If It's Hard...

One of the workouts we do during the week is Daily Burn. It's a new fun workout everyday and it encourages and inspires us to live a healthy lifestyle. The other day, one of the trainers said, "If it's hard, that means something inside is changing." We've all heard similar phrases with fitness like, "no pain, no gain" and other cliches. But, when I heard the trainer say this, I started thinking about more than just my workout.

"If it's hard, that means something inside is changing."

I started thinking of some of the hard and painful things I have had to walk through and then what I look like now on the other side. I started thinking of my relationship with the Lord and how much deeper it is because I have walked through hardship and had to rely totally on Him. And, as hard as those times were, I am so grateful for what has changed in me and what my relationship with the Lord looks like now compared to how it was before those times. 

I think sometimes, especially for those of us who have been in the church a long time, we have a lot of head knowledge, but not a lot of experience or heart change. I can learn about the Lord and memorize Scripture, but sometimes it is not until I am tested that it begins to take root. I can read, believe and know that He is my Comforter, but it takes on a much deeper meaning when I actually have to walk through something where I need to be comforted by Him. It's in the times when it's hard, yet I make the choice to press into Him that change happens and the truths in the Bible become even more real to me. 

So many times we want to run from hardship, pain, hurt, disappointment, failure, etc., but if I run away from it or quit, change will never happen in me. When I face the pain head-on with my Daily Burn workout, my muscles become stronger, and when I face the pain head-on in life, holding on to Jesus, my relationship with Him becomes stronger and I get to actually experience the amazing truths in the Word and His freedom first hand! 

How much hurt, pain, and sadness do we live with for years and years that weigh us down because we are too scared to face it head-on. What if we didn't quit when things were hard? What if we didn't run from pain? Sometimes we just need to take small baby steps forward.  If I am wanting to do 50 push-ups but can only do 3, I have to learn to take baby steps forward to reach my goal. If I stop at 3 every time because that's what is comfortable, I will never reach my goal. It's when I do 4, 5 or 6, even when it hurts, that change starts to happen and I get stronger. We have to learn to take a step forward in our pain to see change happen. 

I love reading Psalms to see how David presented his pain and suffering to the Lord. I love how he was so raw in expressing what he was going through, but most of all I love how he always ended with, "but, You, Lord..." and would declare the promises of the Lord.  Psalm 13 out of the Passion Translation starts with, "I am hurting, Lord" but ends with, "I will sing my song of joy to You, the Most High, for in all this You have strengthened my soul."

I am learning to face the pain in life knowing that in all of it, He is strengthening my soul and drawing me closer to Him. I am learning that, just like David, it is possible to sing a song of joy in the midst of hardship. I am learning to stand on the promise of hope, joy, and freedom beyond what I can imagine as I face the pain and hand it to Him. I am so grateful for what He has done in my life!

In James out of The Message it says, "Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You'll get His help, and won't be condescended to when you ask for it."

Let's make the decision to refuse to quit when things get hard. Let's choose to not be afraid or ashamed of pain. Let's declare His promises over our lives.  Let's be encouraged that "if it's hard, that means something inside is changing." And with Him, it is always changing for the better!

Ha Ha Ha

Have you ever stopped to think how crazy laughter is? I mean, strictly from a scientific standpoint, it causes air to expel from your mouth in unpredictable, weird patterns, your stomach muscles contract and you make odd noises out of your mouth. Sometimes it cause liquid to literally come out of your eyes. You can laugh so hard your body temperature rises and you can't catch your breath. You do odd things sometimes like bend over and cover your face while your body shakes, or just start clapping and throw your head way back and make noises like, bwahahaahhohohehehha. I mean from a strictly biological stand point it is an odd gifting we all have. But, boy, does it feel really, really good . I'm not meaning chuckling a little. I mean stomach hurting, tears falling, body shaking, uncontrollable laughter feels amazing physically, spiritually, and emotionally. It's so weird how it works and yet God invented it. Think about that. The creator of the universe decided that we needed to have inside of us this ability called laughter. The Bible says we were created in His image (Gen. 1:27) which means we laugh because He laughed first. He is the Father of laughter. He laughs more than any of us.  Hebrews says Jesus was anointed with the oil of Joy above his companions (Heb. 1:9).  That means he was way happier than anyone else on earth. We were created to laugh. I mean really laugh. I won't get into all of the scientific studies that have been done on the health benefits of laughter, but needless to say it is imperative that we laugh daily. Laughter is a God-given gift. We were born with it and it comes natural to us. We have to unlearn how to laugh. Whether through our circumstances or upbringing or just life in general. It takes years to unlearn how to laugh, but we were never meant to go through life without it. It was given to us for our well being, for our health, for our relationship with Him. It was given to help us navigate life. So let's re-awaken laughter inside of us. Watch a funny movie or YouTube clip. Hang out with someone that makes you laugh a lot. But, by all means, laugh and laugh hard!

Don't Worry, Be Happy

What would it look like to not worry? Worry by definition is: "a state of anxiety or unease over real issues". It places us in a perpetual state of anxiety, fear and dread usually over things we can not control. I believe we have created a culture of worry in the world. We worry about everything from our families, our money, our neighbors, our life to our political leaders, our nation and the world. The list could go on and on. We say things all the time like: "you know what worries me?" or "I am worried about....." or "I'm your parent so I'm supposed to worry" or "I'm just a worry wart". The point is not only have we created a culture of worry, but we also wear it like a badge of honor as part of who we are. That is just silly. Here is the problem with that. Jesus told us not to worry. He didn't say not to worry about certain things, but He said not to worry, period. His exact quote: "do not worry about this life" (Luke 12:22). You can't get much clearer than that. He went on to explain that if His Father takes care of the birds of the air then He will take care of us. He asked, "what one person has added even an hour to their life by worrying?" He made it pretty clear that worry is not allowed. 

You see, the reason worry is not allowed is because worry is the enemy of trust. Trust is a foundation stone that we stand on the minute we meet Jesus. We are not just asked to trust, we are mandated to. When we worry, we are replacing our foundation on which we stand and end up crumbling. Trust and worry are both founded in faith. It is why they are both powerful. Worry is not a lack of faith. Worry is sign of misplaced faith. It says that I have more faith in bad happening than faith that He will work things out for my good (Romans 8:28). It's a big deal because with faith we can move mountains (Matthew 17:20, Mark 11:23). In order for us to grow in the Lord and to be able to stand firm in Him, worry must be eliminated from our life. It cannot be allowed or even tolerated. It is our enemy that wants us constantly uneasy and on shaky ground. It must be defeated. 

Worry is defeated when I trust. I can't worry and trust at the same time. When I trust Him, it opens the doors of my heart to peace.  Peace is what I was designed to live in. Peace surpasses understanding and literally guards my heart and mind (Philippians 4:7). That means peace is militaristic in nature. It guards, protects and keeps the enemy out. Peace is powerful, but peace is born out of trust. It can't guard if it doesn't exist in our lives. So, I feel like the question He is asking isn't "can you trust Me?",  the question He is asking is "WILL you trust Me?"

Welcome

One of the definitions of the word life is: vitality, vigor or energy. We love that! Everyday life should consist of those three things. Jesus said he came to give life and that we would have it more abundantly. Jesus came so we could have a vigorous and active life and have it over and above what is necessary for us. What an amazing promise!

We started this blog because we believe in living out that promise. Welcome to our place to share thoughts, insights and life experiences. We love life!!! It is a gift to enjoy and be happy in. It is adventurous, crazy, hard, fun and only given to us once. We hope this blog inspires you to take hold of life and run with it. We hope it challenges you to find joy in every single day, and ultimately we hope it draws you into a deeper relationship with a loving Heavenly Father who wants you to be able to actively enjoy this life. Whether it's sharing what we are learning, memories, struggles, excitement and adventures that this amazing life brings us, we hope this blog will inspire you to live life with joy and happiness and live every day to its full potential.