Strengths & Weaknesses (Mine)

So I am reading this really good book that is the best so far that I have read about blogging.  It is called Blogger Behave.  One thing I have learned that stuck with me hard is this, to blog only 10% about your weaknesses and 90% about your strengths.  (I think that is what it said, or 20/80, but I believe the first is correct.) 

I think it is a good idea to really think about this and ponder it and search my heart so I can live more fully in the areas of my strengths and recognize the weaknesses that I can pray for help in and work slowly on them as well.

 



What are my strengths.  What are my weaknesses.  I have taken several personality tests lately that reveal what my strengths and weaknesses are and I think I have much more to figure out as far as learning about myself and what those are, but I can share with you what I have learned so far. 

My strengths:
Mercy
Practicing His Presence
Cooking and finding recipes that work around many allergens (though I have not tackled cooking for multitudes, I am really good at finding the best foods to fit.)
Submitting to authority
Serving-more small tasks than large ones
Coordinating
Listening
Tenderhearted (not always showing it though)


My Weaknesses:
People pleasing
Not speaking up for myself, confrontation
Being vulnerable without questioning what people are thinking
Perfectionism, trying to figure everything out and find out the "right" way and then not press on or move forward until I know what that is-time waster! (many areas of my life fit into this category including eating, housekeeping, working, etc--this needs to be worked on so I can press on!)
Giving advice-*working in this area past few years and been really good sometimes at listening and not speaking too quick, and following the prompting of the Holy Spirit in what to say as He leads.

I think you should pray and seek what yours are and learn more about yourself, join me in this fun journey.

More later...
Kim :)

I Get it!

It finally clicked.  Something that has been bugging me for a long time.  Each time I set out to work on a certain area of my life, it gets hard.  When it gets hard and I focus on it, it seems like I start to think that it must not be right.  I must not be doing what God wants.  Then I will move on and try something else.  Reading something else.  Think of other areas or new goals.  I don't press through.  Because it is hard and I feel I am doing something wrong.  As I was running last night, in my 1 minute intervals, I felt like God was telling me something when I wanted to stop.  He said press through.  Then I also felt like He was teaching me that when you first start working on an area that is rusty and needs work, it will not be easy.  But you keep on doing it.  If it is what you are supposed to be doing.  The more you do it it will not seem as hard.  Defeat this battle in my mind now that it is too hard and I am doing something wrong. 

I am not doing anything wrong.  I am where God wants me. 

Time to break through these lies that I am doing something wrong.  Be still.  Slow down.  Work on what God has put right in front of me.  And live.

More later...

Kim :)

Today

So I am on a journey of health.  A journey of priorities.  A journey of healing.  A journey of being set free.  Praying and seeking God's face each moment at a time.  I remember hearing at a Joyce Meyer conference a few years ago something that stuck with me and I was reminded of it earlier. 

Don't always try to seek God's hand.  If you seek God's face, God's hand will always be there.

So I am seeking His face and I know that His hand will always be there.  New goals.  New healthy goals.  Walking/jogging.  I have a goal to run a 5k by November 24th.  I am inspired anew by a new blog friend I met online yesterday here.  She is inspiring in her story and maybe she will inspire you too.  One pound at a time she wrote. 

I feel like I am going around the same mountain with this weight thing and maybe because I have had the wrong focus.  Perfection is one.  But another is that my focus keeps being the weight and trying to fix it.  How about looking at it from a different perspective.  How about looking at it like this.  Putting me in an order of my priorities instead of just letting me go by the wayside and doing what I can with me whenever I can squeeze in the time.  I am not at my full capacity in any area of my life.  Putting me and my health first will I know in turn enable me to be at full capacity in all areas of my life.  wow.  Perfectionism has to go. 

Few goals I am working on right now:

1. Drink water more than any other drink and work on getting the sugar drinks back out of my daily diet.
2. Walk/jog with my runkeeper app helping me keep track, 3-5 days a week.
3. Do strength training at least 1 day a week, maybe 2.  Looking for a friend to do this along with me.
4. Meal plan better.  Work on getting more foods I like, and God willing still being able to make the best foods I can for the rest of my family as well.
5. Focus on God.  Focus on my health.  Not my weight.  That will be a reward for the first two focuses.

More later...

Kim :)

Is it Me or am I Being Selfish?

I am having the thoughts about the name of my blog that I have.  My heart and yours.  I am thinking to myself, wow, I really have this blog to share with others hearts what God is showing my heart.  Why though do I feel right now that I don't have a whole lot of my heart I want to give.  I am a wife, mom of 3, taking care of our home management and working a full time job.  I have been feeling so much lately that I want to take care of me and stop making excuses.  So forgive me if I seem rude or selfish, I really feel I need to take care of myself and really make myself a priority.  I will be so much more helpful to all areas of my life if I do this.  Where do I start?  I have started walking/jogging the last week or so.  That is one step.  I have started SOAP method of Bible reading the past several days and this is so beneficial for my heart.  I also feel this walking/jogging will be so beneficial in my time with God.  In the quiet, praying, listening, talking to Him.  Enjoying Him.  Getting my energy back.  Releasing this last 40 pounds of weight that I put on for the last time.  The end.  Sharing what I have on my mind with you all right now.

 

 

 So that is all I wanted to do.  Tell you I feel selfish because I can't teach anything right now, I can't unless God does it through me.  In the meantime, there is some healing that needs to go on in my heart and life.  I will continue to share and maybe I will just write about what I am doing and see if God can touch hearts in that way.  Excited to stop the perfectionism and LIVE!

 

 

More later...

Kim

SOAP-1 Corinthians 1

SOAP

1 Corinthians 1



Scripture: 
1 Cor 1:12 Some of you are saying, "I am a follower of Paul."  Others are saying, "I follow Apollos," or "I follow Peter," or "I follow only Christ."

Observation:
This caught me as I was reading through.  One of the first things I thought was who do I say I follow.  And even more than that, who do I LIVE and ACT like I follow.  If someone was observing my life, would it be apparent that I follow Christ?

Application:
How can I apply this scripture to my life?  Don't be fake.  Be.  Honest.  Always.  This is scary for me because sometimes it is easier to stay comfortable and hidden and blend in with the crowd.  But I don't think that shining my light for Jesus or letting Him shine through me looks like hiding or blending in.  Authentic.  Joyful.  Let Him each morning and throughout the day be truly the only thing that matters and let Him carry me through and not worry what others are thinking and allow Him to help me to love and influence them for Him as He leads.  Yield.

Prayer:
Lord thank you for your Word.  Thank you that you have me in your powerful right hand and that you will never let me go.  Thank you that I don't have to be a people pleaser or a perfectionist.  I pray that you would help me and anyone who reads this to really know you.  To really be themselves.  To really be myself.  To not pretend like I am a certain way or a certain person, but to really show my weaknesses and let you work through them.  I know you are constantly working and I pray for the evidences of that, even if they are minute, be clear to me and shown to me so I can continue to be thankful and not get a grouchy attitude.  Give me courage and boldness to stand out for you when you say to.  Be my words.  Complete me and be my everything.  Help me to see things that I am keeping more than you.  Authentic.  It hurts, the natural me, but I know you are working it out for good.  Courage I pray for in Jesus Name, Amen :)

Whole 30-Day 1

Whole 30 challenge day 1.  Started great with an awesome sirloin thin steak and fried egg with a few bites of watermelon.  I had water to drink.  The doubts came in though.  I had so many lies and thoughts about not being able to do this, already considering giving up, I don't want to be uncomfortable. 



I prayed.  I felt led to do this.  I question it.  I continue seeking and praying and walking.  For lunch I almost went for the vending machine, peanut m&m's.  I didn't.  Instead ate steak, watermelon, pineapple and brocolli (not all combined mind you).  I wait.  I continue to wait.  I want to give up.  I will not in this moment.  I focus on this moment and stay in it.  I can't do this alone though so I pray.

More later...love to you!
Kim :)

*note I eventually gave into the bag of MMs when my stomach started growling and all I had left at work to eat was brocolli.  I am not going to let this stop me.  I am starting right over.  I CAN do this!!  still day 1 but will end it day 30 at 2pm :)

8:25pm update--I am not doing this.  I got perfectionist attitudes, condemnation, and felt crazy.  Maybe another time if God leads, but for now it is working more on eating when hungry and eating what my body craves and continuing gluten free.  More later...

10/4/12 uptdate--He has shown me that there may be foods He wants me to eliminate from my eating, but that it won't ever be a rule or a diet or a law.  It will be Him leading and guiding me and in the same way it came about with the gluten, it will be that way with other foods-He will give me the perfect grace to do it, and He totally has with gluten free.  Amazing God <3 p="p">