God Is Faithful

Mickey sent me this verse from 1 Peter 4 after my rough morning on Saturday.  It came from a book he was reading and it was exactly what I needed to be reminded of.  I looked it up with several different translations and always  seem to gravitate to The Message and it's user-friendly language.  God has a funny way of reminding us of his wisdom sometimes...

^12-13 Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner.

Here's a pretty version of it from another translation---good for a vision board or the fridge:

source

Basically--Trust God. He knows what he’s doing, and he’ll keep on doing it.

He knows that if I don't get a break every now and then, I might blow a fuse, so he gives me friends who take me to the fancy restaurants and the opera so I can escape from reality for a bit.  He knows how looong weekends without plans can be and he gives me friends who invite me over on a lonely Sunday to enjoy great company, gorgeous weather, and more fun than more boys could ever imagine.  He gives me struggles so that I learn to cling to Him when times are rough and see how he gets me through.  I know I've been complaining A LOT lately, but I'm hoping to see things in a new light now and be grateful for the work God is doing in my life.  I can't wait to see what he has in store for me...now if I can just remember to enjoy the ride and trust that he's got things covered.  Everything is going to be OK!


Just in case I didn't get the message thoroughly enough, my devotion this morning centered around this verse...

source 

I may be tempted to get discouraged or throw in the towel, I may be tempted to let my fears and emotions get the best of me, I may be tempted to feel sorry for myself, but I am not alone...I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.  Thank goodness I've got him on my side.

Oh, and I got a new supply of this Pure Fiji lotion that is seriously the BEST STUFF EVER!  I'm back in my coconut heaven...YAY!

I'm excited to try out the new sea salt soap too.  It's hard to beat good skincare products.  

I got a head start on my Best Body Bootcamp workouts for the week yesterday with some awesome strength and cardio burst supersets which definitely challenged me.  I was seriously cursing Tina as I did the downward dog pushups paired with bench popovers.  My shoulders were SCREAMING! The only things I had on the fitness docket for today were some cardio and core work.  I decided to tackle my 40 minutes of cardio on the elliptical with my kindle this morning.   I also have a "date" with Bethany Learn at  Fit2B to continue working on my transverse abdominis when I am done with this post...I wish my darn core would just heal already!  It truly is a journey.

The boys went to their play group this morning and made these lovely decorations...

Apparently Mason didn't like the messy glue too much.  He called it quits after putting on 5 pieces.  So far it doesn't seem like arts and crafts are really their thing...maybe because it requires staying put for longer periods of time than they care to put up with.  It will be interesting to see if they develop more of an interest in it as they get older, especially since their Daddy is a graphic artist.  

They do love to draw on their chalkboard, which kept them entertained while I got read this morning...

While they were playing with their friends, I was able to cross off everything on my to-do list except for picking up more toilet paper.  We still have a couple of rolls left so I can save that for my next outing.  It felt good to get so much done.  I even got to go get some new running shoes...

I am trying out a new style since my mileage is a little lower and I'm doing lots of cross training too...not messing with the brand though.  I'm a Brooks girl through and through.  I'm also trying out some inserts.  Hope it all works out well for my ridiculously flat, long, narrow feet.  Would you believe that a size 12A actually fit me?  CRAZY!  Brooks do run a half size big so thats really like an 11 1/2 but seriously, can you imagine if my feet had grown while I was pregnant with the boys?  At least my new shoes are much less "grandma-ish" than my previous style?!?  On another note, I learned that running shoes are important for the elliptical today.  I always thought I could just wear whatever since the elliptical is non-impact but it turns out I was wrong and the forward motion requires a running or walking shoe.  I'm glad I asked so many questions.  I can't wait to take them for a spin tomorrow.  

Check out my cuties with their shades...  

They have been wanting to wear their glasses constantly.  Colton is still trying to figure out how to get them on right-side-up.  Makes me smile!!