This post was inspired by the prompt word of the day by The Daily Post.  Elastic.

It’s 7AM.  I’m drinking coffee, waiting for Hurricane Nate to hit (we shouldn’t have problems), and have already printed out 2 recipes.  I told myself I wouldn’t make another pumpkin recipe yet both recipes involve pumpkin.

I went to the gym and when I got home made crepes.  What kind of crepes?  Pumpkin.

I know.

The first time I had ever made one was for this chocolate pumpkin crepe cake and realized my fear of making them was so silly.  Then, I imagined making all the crepes with all kinds of the fillings.  Imagine Bubba from Forrest Gump talking about shrimp.  That was going to be me and crepes.

So, I knew I wanted a healthier recipe.  I mean I had whipping cream and nutella, but would also like to exhibit self control and be able to button my pants.  I used whole wheat flour, added a scoop of vanilla protein powder, and almond milk (vs all purpose, sugar, and whole milk).  For the filling I was going to use vanilla greek yogurt and add some banana and almonds, then I realized….PUMPKIN!….yasssssss!   I mixed about 1/4 cup canned Pure Pumpkin the cup of yogurt and mixed it up really well.  Then added about 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, a dash of ground ginger, a pinch of allspice and nutmeg.

Elastic.  The prompt word initially had me thinking of elastic pants.  Aren’t elastic pants great?  I feel like I need to buy some more as much as I enjoy baking.  In that same thought I really don’t need to buy elastic pants.  There’s a workout challenge this month at the gym : how many feet you can accumulate the entire month of October on either the stair master or Jacob’s Ladder.  Have you ever tried the Jacob’s Ladder?  It’s the ladder of death.  It’s harder than the stair master as you use your entire body weight to climb up an endless ladder.  (Spoiler alert: You will never reach the top.)  I like cardio challenges.  Last month was bench presses which I did not participate.

I have not been working out as much as I should which is really making me learn to slow down.  You can’t eat an entire cake and not workout and not suffer consequences.  Food and sugar is so fun though!!!

Exhibit A:

I mean, sure, it’s nice to be able to button your pants, but at the same time ….butter.  (BROWN BUTTER!!)  It’s so much nicer to let go sometimes and enjoy your food without beating yourself up about it.  For the longest time I struggled with that.  I couldn’t just enjoy something that I ate.  Do I recommend eating a stick of butter at every meal?  Not at all.  I mean unless I also recommended diabetes and heart disease.  Balance.  Have you ever been on a balance beam?  Have you ever carried in groceries on one arm?  (I did that last night after doing yardwork and had to hold up my arm with the other arm…)  If you don’t balance you’ll tip over.  If I tell myself “YOU CAN’T HAVE THAT BECAUSE YOU’RE GOING TO GET FAT” basically makes me feel bad about myself and then when I do eat said snack I eat too much or torture myself.  I stare at it longingly.  And then I eat 2,000 calories that are not that one cupcake just to satisfy cravings that I should have just done away with and ate the dang cupcake.

Whereas if you say, “I’m going to make healthier choices and take care of the body God has given me and take a bite or two of this dessert and save it for later…” doesn’t turn me into a psycho path.  Nobody likes being told what to do.  Would you talk to a friend the way you talk to yourself?  I know a few years ago I realized I would never talk to anyone the way I talk to me. And you’re stuck in your own head.  Nobody has to ever hear the remarks you say to yourself.

I’m learning to be nicer to myself.

There is no doubt God has been stretching me spiritually lately.  It seems the last 3 years have been a whirlwind of adventures as He draws me to Himself.  Ups and downs.  Do you know what that’s like?  Do you know what it’s like to know the definition of Love?   Do you know what it’s like to have a relationship with the creator of love and the divine who is perfect?

It’s hard.

Because the closer you get to Him He is going to refine you and cleanse you of your impurities.  You don’t necessarily love yourself.  I don’t want to be a lover of self, but you do learn to forgive yourself.  You’re going to see all of your imperfections.  Where would you rate yourself next to pure righteousness and love?  It makes you look like a garbage can.  But, He takes those things and turns them into a beautiful piece of art.

What else is hard is now that you have a relationship with the creator of Love and the most perfect being is having eyes to see.  You see all of the hate and sin in the world.  You see things that are not right.  You see people being mistreated, sickness, brokenness….you know the cure: Jesus.  You know the cure, but nobody wants it.  But, knowing love means being able to love with abandon.  There’s no fear or inhibition.  The love of Jesus.  It knows no bounds.  You love anyway.  There’s nothing you can do about it really if people reject what they need the most.  So, you sit back and watch.  You share when you can and if people have ears to hear they will hear.  You pray.  We weren’t put on this earth to change people.  We were meant to be a light.  As Christians we have the power to overcome through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus.  The same spirit that healed the sick and restored is alive through believers.  We are sent to tell the good news?  What is the good news?  It sounds like it is something out of duty …you go out and tell people about Jesus.

The truth is when you receive the Holy Spirit and your life changes you can’t help but tell the story.  You can’t help but tell of what God has done in your life.  Love found you.  You were dead and now you’re alive and YOU CAN’T KEEP IT INSIDE.

“THERE IS THEREFORE NOW NO CONDEMNATION TO THEM WHICH ARE IN CHRIST JESUS, WHO WALK NOT AFTER THE FLESH, BUT AFTER THE SPIRIT. – ROMANS 8:1

I had a conversation this week and when they asked who I trusted I said God.  I would never put my trust in man.  Man fails every time.

“BECAUSE THE CARNAL MIND IS ENMITY AGAINST GOD: FOR IT IS NOT SUBJECT TO THE LAW OF GOD, NEITHER INDEED CAN BE. SO THEN THEY THAT ARE IN THE FLESH CANNOT PLEASE GOD.” – ROMANS 8:7-8

That’s why Jesus said it’s so important to let your yes be yes and no be no.  It would provide a bad witness if a Christian said they would do something and didn’t keep it.

Elastic.

Reading my bible has stretched me so much and has taught me things I never thought I would be interested in.  Having your eyes opened opens up your entire world around you.  Julia Child said, “Find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.”  It’s hard to change, isn’t it?  It’s hard to let go of what you’ve always known.  It’s like you’d rather stay safe and miserable than try something new and explore things you’d never done before.  Jesus does amazing things.

While I didn’t have a concrete passion I became passionate about Jesus which led me into so many things.  I thought finding your passion meant I would finally know what my career would be.  I would finally go to school or finally do XYZ and have my life together.  Actually, becoming passionate about Jesus has led me to losing my life and gaining an eternal one.  He gave me Himself and nobody could ever take Him away.  It’s a passion and lesson that’s greater than anything I could have ever learned in school.  You become the light in a dark world.  That’s what Jesus said to do.  And when you have it you can’t help but spread it.  He is the cure and you have it.  And you want everyone to experience it because if they only knew how enriched their lives would be!  It’s so exciting.

I’ve had a rough few last weeks.  I’m stretching.  I’m bending, but I won’t break.  Stretching out of comfort zones.  Things have been getting to me more and more and I snap easily.  (Example: Inner rage means weeding the garden and using power tools.  Then, the next day mopping the kitchen twice and vacuuming.  Also, almost calling someone as a buffer to run errands with you so you don’t burst into tears/yell at innocent cashier in Walgreens.)  But, God is always on time and always faithful with sending messages we need at the exact time we need them.  He is always there.  He always reminds us we are loved and always reminds us we are taken care of.  He reminds us our struggles were for a purpose.  We are not hidden.  He sees us.  He sees and He uses our struggles for His glory.  Because what people see is how we deal with things.

What’s awesome is while I may have been struggling God sends the most unlikely people sometimes to remind us of Himself.  Someone asked me what I did last weekend and I told them I vegetated and laid in my back yard.  That reminded that person of “a verse about green pastures.”

Yes.  Green pastures.  The Lord is my shepherd.

Psalm 23.

I looked it up and we both discussed it.  While this person isn’t a believer God reminded me of Himself through this person and in turn knew I would rejoice and I looked it up on my phone and we both read it.  God used that opportunity for the both of us.

“THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD; I SHALL NOT WANT.
HE MAKETH ME TO LIE DOWN IN GREEN PASTURES: HE LEADETH ME BESIDE THE STILL WATERS.
HE RESTORETH MY SOUL: HE LEADETH ME IN THE PATHS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR HIS NAME’S SAKE.
YEA, THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH, I WILL FEAR NO EVIL: FOR THOU ART WITH ME; THY ROD AND THY STAFF THEY COMFORT ME.
THOU PREPAREST A TABLE BEFORE ME IN THE PRESENCE OF MINE ENEMIES: THOU ANOINTEST MY HEAD WITH OIL; MY CUP RUNNETH OVER.

SURELY GOODNESS AND MERCY SHALL FOLLOW ME ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE: AND I WILL DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD FOR EVER.” – PSALM 23

You know I couldn’t pass up this opportunity… 😛 :

“YE ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH: BUT IF THE SALT HAVE LOST HIS SAVOUR, WHEREWITH SHALL IT BE SALTED? IT IS THENCEFORTH GOOD FOR NOTHING, BUT TO BE CAST OUT, AND TO BE TRODDEN UNDER FOOT OF MEN.  YE ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. A CITY THAT IS SET ON AN HILL CANNOT BE HID. NEITHER DO MEN LIGHT A CANDLE, AND PUT IT UNDER A BUSHEL, BUT ON A CANDLESTICK; AND IT GIVETH LIGHT UNTO ALL THAT ARE IN THE HOUSE. LET YOUR LIGHT SO SHINE BEFORE MEN, THAT THEY MAY SEE YOUR GOOD WORKS, AND GLORIFY YOUR FATHER WHICH IS IN HEAVEN.”

-MATTHEW 5:13-16