Believe Manifesto

Friends, you are probably wondering where I have been! Me too! The truth is, my schedule and my life got really packed last week. And I could have decided to try to “do it all” but I know better than that. “Doing it all” is code for wild woman. And I don’t like running around like a wild woman. So I chose to say no to some things that weren’t absolutely vital last week, and unfortunately that meant the blog.

It also meant that I didn’t prep for starting 7 Food Month prior to today. On the way home from church yesterday I thought, “Oh, I’ll do that tonight, I have plenty of time.” And then Derick reminded me I had a ladies banquet at 6pm that was almost an hour from home. Nice. No 7 Food prep for me.

I have not been able to decide what I am going to eat you all! And the way my brain works, I cannot possibly decide this on a whim. When Derick asked me about it this morning, I told him I didn’t prepare and he said, “You only need one food during food month–bacon.” Of course he would say that! This coming from the man who goes into the fetal position if I threaten to take away his bacon. Of which he eats almost two pounds a week. (When I threaten to take it away its only for his health.)

But, I want to go back for a minute to “saying no” to crazy last week and preparation. I used to just swallow up any amount of busy that would come my way. I would pile busy on my schedule like a badge of honor. I would drink six cups of coffee and three fizz sticks a day to get this done. And then I drove home one day and realized I had NO IDEA how I got home. I remembered nothing from the thirty minutes before on my commute. This shook me to my core. I made the decision right then and there to take control of my schedule, to make time to prioritize and to change my relationship with food for good. Now, some of you may be thinking “Six cups of coffee, no big deal!” I promise you friends, I have learned with my body, if I have more than one cup a day (which is actually two by serving suggestions but we wont go there) I am not even the same person. My brain doesn’t function right, I walk around like a robot, my memory is terrible, I have almost no energy at all by early evening and I am CRANKY. It’s not a good combination. Don’t get me wrong! I LOVE coffee. I could sit here and drink six cups today and be the happiest gal in the world, but I would regret it.

I think we all have things that come up in life that cause us to reflect and make changes. People often stare at me like I am a crazy person when I turn down coffee at group gatherings. But my health and the safety of my children is more important to me than enjoying a cup with friends. I have fallen off the band wagon from time to time. Especially when my grandma is around. She is one of the only people I can’t resist having an extra cup with, and it usually takes me a week to get back down to my one cup a day when she goes back home.

So what is the point Sarah Marie?! The point is, I want you to take heart if there are things you want to change in your life but they seem hard, scary, unattainable. They aren’t impossible. I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me. (Phil. 4:13) Not SOME, ALL! If God has put a change on your heart, or a goal…you can achieve it through him. Some of you are laughing because I set a goal to kick coffee…verily I say unto you, try kicking coffee for a month and see how easy it is. Wink.

So I decided I couldn’t push 7 Food Month off another week. I would give myself one day of prep (today), I will start tomorrow and bring you an introduction to Food Month this week along with the recipe for Strawberry Nicecream.

Happy Monday friends! What is a goal that you have been pushing off because of fear of failure?