Made To Crave Monday {Chapter 5} and a New Look

Friends!  Did you notice the new look of Everyday Blessings?   I am so excited about my new blog makeover! Can't say enough good things about Tessa over at Tales From Outside the Classroom!  She was so easy to work with and really made the vision for my little blog a reality!  Hope you guys love it as much as I do!  Would love to hear what you think!  Ahh, so excited!!


So it's Made to Crave Monday here on Everyday Blessings and I have to be honest with you guys...I am only going to be discussing one chapter tonight for a couple of reasons.

1.  I did not get a chance to really read Chapter 6 yet.  I was out of town this weekend with family and didn't open the book enough!

and

2.  Chapter 5 was a little tough for me to read.  So I will only share about that one tonight!  We will add chapter 6 next week, so next week will be chapters 6-8.  Hope you guys can handle that! :)


{Chapter 5- Made for More}

The Honeymoon period...man, do I totally agree with that statement!  Even today I fell for that temptation...I am leaving to go out of town again on Thursday, no need to go grocery shopping.  I need something easy to take for lunch tomorrow.  So what did I do, stopped by the Papa John's tent and got a pizza and cheese sticks.  Yes friends, I said it pizza and cheese sticks.  And as I was eating the pizza, I felt terrible.  It didn't taste good, my stomach now hates me, it wasn't worth it!  Why?  Because I was made for more!

Is it just me or is that phrase kinda hard to hear?  I think I have mentioned this on the blog before, but I have a hard time accepting grace.  Now, I am not sure anyone is really great at it, but I am terrible.  I prefer for you to tell me how awful I am, how broken I am, how bad I messed up other than telling me you love me, forgive me, accept me for me.  So to hear that I am made for more is a tough pill for me to swallow.  Does my head know that is true?  Absolutely!  My heart is another story and this is such a big part of this journey for me!  I am still working on forgiving myself of some big ole mistakes of the last couple years, because I honestly didn't think I was meant for much of anything.  And each day I have to make a choice to tell myself I am worthy of the love that is offered to me.  Sometimes that truth comes easily, and sometimes it is simply a struggle.

But friends, we were made for so much more.  I love that Lysa compares it to a victory!  We are meant to be victorious!  Nothing about life, the journey of eating healthier should feel like a heavy weight.  It should offer victory and freedom. I was talking with my sweet cousin this weekend and we both were commenting on how until you really want to change, it won't be a permanent change.  And that is what makes this time different for me I think! It's time to embrace that I was meant for more!

The scripture Lysa shared really hit home with me.  I think it is such a powerful thing to think about on this journey!

{Be Persistent:  "I Keep Asking"}

I will admit this is hard for me.  To ask God to join me in this journey, to lead me in my choices, to help me overcome temptation is hard for me.  I feel weak when I have to depend on other people to help me in my issues.  I should be able to handle them all on my own.  Well we can see where that got me! :) My goal this week is to make this a daily prayer, when I wake up.  God help me remember I am made for more and that you are with me every step of the journey!  Do you struggle with this as well?  How did you invite God to join with you?

{Embrace a True Identity:  "Glorious Father"}

Lysa spoke to my heart in this section as I feel like I also found my identity in my circumstances instead of the fact that I am a child of God.  I would encourage you to write out those statements that she wrote at the end of this section.  Put them on your bathroom mirror, in your car, on your refrigerator as a reminder of who God says you are.  You are more than all the screw ups and mistakes, you are more than the times you have fallen and all the broken parts of your life.  You are loved, made new, set free, forgiven, you are a child of our Glorious Father.  Trust me, I know that is easier said than believed, I just hope we can truly embrace this truth.

{ Find the Deeper Reason:  " So that you may know Him better}

So what is the bigger purpose here, so that we can know Him better.  What a thought!  I know I have such a small picture of the greatness of God.  Part of that is my own cynical heart, my crazy desire to hold onto the hurt because I don't think He will really accept me for who I am.  And as I trust him more with this journey, I know I will see so much more about his character.  Is there any better benefit? What have you learned about God so far on your journey?

{Discover a Power and Hope like no other:  "That the eyes of your heart may be enlightened"}

We must tap into this power and hope that are bigger than ourselves.  We were not meant to go through this life on our own.  May our hearts be enlightened to the fact that we don't have to stay in the same cycles, listen to the same lies, feel like we have to fight these battles on our own.  We have a power that is greater than death that lives in us.   Let's claim this identity for ourselves friends and live in that truth!

What stood out to you in Chapter 5?  Maybe you didn't struggle with this one like I did!  I would love to hear your thoughts, celebrations, struggles! Let's walk this journey together!  Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Have a great week friends!