Tag: health

What I left behind in 2025

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I saw a quote last month that struck a cord with me. It said, “December is the month when you decide what to leave behind going into the new year.” I have never been one to consistently make New Year’s resolutions because I usually fail or give up a couple months into the year. However, I decided to set goals as an individual, as a wife, and as a family. I do not know why, but the word goals seem more attainable than resolutions, at least that is what I am telling myself. A few goals for 2026 are:

  • Read at least six books this year
  • Daily devotions and prayer with my husband
  • Plan a family night once a month

I have several more goals but lets move on from that and get to what was difficult. What did I decide to leave behind? I had to take time to think about this. I wrestled with letting go of past hurts, poor habits, and control. I have spent so many years chained to these things that I allowed them to mold me into someone I no longer recognized. Choosing to leave them in 2025 has created more space to let Jesus into my life.

First, I let go of bitterness towards ended friendships and opened up room for forgiveness. Ephesians 4:31-32 says,

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Second, I left behind poor habits such as, laziness and an unhealthy lifestyle. Both of which go hand in hand. I accepted the fact that laziness is a sin. “Boredom, procrastination and abandoned projects are obvious signs of laziness…Undisciplined sleep habits, and pride that keeps us from considering constructive criticism, can be signs of a lazy life.”1 There are several Scriptures on idleness found throughout the Bible:

Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless go hungry. ~Proverbs 19:15

Through laziness, the rafters sag; because of idle hands, the house leaks. ~Ecclesiastes 10:18

I love my naps, and to a degree I think naps are healthy, but second sleeps (3+ hours) makes me unproductive and is a reason to avoid responsibilities. I should also reveal my poor eating habits caused by laziness. I love a good meal, especially one that is prepared for me…like at a restaurant or fast food place. While these are fine every once in awhile, making it a routine not only harms my health, but also feeds (no pun intended) into the realization that I am too lazy to cook and I lack self-control. There are two verses that I am choosing to memorize when faced with the temptation of idleness. The first comes from Colossians 3:23,

Whatever you do , work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.

Anything I do, whether it is household responsibilities or working outside the home is to be done for the Lord. This changes my mindset and can maybe even create a sense of joy in my work. Next, Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20,

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

Why am I feeding my body things that are affecting my health? Why am I not strengthening my body and taking care of it when my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit? These are revelations I have made when pondering what to not bring into 2026.

Finally, and this is the most difficult, letting go of control. I cannot control people in my life. I cannot force someone to change or make better choices, I can hope to model the behavior, but it is God’s job to change someones heart. I cannot control people’s opinions of me and my choices. Frankly, their personal opinions are none of my business. The only opinion and approval that matters in my life is the Lords.

Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. ~Galatians 1:10

That is a brief summary of what I refuse to bring into this new year. That was my former way of living, and I want to fill that space with godly living, full of productivity, trust in the Lord, and surrounded by those I love deeply. I will keep moving forward.

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. ~Ephesians 4:22-24

Living by grace,

Misty

1Bucher, Meg. Why Laziness Is a Sin and 5 Ways We Can Flee from It. http://www.biblestudytools.com



Chapter 10: All On My Own

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I had to make a tough decision. Well, I’m not really sure if it was tough but more along the lines of having to do something I really didn’t want to do. I had to give up my program. It has been tough ever since..

The program was working…I mean it really works! I was feeling my best and losing weight and inches. Now, I am all on my own trying to apply what I have learned and stick with healthy food choices. It has not been easy. My biggest obstacle is making it all about the food. I started eating everything I had went without while on program. I wasn’t doing it to fuel my body, I was doing it because I felt like I had deprived myself. I am still struggling and trying to find the balance.

I have gained five pounds since going off plan, but my clothes are still fitting comfortably. I know now is the time to start trying to re-break my habits. Honestly, eating in a more healthier way was easy. The food is good and my body does feel better. However, a nice slice of pizza is so tempting, and I will admit that I have indulged. Like always, it tastes good during, but I feel terrible physically several hours later.

I know I am not alone in this up and down roller coaster. My main disappointment is going right back to the old habits and believing this time will be different. Yes, I know what the definition of insanity is.. doing the same thing over and over again but expecting a different result. This journey has been hard and frustrating. The pounds are so easy to put on, but take forever to come off. I wish I could be more positive, but right now I just feel defeated.

This wasn’t an easy blog post to make. I had been so positive and determined in previous posts. Hopefully you all can extend me some grace, and hopefully I can dig deep and find my motivation and whys again!!

Living by grace,

Misty

Chapter 9: Not the Update I Expected

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Vulnerability and transparency post…

..I have been going off plan.

It’s like I hit my 25 pound goal and thought, ‘Hey, I can do this and have that banana cream twister. It won’t matter that much.’ Wrong people!! Wrong, wrong wrong. Instead, it had me craving more unhealthy foods and I would sneak in a piece of candy here or a few fries there. The consequences? I have gained two pounds, headaches, and fatigue. Two pounds may not seem like a big deal, but let me tell you, those 2 pounds seemed to take forever to come off; and now I have to do it again.

I don’t want to say that I “cheated” on my “diet” because I don’t see this as a diet. I see it as an overall lifestyle change to good health. It is a journey, has now become my mantra. My goal is to hunker down and focus solely on my nutrition. I need to get back into that healthy mindset of fueling my body the correct way and remembering how I feel physically and mentally versus how I feel when I go off plan.

Life on this journey has had its ups and downs, and I have had some positives during this set back. One, I am still in my size 16s, and second, I was able to play some soccer with my youngest. This was one of my biggest motivators to get healthy. My two boys are very active and I wanted to be able to be active with them. It was a great day passing the soccer ball back and forth, and spending some quality time in doing so.

I started writing the above paragraphs a few days ago, and since that time I have had more obstacles on my journey. The major one is having to take a step back from following the program as far as ordering goes, and I am so disappointed. We have had a few things financially come up, one being talk of lay off at my fiancee’s work, that has left me having to cut the budget somewhere. Unfortunately, this was it. I worked so hard over these last three months and I am concerned about maintaining and continue to lose the weight.

My game plan is to still focus on my nutrition. I went to the grocery store today and purchased basically just food for me at a whopping $100 (for me, that is crazy since that is what I usually spend to feed four people a week). I was giving myself a pat on the back for actually purchasing food with good nutrition and then was left slightly discouraged on how to make that grocery bill fit in my budget. Why in the world is good and healthy food so expensive? And we really wonder why obesity is so prominent in the U.S.?? This is probably for another post so I will now step off my soap box…

The fact of the matter is that I’m not going back. I can’t go back. My health is way too important and my children having a healthy mom is way too important to give up now. I have been reading a book titled, “It’s Okay To Not Be Okay” by Sheila Walsh. She had a great quote that says,

The thing that will keep us strong and help us move forward is knowing that Christ is with us and for us, and the hope we have in Him ultimately will not disappoint.

Sheila Walsh

I fully believe that God is a part of putting me on this path, and I remain firm in the belief that it will be through His strength that I will press on into this journey and will come out a healthier and happier woman for it. I simply will not be able to do this without Him. My will power can only go so far, and then I must rely on Him to see me through this adventure.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. -Philippians 4:13

Living by grace,

Misty