I am thrilled to have one of my new friends guest post for me today. I had been moping about the fact that I have not lost any weight in the New Year, so her words made me feel much better. I hope you will enjoy Best-Selling author, Brenda McGraw!
Can you believe how fast this month has gone? How did you do on your goals or your resolutions? How about that desire to lose ten pounds? How is it going?
I will be honest. I don’t set resolutions but I most certainly had the desire to lose weight. I wish I could say that I was victorious. HOWEVER . . .
Did I beat myself up because I didn’t lose the desired weight? No. I had lunch with a new friend today and enjoyed it. Do I still need to lose weight? Yes. But I am just not going to sit around all down in the dumps because I have a few extra unwanted pounds on my body. I don’t believe God is sitting up in Heaven with a frown on His face, pointing a finger at us and telling us we need to do better. Although God does care about the things that are important to us, because He knows how they are going to affect us, He is not concerned about us being overweight. He does tell us our bodies are a temple and we are supposed to take care of them, but He is not going to love us any less if we have too many carbs this week. We can defeat the enemy instead of letting the enemy defeat us.
We are the ones who usually beat ourselves up. And why? Why do we do that to ourselves? I wish I could say I never do, but I am guilty. It can and will happen to us at times, but the question is, how long are we going to let our minds stay in that pity party, crying about poor pitiful me?
Why do we compare ourselves to other women? Why do we covet their clothes, their beautifully decorated house, their car, and their platform in life? Why? What good comes from it? Absolutely nothing. No good comes from aligning yourself beside Ms. Skinny Minnie and looking at how good she looks. What will that do for you? The trap it leads to is insecurity, self-doubt, pity, resentment, jealousy, and so much more, none of which is good.
What happened when Sarah, Abraham’s wife, didn’t think she was able to give Abraham a child? She tried to take matters in her own hands and told him to sleep with their maidservant, and they conceived a child. She then became very jealous. Nothing good comes from jealousy. As a matter of fact, I read today:
”If you look closely at the word jealousy there’s something vital that stands out. The feeling of jealousy makes you feel lousy!” (Karen Wolff)
Just as jealousy makes us feel lousy, so do insecurity, doubt, pity, and resentment.
So how do we keep ourselves from falling into this trap that Satan has for us?
- Every day, open up God’s word.
“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” Matthew 119:105 (NIV)
- Embrace the people around you.
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.” 1 John 4:7 (NIV)
- Enrich others by giving away your love, time, and friendship.
“Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.” (NIV)
- Enjoy praying and find joy in the alone time with the Lord He gives you.
“Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.”
When we focus on the Lord and not on ourselves, we will see everything from a different viewpoint. Jesus will be magnified and we will be the magnifier!
Brenda McGraw is an author and speaker who reveals how to discover joy beyond the clutter of life. She draws from her own life experiences in the #1 Amazon Best seller, “Joy Beyond, 28 Days to Finding Joy Beyond the Clutter of Life”. She is the founder of Ask God Today Ministries where she has a team of writers sharing truth and hope with others.
Brenda currently lives in South Carolina with her husband, Jeff and three of their five children. They also have two precious granddaughters. She is a survivor of breast cancer and a heart attack. Others admire the way she chooses to overcome adversity. Love, joy and hope are her travel companions. Despite the challenges she has endured, Brenda found peace through her relationship with Jesus Christ.
Contact info:
You can connect with Brenda at:
Website – http://www.askgodtoday.com
Twitter – @BrendaMMcGraw
Facebook Author Pages:
https://www.facebook.com/askgodtodaybyBrenda
https://www.facebook.com/brendamcgraw.writer
Google+ – https://plus.google.com/101962638910979648954
Email – mailto:brendammcgraw@gmail.com
Pinterest: https;//www.pinterest.com/BMcGraw1
You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfrSAejL_9HkO_jWqqxisZw
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Brenda-McGraw/e/B00GOIE7AG
Brenda, This is so true. I think we waste too much time focused on comparing and self. On things that won’t last. Great points. Praying to love Him and others with greater focus. God bless you.