Making every bite count

Did she say delectable molten chocolate cake?  Yum!  Okay, I got stuck there for a minute (maybe longer) and got all out the spirit. :-)  But I'm back!

So I've decided to engage the reading of The Resolution for Women very slowly and purposefully. I hope you will make the same commitment not to browse, skim or rush through the book, but thoroughly engage your mind, heart and spirit. I, for one, fully intend to get everything God wants me to have out of this book.  I must admit that as she describes the content of the book in the introduction, I had to take a moment and stop. It was time for a self-check and some honest evaluation. Am I ready to do this for real?  Am I really open to hearing from God?  Am I going to give the book permission to challenge my paradigms, and am I going to commit to any changes once it is exposed?  You see, I thoroughly enjoy reading, learning new things, growing and getting better, but if I'll be honest, I dislike the process of changing.  It hurts!  So when I opened my heart to this book, I resolved to embrace the process that comes with it.  I hope you will too! Are you ready?  Can we give each other the freedom to be transparent so that we can grow for real? Can we encourage, support and hold each other accountable as God operates on us?  That is my commitment to you.

With all that being said, I've only gotten through Every Bite Counts and wanted to share my thoughts. I'd love to hear your thoughts as well.

What have I been hurrying through?  I don't know about your process but in my process there is absolutely no way to actually hurry through it because there is nothing that I can do about it AND stay in the will of God.  Don't you hate that?? So I have resolved to take it one day at a time, one step of faith at a time.  When I accepted and started to live in the principle of God's perfect timing, I found my greatest peace.

What am I hurrying to get to?  I can admit that while I wasn't hurrying by taking shortcuts, in my heart I had been begging God to "move" as soon as possible, and the longer it went on, while I was still at peace, I started to fight a bit of discouragement.  I'm convinced that being content is a learned behavior and since God is always reminding me that there is divine purpose in the delay, I'm learning to be content in process by focusing more on the purpose - my growth.

What are some good parts of my experience that I've missed in an attempt to rush through the more difficult ones?  Sometimes I have missed the "small victories" because I've been so focused on the battle.  I've not taken the time to celebrate the incremental growth that I've experienced in the process.  In some cases, I've not taken the time to honor God in what He has been doing on-going in my process instead of just continuosly begging for the battle to be over.  Sometimes I've looked for "big victories" rather than just looking for God, even in what may appear to be a small victory.

What am I doing to scrape the plate? Lately I've been actively practicing being more thankful and grateful for what God has done in my life and what He's doing right now (that which I can see and cannot see). I've been practicing being humble and content with where I am and what He has blessed me with (it is certainly alot!).  I've been slowing down in my spirit and not rushing God in my anxiety (releasing Him from my time tables) by developing and cultivating a habit, heart and lifestyle of thanksgiving.