First order of business: I was COMPLETELY shocked with your positive feedback from the previous post! Like, astounded. To everyone who shared the link or retweeted my tweet… you helped me get over 1,300 pageviews! This is not a lie, this is the insane truth. Thank you so much to everyone who shared, retweeted, liked, commented, favorited, hearted, sent encouraging messages, bookmarked, read, skimmed through, read the title, WHATEVER! You guys are awesome!
Second order of business: Mama and I recently (Saturday) started an exercise. It is possibly the most strenuous, most P90X-like exercise you can think of (for those of you who don’t know what P90X is, it is described as “12 intense workouts that use resistance and body-weight training, cardio, plyometrics, ab work, martial arts and yoga…” a.k.a. death). We questioned even TRYING it, out of pure fear. Fear that we wouldn’t make it through. Fear that our bodies would explode. Fear that our muscles would grow so large that we crush everything we hold. That’s right, we decided to try……….planking.
We got Daddy to help motivate us, so he timed us. We got in position, elbows down, and got ready to be healthy (you know, the usual Saturday night resolution). We heard “GO” and got into the unbearable planking position. The time ticked by… sweat was dripping off of our faces, our abs felt like they were morphing into 12-packs, the world was blacking out around us… everything was moving in slow motion.
“HOW MUCH LONGER?!”
“CAN WE STOP?”
“IT’S BEEN LIKE 10 MINUTES ALREADY!”
“I’M DYING.”
“I’M DYING.”
“HELP.”
“THIS IS KILLING ME!”
“Maddy, Krista... it’s been 6 seconds.”
Take a second (well, 6). Do you realize how long 6 seconds is? It’s pretty much equivalent to the time it takes for me to screw up a recipe. Not long at all. Also, the longest we have had to plank so far is 20 seconds.
Okay, we may have over-exaggerated a bit.
YES, we are actually doing these planks.
YES, the planks were difficult because we are couch potatoes.
YES, that conversation actually happened (if you want a good laugh, check out the challenge and imagine us on Day 30).
And YES, I can screw up anything I try to cook in 6 seconds.
*Proof: I have exploded rice in the microwave, made burnt-aroni and cheese, and somehow I once made a frozen pizza that I had to eat with a spoon.
Planking is not even close to P90X - in fact, it’s probably the “rest day” activity. We felt like we were going to collapse, when 6 seconds out of 20 isn’t that bad at all! We were freaking out for no reason, just out of panic. The pain didn’t even have time to set in!
So, now you’re wondering: One, how is this a beautiful thing? Two, did you complete the challenge?
One) Mama and I tried planking, and we built it up in our minds to something that could literally kill us. No really. To be honest, she actually just mentioned that we haven’t done it tonight, but I pretended that I didn’t hear her. If we would have just realized that it wouldn’t be nearly as difficult as we thought, we would have had an easier (and much less noisy) 20 seconds. Another example… Did you have a resolution to start exercising more this year? Or last year? Or any other time in your life? Yep, so have I! The idea usually pops into my head after I’ve eaten a few apple slices, drank a big glass of water, and maybe even taken a vitamin - when I get in that “healthy mode” (don’t even act like you don’t know what I’m talking about, I know you do it). I say to myself, “I’m going to start running next week! I can’t wait, I’m going to get in shape!” I plan out what days I’m going to go run, how long I will run, how much water I’m going to drink that day, my healthy meals to go along with my healthy self, and I even go online and pick out new running shoes I want (which I never get because I’m stingy).
I go through all of this, but when every day passes by, I start falling out of that “healthy mode” and I start dreading it more and more. Finally when the day comes, I have lost all motivation left in my body! I hate running, not drinking Coke, eating green foods, and having to give up sour gummy worms for breakfast. So, I end up choosing not to run - because the entire running experience would be too arduous on my poor little body.
I go through all of this, but when every day passes by, I start falling out of that “healthy mode” and I start dreading it more and more. Finally when the day comes, I have lost all motivation left in my body! I hate running, not drinking Coke, eating green foods, and having to give up sour gummy worms for breakfast. So, I end up choosing not to run - because the entire running experience would be too arduous on my poor little body.
How do those two exercises connect?
- They don’t.
- Maddy is overdramatic.
- Maddy builds events up to more than they actually are.
- I don’t know, please teach me (you didn’t know there would be a standardized test).
The correct answer is… C!
Okay, B and C. I am a bit of an exaggerator. But, my main point is C! By nature, we build things up to be more difficult or scary than they really are. Initially, when we’re in our “healthy mode,” we are excited about what’s to come! Yet, as we put it off and try to analyze it, we steer ourselves away from it - when we know we have to plank, when we know we have to run, when we know we need to go on a healthy diet, and when we know God is pulling us out of our comfort zone. I’m sure many of you have been in a situation where you know someone in your life that needs help and one night, God tells you to reach out to them. You say “Yes! I can do that! Tomorrow I’m just going to go up to them, start a conversation, and share my testimony with them!”
The next day comes, and you’ve been thinking about possible outcomes, why it has to be YOU to reach them, how this person won’t even listen to you, how you think this isn’t even gonna work, and that surely someone else can take on this job.
“God, I will do anything else you ask! Please let me off the hook just this once, and give me something easier.”
Been there, done that. The opportunity slips right out of your hands. So what’s the problem?! Why does the eagerness always have to fade away and get replaced with hesitance? Here’s the thing:
It doesn’t have to.
Just DO it! If you feel that you are being called to do something, don’t overthink every detail and question what the point is. Like I mentioned in my last post, just trust that God knows what He’s doing. You will most likely understand later, and even if you don’t, it doesn’t matter! If your faith is in God, then the actions you are called to do are all part of the plan. This is how we grow closer to Him.
So, stay in that “healthy mode.” Know that there is a PERFECT plan for you and your life, and that’s why God calls you to step out of your safe place. Remember:
“being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
-Philippians 1:6 (NIV)
If that isn’t reassuring enough, I don’t know what it is! Trust in God, and He will complete all of that good work He started with you. THE BOOK NEVER LIES.
God’s beauty was revealed in my life when I realized that planking isn’t all that bad, and neither is stepping out of my comfort zone for Him. That's what I'm doing with this blog, for sure. True peace is one of the most wonderful feelings in the world! His beauty was also revealed when I started back to school this week, and I have familiar faces in all my classes, and I cannot WAIT for everything I’ll be learning this semester (let me just say, last semester… God was definitely testing me. That is all). I’m also eating a deliciously beautiful Christmas cookie as I'm typing this, which shows how on top of things my family is! You may think we’re a month late, but I believe that we are 11 months early. After all, remember Guideline #4? BE POSITIVE!
Oh, I almost forgot!
Two) We did, in fact, complete the planking challenge.
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