Simple Faith - just do it.

When I was about 24 (ish) weeks pregnant with Asher, my husband took me on a little mini vacation up to Blue Mountain. It was great it was relaxing, but that's not at all what I want to share. What I do want to talk about is how I looked at myself in the mirror that week and thought "o boy" and decided at that moment that I was going to get active and lose weight.

I know... timing hasn't always been my strong suit

Yes, I was over half way through my second pregnancy and yes and I was only going to gain weight at a very rapid pace for the next 12 weeks but for some strange unknown reason I literally started working out on a very regular basis (until that moment in pregnancy when you look down and have fond memories of those feet that you use to be able to see).

Something was off. Something felt wrong. I didn't like what I saw, and I decided to change it.

At that point in my life, I had labeled myself a Christian for many years, went to Salvation Army Training College, completed a Bachelor's degree in Biblical and Theological Studies and was leading a variety of ministries. But ask me what I was doing to form myself spiritually.....

Nothing, the answer to that question is nothing.

At that moment I had absolutely no spiritual concerns (roll eyes) but a ton of physical concerns, and because of what I saw in the mirror I was going to change and work on those physical concerns.

And I did it. I got up every morning for Asher's 6 am feeding (preceded by his 12 am, 1 am, 3 am, and 4:30 am feedings....) and did an online workout and started to cut out things from my diet that I knew were not good (but not McDonald's...never cut out McDonald's...). 

Slowly but surely the weight I had put on from marriage (yup, we all know that happens) and Maverick's pregnancy began to fall off. But the thing that changed THE most was my attitude and emotions - I didn't want to kill my husband every morning. (you remember how Elle Woods says it? Exercise releases endorphins; endorphins make you happy and happy people don't kill their husbands!!) I found that getting up earlier than the rest of the house served me much more than getting another hour or so of sleep. 

That went on for a while (and still does) but guess what was not changing by working out and eating better - my faith and desire to really know God.

Honestly, I can't pinpoint that one moment that made me go - Bhreagh, pick up your bible girl, but it happened. I think it may have been during a prayer course that I was taking, or maybe it was out of guilt, but I did it, and I got hooked on just reading what Jesus said. Then I discovered books - did you know there are people out there with experiences like you who are real and honest and genuinely want to help you learn all the things?? I know, right? (but that's a side note)

I thought I could fake my way through understanding the Bible, I could give Sunday school answers, and people would be satisfied, I felt that God would speak to me when he wanted to and that scriptures were complicated. I thought my husband knows a lot about that stuff, so I don't have to. I was doing and being "good enough" in my mind, and everyone struggles with their devotional life, right? 

Right! But that doesn't make it right.

You've heard it before - know your context, understand who they were speaking to, the Hebrew word for that means this, did you read the whole chapter or whole book, that's the old covenant, and we are under the new ect. ect. ect. right? I mean, I am slightly ashamed to say this, but I have fallen in love with theology and Old Testament and history and all that stuff that my husband goes on about, and I use to check out totally. It's important to know and understand all those things BUT you don't need to know or even like any of that stuff for God to open your eyes, help you understand and shake you up a little through reading his words. 

Read your Bible.

It's not that complicated. 

We have overcomplicated it. 

We have tried to fit our personal faith or beliefs into gospel truths, and that's why it gets complicated. Guess what - it's not about me and you and what we want or need the bible to say, it's about God, His truths, His word, and His message. We overcomplicate the Bible because, of course, the Bible would get super complicated when we try to twist and turn it to say something that it doesn't say. 

What if Jesus meant what He said?

Developing a personal relationship with someone is easy at first - especially when it's Jesus, and there are no prerequisites. But keeping that relationship healthy and fresh and relevant takes work, it takes hard work. 

Our faith takes work. 

Life takes work but guess what? 

You have to do it, friend.

We have to have that moment, that moment when we look in the mirror and don't like what we see and instead of finding other ways to fill or fix you have to open up that Bible and read. Read the stories, the examples, the times that Jesus' followers did really stupid things, read the miracles, the history, the drama, and about that time that Jesus flipped a table because He just couldn't take it anymore (that's how I know Jesus knows what it's like to be a parent)

Read every single day. Read on the days you are just too tired or too busy. Read on the days you don't want to read (especially these days). Read it again. Read the stuff you marked all up. Read when you feel like you've been reading for weeks and you feel nothing.

Read every single day

Just do it.

Consider this your moment when you look in a mirror, are not thrilled with the reflection and know something has got to change. I am your mirror - make the change. 

God will make you feel valuable and desired. He will make you feel smart and confident. He will make you feel like you have a purpose and that He has a plan. He will make you realize all the things that you need to understand.

I know this because this is what He did for me because I decided just to do it.

It's not complicated; it's quite simple - just do it.