5 times, 5x, 5 strings...plus 1

so,

this week was a monumental week for me.
I started at the gym on monday. talk about a shift in my daily routine...my goodness.
Even managed to get there 5 times...one of those times on saturday even. i tell ya, talk about a shift in the lifestyle...wow..
so, the meals still need work. i'm having a harder time sticking to the healthy than just eating whatever i want...but i have been able to push snacks and stuff away, which is a start i guess.
hense the 5 times...

finally got the Shaun Alexander jersey i ordered in january this past week. unfortunately it's a 5x, and slightly to small. i know i know... 5x should be good, but it's not unfortunately. refer back to the first paragraph if you need an explination.
hense the 5x...

led worship at church this morning, from the guitar, accoustic guitar, for the first time ever. talk about a difference. man, not only are my fingers incredibly sore (something i'm not all together foreign to, as i've been playing bass for 16 years...) but i loved it....i really did, it was great fun. I also realized that the callouses (sp) on my fingers from playing bass for so many years, are slightly in a different spot that i would play guitar on...obvious due to the raging pain and blisters currently situated on the tips of my 4 fingers on the left hand.
hense the 5 strings....plus 1

see....all of those you could plus 1 to:
gym - 5 times in 6 days (should've gone 6)
jersey - 5x ...need a 6x (not for long hopefully)
guitar - 5 strings ...plus 1 (and a whole lotta pain)

---------------

Why is it that when you try to change your life in certain area's the other area's you have trouble / problems with, tend to get stepped up a notch?
example. I started going to the gym this week and watching what i'm eating etc... taking a proactive stance on my body getting bettter. but, my constant want and need for getting closer to God takes a back seat due to the onslaught of "oh my goodiness my life just changed so damn much and i'm sooooo tired i could sleep at 12noon let alone be practically passed out by 9pm." that you end up not doing what you need to do most. Do i need to change my body? yes, sure do, with furry and haste. but does that take the place of God...no way. He's still my source for change and help, comfort. so, instead of taking the time i've promised and said i would take to be with my saviour, i end up being way to tired (in my opinion) and do foolish things...taking on other addictions to make up for the loss of the first one.

(Life - Addiction001) + Addiction002 = no better off.
(Life - Addiction001) + God = Renewed Life...life more abudant. the life we're supposed to live.

So, God, this is where i turn to you. My addictions in life are deffinitely replaceable. That much is certain. replaceable by other addictions, but hopefully, and this is where You come in, they need to be replaced by Your presence.
God i need your presence. I need to replace what i give up with you, because if i don't, i haven't given up anything at all have i?

and there it is....ya ever realize that when you just ramble and talk and pray and let your thoughts come out, somewhere in there, at some point you're going to hit the sentance that sums it all up perfectly....and that was it

If you don't replace what you give up with something better, You haven't given up anything at all...

another thing i've realized is that as much as we realize about ourselves that we need to change, we can't expect things to go perfectly and smoothly right off the start. For instance, i did great at the gym this week, but i did miss one day, and working on the food end of things has been rough...
and because i'm having a rougher time adjusting to the schedule than i thought, i gave into the tired attitude and put less time into God and more time into other addictions....

BUT, if i beat myself up about this, and just get all over my own case, i have much higher probability of failure....we gotta keep level headed. and i think that's the most important part.
people are so easily bent out of shape due to failure and misconception of 'right / wrong' and God's viewpoint on situations.
God is for us, not against us. A good friend of mine told me one day:
"You do what you Can, and God will do what you Can't"...

no truer words can be said...we can't do more than we can do (so obvious, but we think so little about the reality of that).
To ere is human...i believe is the saying. It's true. we will ere, we will fall, we will struggle and push through our problems, and some days we will not make it as far and as well as others.
But God is good, and He is for us, not against us. Let's please not get so bent out of shape over our stumblings. Pick yourself back up and go again.

There is a time to grow up, it's called ALWAYS. Learn from your mistakes, Learn from your mishaps and your trials....and let God guide you towards the point B he has for your life.

"If joy really comes in the morning, then I'm gonna sit back and wait until the next sun rise..."