought” that came into my head that I can’t say I immediately thought, “oh, this is God speaking” but in hindsight realized His guiding hand on that process.
September 15, 2015 was one of those “thought” times… and the thought was this.. “today is the day you’re going to start to get back in shape… and, in order to success, you will need support. Gather that support around you”. … and that day, I reached out to a small group of people… people who I knew loved me for me… and/or people who were either already great in this area or headed in that direction – I knew I needed mentors, and I knew I needed people who would be honest with me and encourage me when I felt like giving up… I knew all of this because I have failed so many times at so many things.. and, in life, we learn by those failures (hopefully).
As it happened, we were planning to take our youth group kids to a conference the following summer and had just begun fundraising for it.. .so I dubbed my journey the “biggest loser” contest, and actually asked people to sponsor me, either with a monetary pledge for the weight I intended to lose or with prayer. In return, I promised to keep them updated on my progress, and so I started a weekly “newsletter” wherein I documented my mileage of exercise and weight lost, and then eventually began adding some quick little anecdotes of my experiences along my journey. I got such positive reviews that I used a similar approach when going through the publishing process for the book, Masquerade. I enjoyed writing and my friends seemed to enjoy reading about my journey… and… the publisher encouraged me to “build an audience”, so thus, this blog was born.
The journey of my fitness in 2015-16 was successful, and I not only lost the weight I intended to (and felt great!) but I helped to fund the trip for my kids… and, I think, inspired people along the way. I know how to do this journey… lol.. the problem with it is that, if you’re not careful and consistent, it can creep away from you.. lol
In late 2018, one of my dear friends was told by her doctor that she needed to lose weight.. Immediately, I jumped in to offer my support… after all, I’ve done this.. I told her I’d work right along side her, and began, once again, to don my running shoes and head to the gym… and then some crazy things happened in my life, most notably, an opportunity to open a studio (a lifelong dream), and I failed my friend.. Truly.. and she and I talked about all of the things going on in my life a year ago, and her advice to me was this… “don’t change everything at once… focus on succeeding at a few… and then add things”.. and so I focused, quite frankly, on making the studio a success.. and I’m still doing that.. but I’ve learned a great deal over the past year and am ready to add some other things….
As it happens, I’ve been thinking about it for a few weeks, and got just the right bit of loving motivation from one of my very closest friends yesterday… and so.. this morning, I, once again donned my Brookes… and dusted off my treadmill!
There was a lot going on in my mind this morning as I walked a quick pace (walk before you run… I learned this long ago)… music very loud in my ears, and my thoughts, racing, just as loud…
I would like to ask my dear friend who I failed last year to forgive me for not being as good a support as I should have been to her…
…and I would ask you, my precious readers, to do two things for me.. 1). Pray for me as I start this…. again… that it truly become a lifestyle once and for all.. 2) encourage me when I’m sucking wind…
Be blessed today, my friends!
SB
Journey-For-Life 